She Remembered Who She Was And The Game Changed

 

“I'm fucking done with being a team player”

Words I never thought I’d say, but here I was, saying them.

Because I was DONE.

 

For a born leader

I make a pretty good follower.

If I'm in a team, I'm in a team.

Chief pom pom tosser

Captain “Go Team”

If years in leadership taught me anything

Its to tow the company line in public

And voice my concerns behind closed doors.

 

Only once in my career have I broken that rule.

I was working in a business

That was taking over another business

And the vibe was pretty fucking ordinary.

 

In an attempt to set the example

I was “Yes!” -ing at every opportunity

Agreeing with every shit idea

And lame attempt to bring us “together”.

I became a blind follower

Not even believing my own bullshit.

And going to work was making me sick. And tired.

Because I forgot who I was.

I was agreeing in public, but I wasn’t bothering to voice my concerns to anyone.

I was going along with everything because it was all so fucking stupid.

That I couldn’t even be bothered trying to resist.

Then one day I cracked.

 

It was a meeting about how to best manage our people

But the suggestions were not only inane they were morally wrong.

“Let’s take any cash variances from the register at the end of the day

out of peoples bonuses”

No. Fuckwits. Let’s not. It’s not 1983.

That’s when I may have lost my mind.

Because when I am leading there is nothing more important than my team.

And these ideas were anti team, and I couldn’t and wouldn’t implement them.

 

I remembered who I was and the game changed.

I spoke up. In the meeting.

And it was a shit show from that day on.

The game had changed.

 

But I got to be who I am.

An opinionated leader who is loyal to her employer but will always fight for her team.

With a very low tolerance for bullshit.

 

Women often get lost being someone they aren’t, to keep the peace.

But you can change the game. By being authentically you.

And you’ll like the new game a whole lot better.

And when anyone asks what happened….

She remembered who she was and the game changed.