Google the question “Is it really a dog eat dog world?” and you will come up with over 33,000,000 results in seconds. Apparently that question (or some variation) comes up often.
Many of the results link back to business-related posts as the business world is what has the strongest link to the phrase. The phrase itself refers to what The Canine in Conservation calls a presumption “of Darwinian competition.” Whether you look at wiseGEEK or Yahoo! Answers, the meaning of the phrase is pretty much the same: a ruthless environment where it is okay to hurt someone to help yourself get ahead.
While mainstream media (and many of the comments on the web) would leave little room for doubt that it really is a dog eat dog world, dig a little deeper and you will find that this mindset may not be so true. John Hall, the CEO of Influence & Co., says that in his business he discovered that his “best clients, partners and relationships have come from me helping someone.” And The College Board encourages young people to volunteer by explaining how helping others will help them.
Helping others gives you the opportunity to expand your own horizons. It gives you the opportunity to experience the feeling of goodwill that accompanies giving of yourself. Yes, even in a business setting, helping others will foster stronger relationships that will actually grow your business. Successful businesses understand that fostering compassion in the workplace will improve employee performance.
This idea of compassion is one that SendOutCards is built on. Wouldn’t you like to join us?