Don't grab the biggest piece

A win arrives and, right behind it, the chance to grab. The crew nailed the install, and one tech makes sure the foreman hears it was mostly him. The team hits its numbers, and somebody angles to present the results alone. Tips were big tonight, and a server quietly works the favourable section again tomorrow. The work went well — and now the temptation is to scoop the largest share of the credit before anyone else can.

Epictetus saw the move clearly. "At a feast, to choose the largest share is very suitable to the bodily appetite, but utterly inconsistent with the social spirit of an entertainment" (Enchiridion 36, Carter). Reaching for the biggest piece feeds one hunger and starves another. You eat well and sit alone. The applause you grabbed was applause you took from the people who earned it beside you, and they notice — they always notice.

Here is the week's move applied: a good outcome is exactly when grabbing tempts you most, and exactly when it does the most damage. Let the credit spread. The share you don't snatch comes back as trust, which outlasts any single win.

The greediest hand at the table ends up holding the least.