Keeping Sight of YOU

Entering an engagement recently I was asked to sign my name to an initiative that:

• Addressed every leader of this organization within the state
• Attacked the intents and results of the entire organization
• Demanded entire programs be changed to conform to one issue
• Boasted a sense of superiority over everyone else addressed

Needless to say this would not have ingratiated me - or the organization - to ANYONE, let alone result in any sort of cooperative effort to meet the organization's requests. Here's the thing - they were RIGHT on the issue they were pushing for reforms. Under a month in, and

I refused to sign it.

They may have been right on the issue, they may have been right in their requests, they may have been right in the ultimate results they were seeking. Additionally, I may be working for them, and I may be beholden to their direction - but you are never beholden to someone else when it comes to managing your reputation.

There was a better approach, I didn't know exactly what at the moment, but I knew it was there. Sure enough I found it. Sure enough we found compromise. Sure enough we got the reforms originally sought - and we did so without creating unnecessary conflicts.

By taking a few moments to apply a logical solution to a simple issue a tremendous amount of heartache and problems were avoided. And yeah...

It might have cost me my job... or even ultimately my career.

But in doing what was right, I stayed true to me, and I found the right solution.

Somewhere along the way, I lost some of that dedication and being true to myself.

• I lost sight of family, friends, and those important to me
• I lost sight of my own self worth - and allowed others to dictate how I felt about myself
• I lost sight of what my ultimate goals were, and how I had planned to get there
• I let others define how I assigned value to things
• And I let others establish my levels of trust and expectations...

I ceased being true to myself... until...

Someone close to me was forced to sign their name to an initiative that they didn't themselves agree with. They allowed someone else to define who they were. And as heartbreaking as it was to witness, it allowed me to regain some of that self respect because of the choices I had made to get me where I was.

This time I saw what unfolds when you betray your own beliefs - and I felt sympathy for the individual who compromised who they were. I didn't pass judgement, attack their decision, or impugn their integrity. We all make the choices we make for the reasons we choose to make them. I sincerely hope it all works out for that individual - I know it has provided me clarity moving forward.

You should never fear the consequences of doing the right thing - regardless of the pressures you are facing - making that decision to stay true will always benefit you in the long run.