“So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his Lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”” Genesis 40:7 NKJV
There’s something that experienced entrepreneurs and professionals understand about relationships and career growth that many newcomers don’t. It is, that, “helping your helper is vital to your growth”.
The average inexperienced person believes that to have more, you must take. So, many of us start our careers with that mindset, searching here and there for that mentor that will invest their time in us; reaching out to the HNI (High Net-worth Individual) that will recommend us just because we have a portfolio or a grand startup idea. For a long time, I also believed this was the way until I had a paradigm shift after understanding what it meant to serve.
Two HNIs (the Chief Baker and Chief Butler) were thrown into prison by Pharoah and Joseph was their chief servant. Joseph already had a track record of good service, and so when he saw them sad, he simply did what he would naturally do – find out how to serve them better.
According to scripture, this was the first time he would interpret a dream for anyone in Egypt and he didn’t hold back when he realised this was the dimension in which he needed to serve. Giving his gift to the Chief Butler was instrumental to being recommended when it mattered the most. And it took 2 years for that to happen.
God never designed us to fulfil our purpose alone. We need a community of people to do it. It doesn’t matter how introverted, uneducated or ill-privileged you are, your good work is not going to move boundaries until you serve those who can be instrumental to your success later.
Do you want to connect with a mentor? Earn your way in by buying what he’s selling first. Do you desire to get something from an HNI? Look at your portfolio or product catalogue and give them something for free.
Like Joseph, it may take years to reap the rewards of your labour but do it anyway. Many value exchanges are not transactional. I’m glad I learned this, even though it was a difficult pill to swallow because of how I previously understood it. And I hope you learn it too if you haven’t already.
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