Career Mission's Chief Executive Officer, A. Harrison Barnes discussed how power lies in giving the most.

There are just so many people out there who will do whatever they can to take advantage of everyone and every situation. Harrison believes that our efforts should be going toward creating long term value–not taking from people every chance we get.

It is not worth taking advantage of others–our efforts should go into providing value and earning the return, not simply taking the return when it is not justified. Something that is incredibly important in everything you do is to be consistently building for the long haul. However, instead of doing this many people are looking to get a “quick advantage” here or there. Instead of concentrating on providing value, they concentrate their efforts on taking value. A large proportion of the world seems to operate this way.

There is a mentality that many people have that says “I need to get as much as I can from this person right now or else I might not get anything at all.” This attitude comes from a sense of weakness, and it is something that continually holds people back. Not taking into account the long term, and always going in for the quick fix can be very dangerous. Over time the disadvantages of this philosophy and behavior far outweigh any immediate returns.

You need to provide long term value in everything you do. Long term value is among the most important things you can provide to others. When you look at the people who have the most, achieve the most, and live the most, it is always the people who contribute and give the most. This is where the power lies, and understanding this will change your career and life for the better.