In a sufficiently influential role within your organization,...

In a sufficiently influential role within your organization, you can ensure that your set of values is fairly accounted for in this sort of values melting pot, but what happens once you’re not in that room anymore? If your organization’s values have diverged considerably from those of the broader organization, then it’s likely to be messy.

Perpetuating a Values Oasis is betting your team’s long-term success on your own, and recognizing that ought to shift your ethical calculus. Even when you believe fervently that your values are better for your team, it’s not necessarily an altruistic act of leadership to adopt them if you can’t bring the broader organization along with you.

The rule of thumb here is to lead through ambiguity, and advocate through disagreement.

It can be extraordinarily frustrating to “disagree and commit” to a policy or value that goes against your personal values, but any good measure of successful leadership considers your team’s success more highly than your own.

And if you create a Values Oasis, you might be successful now, but at any point a different leader might come in and pull the rug out from under you (because you have technically been doing the “wrong” thing).

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www.joshbeckman.org/notes/681537567