From "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Below is excerpted from the book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," by Stephen R. Covey.

Independence versus Interdependence

"True independence of character empowers us to act rather than be acted upon. It frees us from our dependence on circumstances and other people and is a worthy, liberating goal. But it is not the ultimate goal in effective living.

Independent thinking alone is not suited to interdependent reality. Independent people who do not have the maturity to think and act interdependently may be good  individual producers, but they won't be good leaders or team players. They're not coming from the paradigm of interdependence necessary to succeed in marriage, family, or organizational reality.

Life is, by nature, highly interdependent. To try to achieve maximum effectiveness through independence is like trying to play tennis with a golf club - the tool is not suited to the reality.

Interdependence is a far more mature, more advanced concept. If I am physically interdependent, I am self-reliant and capable, but I also realize that you and I working together can accomplish far more than, even at my best, I could accomplish alone. If I am emotionally interdependent, I derive a great sense of worth within myself, but I also recognize the need for love, for giving, and for receiving love from others. If I am intellectually interdependent, I realize that I need the best thinking of other people to join with my own.

As an interdependent person, I have the opportunity to share myself deeply, meaningfully, with others, and I have access to the vast resources and potential of other human beings.

Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make. Dependent people cannot choose to become interdependent. They don't have the character to do it; they don't own enough of themselves."
                        ----- "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," pages 50-51.

Jean Paul Getty: I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

JR Ridinger: If you help others succeed, you will automatically succeed.

If you form a team of 10 people and each person spends 8 hours a week working with you, you would have a cumulative 88 hours of work, including your 8 hours - that is more than 2 weeks worth of work in one week by spending only 8 hours each person! This is the power of leveraging other people's time and effort!

Food for your thought!