Loyalty…
Always try to align your loyalties and commitment with the largest scope of the context you find yourself in. For example, if you work for a department in a company, align yourself with the company—not the department; if you are in an army platoon, align yourself with the army.
Back Story
This advice is designed to short circuit an unproductive tendency in people to myopically focus their loyalties towards immediate influences and not towards the larger entity of which they are a part. All too often, allowing oneself to be swayed and manipulated by the goals of those closest can make one prone to acting at cross purposes to the goals of the organization as a whole. Loyalty to one’s team is fine and desirable, but your ultimate value to—and any reward you may receive from—any organization will be assessed based on your ability to serve and benefit the institution. This cannot happen if your actions at every step along the way are not informed primarily by a recognition of the institution’s interests.
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