Fighting the Good Fight
I've had the pleasure of working with some wonderful people in various firms over the years. Many of them would allow me to fight the good fight by day, and we'd hang out drinking by night. No hard feelings. Those are the best co-workers one can ask for!
The one thing I've come to realize is that those times when I was fighting for something e.g. fighting to challenge the status quo, fighting to change mindsets, fighting for technology or process improvements, fighting for fairness in employee treatment, fighting for a larger budget, fighting to get more money or recognition for an employee, fighting for the opportunity to introduce new products or services, fighting to do the right thing for the customer, fighting to protect the privacy of customers, fighting for the proper accounting to be shown in the financial statements, fighting for the firm to take calculated risks...these were all highly exhausting experiences, but they all ended up with something good produced for the firm and stakeholders involved.
At times, I have chosen not to fight the good fight and simply give in to HiPPO. But I kick myself afterwards. Because the results are evident: the outcomes include doing the same things the same way that do not lead to improvements/growth/increased revenues or profits/decreased costs, choosing the path of least resistance, not rocking the boat, which typically leads to stagnation and lack of innovation. Even if the firm is trying to stand still, it's sliding back relative to the rest of the industry.
As such, when you find that you no longer have the energy or will to fight the good fight, it's time to take a break, go on vacation, so that you can step back into the ring to swing away! Even as your team members get a few bruises from your punches, it's all for the good of the organization (I promise!). Don't be tempted to simply go with the HiPPO. Fight on!
Side note: not to say that the HiPPO doesn't have good opinions, it's just always good to talk it out, debate the issues, play devil's advocate, question the assumptions, and make sure that you're not just going with whatever your boss says, just because he or she outranks you.
The one thing I've come to realize is that those times when I was fighting for something e.g. fighting to challenge the status quo, fighting to change mindsets, fighting for technology or process improvements, fighting for fairness in employee treatment, fighting for a larger budget, fighting to get more money or recognition for an employee, fighting for the opportunity to introduce new products or services, fighting to do the right thing for the customer, fighting to protect the privacy of customers, fighting for the proper accounting to be shown in the financial statements, fighting for the firm to take calculated risks...these were all highly exhausting experiences, but they all ended up with something good produced for the firm and stakeholders involved.
At times, I have chosen not to fight the good fight and simply give in to HiPPO. But I kick myself afterwards. Because the results are evident: the outcomes include doing the same things the same way that do not lead to improvements/growth/increased revenues or profits/decreased costs, choosing the path of least resistance, not rocking the boat, which typically leads to stagnation and lack of innovation. Even if the firm is trying to stand still, it's sliding back relative to the rest of the industry.
As such, when you find that you no longer have the energy or will to fight the good fight, it's time to take a break, go on vacation, so that you can step back into the ring to swing away! Even as your team members get a few bruises from your punches, it's all for the good of the organization (I promise!). Don't be tempted to simply go with the HiPPO. Fight on!
Side note: not to say that the HiPPO doesn't have good opinions, it's just always good to talk it out, debate the issues, play devil's advocate, question the assumptions, and make sure that you're not just going with whatever your boss says, just because he or she outranks you.
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