THECOMPROMISE TRAP

Healthy compromise is a fact of organizational life, part of accomplishing any meaningful goal with other people. But when it involves betraying your word, your principles, or other important commitments, it takes a bite out of your passion and vitality, trapping you in a web of nagging doubts and regrets or even dread and remorse. Sadly, certain common misconceptions about compromise mean we can fall into this trap unknowingly, making a sort of “devil’s bargain by degrees.” Even worse, this can happen while working for companies and leaders we otherwise respect and admire. Our special guest this week is Elizabeth Doty, a business storyteller in the trenches. She is a consultant, coach, and facilitator specializing in how people participate in large organizations while staying true to themselves and being a positive force – however they define those. Since earning her MBA from Harvard and joining a reengineering firm in 1991, Ms. Doty has both subscribed to the "official story" of business and lived through the contradictions and absurdities of everyday organizational life. Prior to business school, she worked in the hospitality industry, where she served as a manager for more than eleven years, mostly in four-star hotels. For more info visit: www.WorkLore.com