338 THE PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL POWER
COMMENTARY
There was a time in this country when businesses flourished and great fortunes
were made by their owners, while the common laborers who toiled in factories made
a pittance. It was hardly surprising that labor unions sprang up to represent those
at the bottom. The United States went through many decades of unrest as labor and
capital struggled with each other to achieve a balance between the interests of both
parties. Ultimately the hard-won cooperation between the two sides benefited
everyone as demand for products increased and so did worker output. America
became the world's greatest industrial power, enjoying a standard of living that
was the envy of the world.
The so-called captains of industry would have been reduced to failures if
they had not cooperated with those they led. You, too, must learn to inspire co-
operation among everyone you work with. Otherwise it will be forced upon you or
you will be forced out of your position of leadership.
If you would be a real leader, you must realize that everyone in the world
will not share your ambitions. Some people will oppose you directly. Others will
agree with you in small ways, and still others will say, "Yes, that is a worthwhile
goal, but I would go about it another way. "
The key is to find those points on which your interests intersect with those
around you, and to use those points as a means of moving forward. You may
eventually part ways with some or most of your followers, but if you have been
an effective leader, they will all go their own way feeling that they benefited
from their association with you.Nor can it be truthfully said that all the evils of the world are
confined to the affairs of state and industry. Look at the churches
and you will observe the damaging effects of lack of Cooperation. No
particular church is cited, but analyze any church or group of churches
where lack of coordination of effort prevails and you will see evidence
of disintegration that limits the service those churches could render.
My complaint is not against the work the churches have done,
but the work that they could have done through Leadership that was