Helping Others Succeed

A Strange Truth About Success

Most people think success is a competition. If someone else wins, you lose. If you help others, you are giving away your advantage. Hold on to everything you have.

This seems logical, but it is wrong. The most successful people in almost every field share a habit: they spend a lot of time helping others succeed.

Why? Because success is rarely a zero-sum game. When you help someone:

• •They remember you and want to help you back someday
• •Others see you as someone worth knowing and trusting
• •You build skills and connections in the process of helping
• •The person you helped may create opportunities that benefit you too

Think of success like a garden, not a pie. Helping others grow does not shrink your harvest—it often makes the whole garden more abundant.

Sharing Credit Makes You More Respected

It might seem that if you share credit for success, you get less. Actually, the opposite is true. People who share credit are trusted and admired more than people who grab it all.

Here is what happens when someone always takes credit:

• •People stop wanting to work with them
• •Team members stop contributing their best ideas
• •Others secretly resent them and look for chances to criticise
• •Their reputation suffers even as they try to build it

And here is what happens when someone shares credit generously:

• •People want to work with them on the next project
• •Team members give their best because they feel valued
• •Others speak well of them and support them
• •They become known as someone who brings out the best in others

Strangely, the more credit you give away, the more comes back to you. People notice who made the team successful, even if that person points at everyone else.

Teaching Others Deepens Your Own Understanding

Have you ever tried to explain something and realised you did not understand it as well as you thought? That is because explaining requires deeper understanding than just knowing.

When you teach someone:

• •You have to organise your thoughts clearly
• •You discover gaps in your own knowledge
• •Their questions make you think in new ways
• •You remember the material better because you explained it

This is why the best students are often those who help their classmates. It is not just generosity—it is smart learning. Teaching is one of the best ways to master something.

So when someone asks you for help, see it as an opportunity. You are not just helping them. You are strengthening your own skills.

Building People Up vs Tearing Them Down

Every interaction is a choice. You can build someone up or tear them down. You can leave them feeling better or worse about themselves.

Some ways people tear others down (sometimes without meaning to):

• •Mocking someone's mistake in front of others
• •Pointing out flaws without acknowledging strengths
• •Comparing them unfavourably to others
• •Dismissing their ideas without really considering them
• •Gossiping or speaking negatively behind their back

Ways to build people up:

• •Noticing and mentioning what they did well
• •Giving feedback privately, praise publicly
• •Asking for their opinion and really listening
• •Expressing confidence in their ability
• •Speaking well of them to others

The person who builds others up becomes someone everyone wants around. The person who tears others down becomes someone everyone avoids.

The Ripple Effect of Encouragement

Here is something remarkable: when you encourage someone, the effect does not stop with them. Like a stone dropped in water, it ripples outward.

The person you encourage feels better. They are more likely to encourage someone else. That person does the same. Soon, your single act of kindness has touched dozens of people you will never meet.

The opposite is also true. Unkindness ripples too. The person you criticise harshly goes home and snaps at their family. The cycle continues.

Think about the people who encouraged you in your life. A teacher who believed in you. A friend who said you could do it. A family member who noticed your effort. Those moments might have changed your whole path.

You have the power to be that person for others. Every day, you can choose to start positive ripples instead of negative ones.