LOYALTY IN THE WRONG PLACE

 

GOAL SETTING 

An excited employee enjoying work /Photo Courtesy /Andrea Piacquadio

Move Past Material Value

If you place your loyalty in the wrong place or things. You will suffer. You will suffer because someone will be misusing your devotion. They will love you when you are the game changer. They will reap the effects of your hard work and innovation. Everyone will talk about your dedication. And how fast you get things done. And you will be rewarded. You will actually be on all big or important projects in your organization. Your manager will love you. He/she knows that you are a go-to person. Always available and ready to roll your sleeves. Whether it is at night or day. You are a committed person. One who understands the meaning of responsibility. You have placed your priority in the right things. And this is really good. As a professional. You need work commitment. Hard work and responsibility.

These values are important. They play a critical role in your own career progression. Hard work, commitment, and flexibility open doors to career growth. You will be able to scale faster than your average colleague in the office. Employers love dedicated people. Employees who take initiatives and come up with ideas. Ideas that help to keep organizations modern and innovative. In short, employers love thinking employees. If you are one of them. You are on your way to something big. Because the team you work with. Will see your usefulness. And you will be on the spotlight. Your boss will talk to you often. Inquiring whether you know how to do this or that. And since, you are a dedicated professional. You will have a rough idea of how to get something done. And your boss will trust you. You will work on critical projects.

Projects that means so much to the business. And you will deliver. You will help your organization earn that money. You will also help your organization cement its position in the market. Throughout your tenure with the company. You will all do very well. You will make a lot of money. Access several growth opportunities. And you will love the experience. The different assignments that you will work on will convince you that you are in the right place. Because you will find job satisfaction in every project. You will be deeply connected to the tasks. Because they best utilize your skillsets and training. The various projects that you will be exposed to will help you understand your potential. You will know exactly how much work you can comfortably complete in a single day. A work that will end up as err-free and high-quality.

Blind Loyalty

A committed team being loyal to each other /Photo /fauxels

This is what loyalty drives people to do. They give out their best performance. And just enter a streak of best work every day. Loyal people prove every day that they deserve to be where they are. The position they occupy is the right one for them. Because they know how to execute the responsibilities of that position. Employers love these type of performers. Their performance alone drives millions of dollars to their organizations. Being valuable like this. Comes with its benefits and disadvantages. Being known as the go-to-person in your organization gives you privileges others don’t get. Your pay package for example, grows. Further, you gain insider status. You join a small group in your workplace that has access to insider secrets. Information that can easily be described as a make or break for the stock market. And this is a lovely experience.

Small privileges like these will motivate people to even work harder. And you will be appreciated for your efforts. Until you become fully convinced that you and your organization are a strong team. You got backs for each other. You will arrive at this conclusion after seeing the fruits. The fruits will be sweet. They will nourish you and eliminate any form of doubt. After all, you have done so much for your company. You are among the top ten earners in your organization. What else do you need to pledge your loyalty? Haven’t you seen the money? The nature of projects. And various growth opportunities you have come your way. All these things have fully convinced you that you are in the right place. In fact, you have turned down other promising opportunities. Because you are in the right place.

You have travelled so far with your boss. And from the look of things. The relationship you have built is worthy sacrificing for.  So you turned down a few offers from the competitors. And your refusal to move elsewhere was your sign of loyalty to your boss. You love it here. And you aren’t moving. Your action alone. Protected the reputation of your employer. You send a strong message to the competitors. You are not for sale. You are satisfied with this work relationship. Because it has everything you envisioned in a successful career. And you have lived the dream. And to show your appreciation. You will commit your time, skills, and services here. You got to this conclusion after considering different factors. And loyalty is your final conclusion. This is the conclusion based on the results. And you strongly believe that your employer holds the same views as yours.

A loyal worker discharging responsibility /Photo Courtesy /Elevate Digital

That you have travelled a long journey together. And your boss will sacrifice for you too. But what happens. When reality later tells you that your relationship was single-sided? That someone was only there for gains. And courtesy of your hard work. Someone made a lot of money. And they moved on without you. You made them enough money. And they transitioned into something else. But they never bothered to let you in. Yet all along. You thought you were a team. What happened? Who was not being honest with the other? You are only waking up to this reality after you had positioned yourself to do more. You had seen the potential in the company. And you were willing to create more time for more work. However, your boss has other priorities. Now, instead of growing to the direction you wanted. Things have taken a wrong turn. And you are no longer excited about the future.

Dishonesty

Yet your loyalty was unquestioned. Your employer knew you are the real deal. You get things done so fast in the right way. Nevertheless, with all that knowledge. They still moved on without you. Your boss cared more about his or her interest above the interests of the team. And the boss was willing to dump you in the hands of inexperienced management. A new manager that does not understand how the business got here. The manager found a full table. And thought it just happened. All fundamentals that built a successful business are all forgotten. Your former boss understood the meaning of integrity. Deadlines were respected. And professionalism defined every action. However, under new management. Standards have been compromised. And you cannot do anything about it. Because people in charge don’t care about those values.

After all, their stomachs are full. You are the only hungry person on the table. The people you thought had your back were only interested in what was in there for them. And your loyalty was only valuable as long as, they could exploit it to their advantage. And thanks to your commitment. They got the money and forgot everything about how you started. Yet you can’t even complain about this outcome. Because it was all business. You got paid. You enjoyed certain privileges. And got complacent. You stopped looking out for yourself. And focused on the community. Yet everyone else was thinking as an individual. This was your biggest mistake. To develop blind loyalty in the wrong place. You trusted people who did not need your trust. You placed value where others saw comparative advantage. Don’t make this mistake again. Don’t trust people based on face value. Working together is not enough. Some things need to be earned. Whereas, you earned their respect. They never respected you at all. So, if loyalty hasn’t been earned. Don’t give it.