Sharing the Stew
by Linda Aasen
A young woman was embarking on a new business venture. She was very concerned about the future of her business and so she asked a very successful business man from a neighboring town to show her what success looked like.
The successful businessman led the young woman to a heavy wooden door. When they opened it they saw a large room with a round table in the center. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the young woman’s mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. The people were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms, but allowed them to reach into the pot of stew to take a spoonful. Because the spoon handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoon into their mouths. The young woman shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. This was not the picture of success she had envisioned.
Then the successful businessman led her to the next room and opened the door. The room was set up exactly like the previous room. There was a large round table with a big pot of stew which again made the young woman’s mouth water.
The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking as they ate. The young woman said, “I don’t understand.”
It is simple the businessman replied. Success requires one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the unsuccessful business people think only of themselves.
The people in the second room were members of BNI, where they learned to work together and feed each other referrals. That room of BNI members believes in Giver’s Gain and working together for everyone’s success. Are the members of your chapter feeding each other and working together?