If you think you can ever escape from politics, I have bad news: you are always on. You are always sending out signals, always providing others information to use to assess you, test you, and judge you. And although I’m sure you’d like to take a day off from thinking about all the potential implications of what you say and do, there is no way to stop others from receiving your signals, which means… you can’t.
I have a problem right now with someone else that illustrates the point: I got a strong signal through a recent communication of his that he is trying to take credit for my work. And while he claims that it was an innocent mistake, his intentions are irrelevant… I have no choice but to judge him based on his actions. Why? First, out of deference to a piece of advice that I’ve been given since birth, that actions speak louder than words, I feel compelled to heed my gut on this one. Second, my livelihood is on the line–if he steals my work, I could lose a client, and that has a direct impact on my ability to make my mortgage payment–so the risk is simply too great to let this one go with an apology and a promise not to do it again; what happens if he was lying? Do I call a meeting a say, “Hey, no fair, you lied!” and expect him to make amends? Third, and this is the big one, he has every incentive to steal my work, and in the absence of evidence to the contrary, I have to expect that he will seek to do what is in his own best interest.
Maybe he truly was tuned out to the politics of the situation when he sent that original signal, but if that’s the case, then it actually confirms point number three above: if he is not willing to anticipate the likely impact of his actions, then what he is demonstrating–through his actions–is that he is taking the path of least resistance. Well, the path of least resistance is the one that best serves his own interests, and that one includes stealing my work!
In the core of my being, I wish I did not have this problem. It sucks. It puts a client in a tough spot, costs me a potential partner, and is aggravating to no end. But it is what it is, and I need to do what I need to do.
And the next time you want to get lazy with your communications, remember this story, and remember that whoever is on the other side will be doing the exact same analysis as I did here.
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I'm Jason. I make people shine. My mission is to help 1 million people tell their stories better. 