Count others better
Paul on the cure for rivalry
To a church fraying with rivalry and self-interest, Paul prescribes a startling discipline: do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Not pretend they are better while privately disagreeing — genuinely regard their interests, their gifts, their concerns as worthy of your attention above your own.
It is the opposite of how ambition operates, and Paul names ambition as the disease this cures. A team where each person is looking out for the others, rather than competing with them, is nearly unbreakable.
“In humility, each counting others better than himself.”
— Paul, to the Philippians — Philippians 2:3 (WEB)
Count others more significant than yourself. Genuinely prefer their interests, and selfish ambition loses its grip on a team.
“In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another.”
Paul names selfish ambition as the disease and counting-others-better as the cure. A leader formed here actively regards others' interests as worthy of his attention above his own. He treats teammates as people to prefer, not rivals to beat. The inner work is genuine, not performed, esteem for others.
Look to the interests of those you lead and lead alongside, not only your own. Cultivate a culture where people prefer one another rather than compete. Catch and name selfish ambition before it turns teammates into rivals. Honor others publicly and genuinely, modeling counting-others-better.
Leaders operate on selfish ambition while believing they are simply pursuing excellence, quietly turning teammates into rivals. The blind spot is self-interest dressed up as drive.
Pick one person you have been quietly competing with or overlooking. This week, actively look out for their interests and prefer them in honor, as if they were more significant than you.
Selfish ambition is the default operating system of the human heart, and it quietly turns teammates into rivals. Paul's antidote is not less ambition but redirected attention: actively prefer others, look to their interests, treat them as more significant than yourself.
Whose interests are you actually looking out for in your leadership — mainly your own, or genuinely those of the people around you?