Is Greed the Cancer of Growth?
A recent unsuccessful business collaboration—where the other party was focused only on their growth, disregarding our efforts and fair compensation—made me wonder: Why do people propose such one-sided deals? What drives this behavior?
Greed can drive growth, but what truly grows is greed itself—it’s like cancer in the body. Greed consumes everything, not to satisfy itself, but to fill an empty void that can never be filled. Often, it realizes too late that it’s consuming itself.
How do we recognize greed?
Before spotting greed in others, we must first recognize it within ourselves. To do this, we need to evaluate our values—because without a foundation of values, there’s no limit to what we might seek.
To be clear: I’m not against building something with ambition. The difference is this—ambition builds, whereas greed consumes.
How do we know when we’re asking for more than we need?
We must listen to a healthy sense of ethical discomfort—a voice within that tells us when to stop—and honor it. For those who can’t discern what they truly deserve, this discomfort often doesn’t prevent them from asking for more.
We’re not just trying to help ourselves—we’re trying to help the planet, which is suffering under the weight of greed, a cancerous growth. Recognizing greed within ourselves is the first step to identifying it in others.
From my experience, directly telling someone they’re greedy rarely helps—it often leads to defensiveness and fails to start a healthy conversation. Instead, reflect inwardly, stay grounded in your values, and speak from a place of protecting those values rather than attacking someone else’s behavior.
How Can We Recognize and Respond to Greed in Business?
I encourage business owners to reflect on their own greed and respond to others with compassion. Often, the best response is to avoid collaboration with those driven solely by greed. Just as we treat cancer in the body, we must address greed with care and precision to stop it from spreading.
Even as employees, it’s important to assess the values of the organizations we work for. If we sense a company is squeezing more out of employees than it fairly compensates, we should reflect and reassess our relationship with that organization.
As a business owner, I’m often approached for collaborations. When someone asks, “What does your client need?” instead of “What can we offer to your clients?” it’s clear they’re more focused on consuming than giving. In such cases, I politely decline and explain that our values focus on creating a safe space for our clients and staying true to what we promise to deliver.
This is my personal opinion. If you have thoughts to share, I’d love to hear them—let’s keep the conversation going.
Sundar
Founder, Open Circle Yoga