I haven’t used this line yet when turning down a proposal, but I keep it top of mind most days: “I cannot comply with your request without violating my obligations to my shareholders.”
You don’t actually need to be a corporation or even have investors for this to be true. The truth is, we all have at least one “shareholder,” that being ourselves, and if we act in a way that’s not true to our core beliefs, that’s not meeting our obligations. Add on family, close relationships, and a few more, and your very own “corporate code of conduct” starts to emerge.
Oh, and if you add on too many, your focus might be a bit too broad. Think about that a bit.
So the question for you is, who are your shareholders? Remember, in corporate-speak, they’re not necessarily your clients. And if you try to please the wrong group at the expense of your key people, you can and will get fired if you’re not careful or lucky or both.
When I go to the gym in the morning – and remember, it’s 5:30 in the morning, so every little mental trick counts – I often end up telling myself I’m doing it to meet my shareholder obligations. And I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before it becomes an in-joke around here for other stuff (not that stuff, get your mind out of the gutter!)
Mostly though, it’s becoming the first step in my email triage process. Again, not something I generally say out loud, but it’s been really helping me frame things in the right way to make it easier to say “no” to more stuff. Which is something I find really, really hard to do, and I suspect I’m not alone.
So who are you working for, really? And are they happy with your choices right now?
Photo by Northeast Indiana
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