In my post, How To Know If Your a Corporate Slave, last week I noted that if you would lie rather than take a stand on an issue, you were either on your way or already a corporate slave. Before you shake your head at the transgression of untruth, don’t forget that we all can fall prey to telling lies. For example; "I didn’t tell my boss that I disagreed with our company’s approach to succession planning, because he said we’re world class in succession planning. I know I agreed with him when I was asked, but now is not the right time to take a stand. We have a one-on-one next week anyway…I’ll tell him then." Sound familiar?
The above example is to illustrate how we voluntarily kill our freedoms and kill our integrity when we choose to lie and not take a stand-no matter how unpopular. It’s not lost on me that some consultants/coaches/experts might say that the example really wasn’t lying it was using keen strategy to maneuver inside of a matrix organization. BULLOGNE!
Could it be that we’ve even distorted what a lie is? Have we compartmentalized things to the degree that we’ll pick and choose when a lie is needed? Sadly, many have and the numbers are growing. Some very well intentioned (albeit enslaved) people don’t realize what their trading in this corporate game. We all trade something. The question is; can you live with what you’ve traded away? Do you even know what you’ve traded?
The answer is; you’ve trade your freedom…the following are the things/opportunities you’ve traded away:
- Freedom to be authentic (who you really are).
- Freedom to tell the truth.
- Freedom to care about your work (the discipline you were wired to do).
- Freedom to lead others.
- Freedom to help your organization-really help.
- Freedom to be an advocate for your customers.
- Freedom to leave (your organization) something that isn’t working.
- Freedom to pursue what you’ve been ignoring all your life.
- Freedom to find out that life is most important-not career.
- Freedom to wake up.
There are specific strategies (not lies) that I teach clients on "turning around." Here are three:
- Stop what you’re doing and make a decision about what you want the rest of your story (life, legacy, career, family, God) to look like.
- Don’t kid yourself, depending on how enslaved you are, this will not be an easy road.
- Get some people (people who believe in truth) to help you on the long journey ahead.