Staying True

I met a young woman the other day who told me that her biggest stress at work isn’t the long hours or the heavy workload. She likes what she does and her strong work ethic drives her to excellence. And that’s the trouble. Because her biggest stress at work is her fellow employees, who continually nag her to not work so hard or so long or with such excellence, because she’s making them look bad.

If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard this from clients over the years….

This is rampant. And rampant across industries and across levels. I’ve heard it from production line workers and I’ve heard it from accountants. Other people trying to hold the one person back—because—why? Posturing, competition, image, laziness, envy, fear...we could speculate on a lot of reasons. What’s important is to look at what to do when it’s directed toward you.

In deciding how to respond (or not) to the pressure from your coworkers, there are various considerations:

• How strong are your relationships with these coworkers
  
• Are any of these coworkers in a position of authority over you, or do they influence anyone who is in authority over you
  
• How important are these relationships (e.g. how interdependent is your work and your success)
  

…to name a few.

But the one consideration that stands taller and bears more weight, ultimately, across the course of a career, is this:

Your commitment to doing your best and being your best. Your commitment to excellence, and to your integrity.

It's wise to consider the politics, yes. It's just that politics can't always be the swing vote. There may be some appropriate give and take, but over the course of a career, it's simply essential to stay true to your own compass.

There will always be people trying to distract, detract, drag you down. Do your thing. Do your work. Do what you know to be right.