On Cooperation and thinking long term

Cooperation is so very important when it comes to team work in general and our own growth in particular. Simple Rule: People reciprocate with cooperative behavior if you cooperate. You defect and people are more likely to do the same with you.

I read an interesting anecdote at “India Knowledge@Wharton” where IK@W interviews V. Raghunathan on his book “Games Indians Play”.

“In his book Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are, V. Raghunathan writes about a farmer whose corn won top awards year after year. When a reporter asked about the secret of his success, the farmer attributed it to the fact that he shared his corn with his neighbors. Why, the reporter wondered, would the farmer want to share his seed when those neighbors also competed with him for the prize? The farmer’s reply was, “The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grew inferior corn, cross-pollination would steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors do the same.”

Read the full interview here.