Centered Leaders Preserve Dignity

How important would something need to be for you to surrender your dignity in order to achieve it?

That question reminds me of an activity that required heavy loss of personal dignity. Maybe you're aware of it. Pledging a fraternity or sorority demands that the pledges surrender all sorts of personal inhibitions in the service of obtaining membership. They may be asked to recite weird incantations in public. They may be asked to procure obscure objects (like the driver's side door of a police car). They may be harassed until tears seem like the only release.

Yet, at the end of it, they may even call the experience valuable. They may especially treasure their friendships with their new brothers or sisters.

That kind of surrender is likely rare, though.

If an action you are contemplating requires you to surrender your dignity to the extent that you compromise your values, maybe it's one best avoided.

There are very few answers worth paying for with your dignity.

Oh, and yes -- I did pledge a fraternity and don't regret it. But I hope I never experience that level of embarrassment again...

Digging Deeper

Are you ever tempted to ask someone to do something they may not be comfortable with? Would you be comfortable doing it?

Think about the most embarrassing moment in your life. What could you have done to avoid that? Was it worth experiencing in order to get the desired outcome?

What social organizations have you been a member with? What were their strong points? What keeps people from joining those organizations today?

How do you build a sense of community?

Does your work team think of itself as a closely knit team? What more could you do to increase that feeling?

-- Douglas Brent Smith

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