Appealing To The Nobler Motives

"Appeal to the nobler motives." - Carnegie

One of my tasks as condo association bookkeeper is to collect special assessments for major property repairs. This afternoon a resident protested a $1,700 payment due "without her consent." Agreeably, no one likes to be governed without consent. In this case, there's clear legal basis for the board's right to make needed repairs and charge for them at their discretion (or in this case, as supported by the Town of Normal as well). But the point is that we are all on the same team. Sometimes it's unclear what that team is, and sometimes it's clear but gets lost in emotions. When I worked at State Farm there were many cases as supervisor where our unit goal was worth focusing on, whenever a situation started to feel like a personal matter. There is almost always a greater good that we both share. The challenge is to keep it in front of us, rather than our own egos. In Shrek, my goal is to be the best King/Pied Piper that I can, however little it adds to the background.