Evening star., 1907-11-03
Sunday Morning Talk
The Art of Working With Others.

A private concern in an American city
had resisted long and persistently the
Establishments of a big trust. The owner
of it had always carried the sovereignty
of his business life 1lnder his own hat and
he did not relish the idea of becoming a
part, even though an important part. of
an immense corporation But at last the
Inducements were made SO strong that he
yielded. and in due time he was made
president of the board Of directors of the
Amalgamated Cooking Stove Polish Com
pany Of North America. That was not its
real name. but it will answer for my pres
ent purpose.
After a while an intimate asked him
how lie liked the new regime and he re-
Piled: Much better than l expected l
thought, after being the sole manager of
by business for thirty years, it would be
hard to sit down with a lot of other di-
rectors and make plans and decisions.
But l am thoroughly enjoying this team
work. | find that 1t is good for me to
learn how to work effectively with others.
TO get their point Of view and to adjust
myself to differing personalities.
There Is good cheer in this incident for
those of us who have to get along with
others IN various spheres of human reia-
tionshp. AS modern life grows more COM
pick 11le utterly independent career De
comes more and more OF a rarity. Nearly
all of US now work for or with somebody
else. Why fret under the Imitation? Why
not accept It as part OF the proVldentlal
ordering of human life which, If accepted
in the right spirit will inure to our good?
Oh yes it would be SO nice to be a free
lance, TO say and do just what we please,
but, Browning says:
The common problem, yours, mine, every ones
Is not to fancy what were fair IN life,
But finding first what may be,
Strive to make II fair.
So under this necessity of being yoked
with others what can be done to make
the relationship not only endurable but
enjoyable? First one can always frankly
and fearIessly, at the right time and In the
right way avow his own convictions of
what is expedient and right Nothing Is
gained much is sacrificed, when men en-
gagged in a common undertaking fail to
let one another know what they actually
think Many misunderstanding would be
avoided, many unfortunate collisions OBJ
waited # the persons involved would keep
one another posted to their individual
point of view and their method of pro-
cedure.
declare yourself fully, it is due to the other
man that you be equally Considerate of his
rights and preferences in the matter.
Therein lies the disciplinary value of as
sociated effort. II another person has an
equal right with you to express his judg-
ment, then II it differs from yours you
will be called upon TO determine how with
out sacrificing your convictions you can,
by mutual concessions, stand on some
common platform. And this effort to pla-
cate, to concliate, to keep together may
bring out what is best and sweetest in
your character and his
But such a happy result is seldom pos
sible, unless there be common devotion
to some large and worthy end. That more
than anything else enables people to rise
above the plane of dispute about methods
and to join hands in the determination to
achieve some noble purpose. Remember
when the wheels drive hard and the fric-
tion is apparent what you are trying to
do, and if the other fellow is after the
same result you can afford TO be patient