Ethics of Optimism

Recently, I made a choice to change companies.  It was a large career move and one I struggled with. The location at which I have been working was full of people who had never been shown care or concern, honesty and respect.  Rather, “respect” was merely demonstrated by coming to work, doing your job, and going home.  “We’re here, aren’t we!” 

With my resignation came a lot of emotion.  Not from higher up, but from within.  Even though I don’t work in education, “Principals Should Be the School Optimist-In-Chief” by Middleweb could easily sun out a few key terms for some HR jargon and the same story be told.  In human resources, I was indeed a “data analyst (payroll), cheerleader (employee morale), PR Expert (maintain professional company image in the community), parking lot attendant (same), production manager (same), public speaker / educational leader / problem solver / conflict resolver / curriculum coordinator / chief hand-holder / liaison / and social worker” to name a few, and the person who gets all of the perks of firing an employee from their job. 

It isn’t something I ever took lightly.  But it wasn’t until I read this article that I realized I do most certainly lead and achieve so much through optimism.  Over the course of my years with the company, I was able to provide honest answers and speak with purpose to employees about the economic reality of covid and its impact on our business.  When employees were concerned about closing or the people who took off of work simply because the state laws allowed for it, I reminded them that the easy way out is only easy for someone who can’t work this hard, and because of that, we have an opportunity to show the company how great we do under pressure, because it is the best of you who are left.  And we did. 

Covid presented new and uncharted territory for everyone.  And human resources had to be on their toes! We dealt with fear of losing sick loved ones to fear of being shut down.  We listened to petty concerns of system manipulation and real concerns of not having enough people on staff to do right by our customers.  We adapted daily to legislation changes and maintained a proactive stance in getting ahead of the information and knowing how to talk to people who were scared in a way to keep them going.  We faltered.  But we drive forward.  

Demonstrating the five principles of optimism seemed to be the only way to succeed.  We learned the information, we determined controlled and uncontrolled impacts, we pursued the goals we set forth and we owned up to what was happened, because in a pandemic, new to everyone, someone has to be the person with the widest shoulders to hold all of the accountability before others will come out from your shade and realize it’s safe to make mistakes. 

When Covid legislation began to revert, and I made the choice to resign, I enacted the same principles.  I weighed all of my options both good and bad and their impact on both companies.  I listed everything that needed done or passed onto someone in the interim and listed the things that were ongoing and I could not see through.  Once I knew what I could do to help make it easiest on everyone, I presented the information to those affected and began a two week sprint to obtain as much success as possible, so others didn’t have to take on something new.  

Leading with optimism is absolutely something one can learn, as I did.  Looking around at my staff, (students), and realizing I had the ability to make my personal choice a positive thing for others moved me to progress.  Not only was I commended for going above and beyond to reduce negative impact on business partners and staff, but I was also given respect for how much I cared.  Sometimes a major shift in roles is what it takes to become visible to others in all that you do.  And even though I made a choice that was hard on some people, myself included, emotionally, there is never a time when that positive influence and eye-opening optimism isn’t worth it.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ethics of Expectations

We have all heard of the notion of a self-fulfilling prophecy.  In fact, I used the term in casual conversation earlier today.  But what bearing does it actually have on us as we march toward our goals?  Are we all subjected to such slight of hand? Or does it take certain circumstances to create the possibility?  More than that, is it a form of positive reinforcement or negative?  We hear all sorts of self-help books claim things like, if you can dream it, you can do it, originating from the iconic Walt Disney.  Many aspects of psychology focus on self-affirmations or speaking your dreams to give them life. Seems to me, if it was that simple, then everyone would be winning at life.   In Mark Mansons not so subtle book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F***”, he criticizes greatly the idea of using self-affirmations to create a better life or self-image.  In fact, he states that the very idea of saying something is needed out loud is actually reinfo...
Read more

Ethics Training Reboot

Ethics training is a hot topic right now.  Every company I have worked at in the past decade has provided some sort of "ethics training", "ethics hotline" or "ethical code of conduct."  And usually, it is something I don't hear about again until the refresher training the following year.  Recently though, most companies have been rebooting their program to include some sort of extra step.  If it was an online course, they're adding the hotline.  If it was the hotline, they're adding the course.  If they had both already, they may even be sending management to a workshop offsite.  This, however, is rare.  The most recent company I accepted a position at unfolded like this.  I read the job description online.  Their emphasis on ethics and integrity couldn't be ignored.  In Human Resources, it's a core value, so when you see it in the company's core values, you tend to have a little more faith that their respect of the department is hi...
Read more

Ethics in the Shadows of Misplaced and Broken Loyalties

 "People don't want to report on the table; they want a seat at the table."  (Johnson 24)  The question becomes then, which table? For some, this question is easier to answer than others.  Personally, I find it simple; but I am usually wrong.  I say this because "loyalties" in corporate America tend to lie in the "bottom dollar" and whatever goal(s) it takes to get one there, with maximum efficiency.  As a human resources professional, though, my loyalties lie with the person, or people, who make up my workforce.  I always say, if you have no people, you have no bottom dollar.  But primarily, people look upward instead of around.   For two years I have worked for a company undergoing a massive merger, and in that merger, I have had five different bosses assigned to me.  Some have had opinions on loyalty, and some have not.  My most recent manager has said quite specifically, that my loyalties are to the HR department.  A s...
Read more