> Don't you realize that this judgment is best left to the outsiders? Humans are notoriously prone to misjudging themselves. We have all kinds of biases that allow us to see ourselves other than we really are.
This is a good question. How do I know if my judgement and ethical compass is really better?
Over time, I developed two scales to measure this.
1. Does my ethical standard get work done? Does it lift all boats? Does it inspire a majority of people? Do these inspired people feel safe to speak up? If yes, I know I'm navigating something right.
2. Do the majority of equal-level peers (not my reports) approve of my decision-making? Are they happy about working with me? Do they feel like if they work with me, they will see success themselves? Do they feel safe to verbalize this? If yes, I know I'm on the right path
3. Do the vast majority of managers recognize what I am doing? Are they able to distinguish my style from others and are able to appreciate the outcome? If yes, I'm on the right path.
The ethical compass didn't just come by reading books. It came from constantly trying to do good, constantly trying to be reasonable and constantly pivoting when I sense I'm going astray. It took me 15 years to do this.
An example of a case where my ethical compass saved me - recently, my own manager tried to roadblock my growth to the next level. I couldn't tell why. In my mind, a manager would want their reports to grow to their full potential. This manager tried to string me along, stole credit behind my back. He gave me bullshit answers to why I am not at the next level. Me countering didn't appear to work because in his narcissitic world, all the work doesn't count. It hurt me but I had my ethical compass to rely on.
So, I first validated my work, approach to work and thoughts with peers. I collected evidence of my work and talked with skip. He was aligned with my thought process and happy with my work.
Since I now had validation that I was not doing the wrong things, I spent 3 months collecting evidence against the manager, by documenting his lies and his credit-steals.
Showed this to the skip. He didn't like what the manager was doing. Ultimately the manager had to quit because his lies were exposed.
I learned something from this episode. I validated my ethical compass. I tweaked the ethical compass a bit with my learnings on how to tackle self-serving assholes.
Most importantly, I am left feeling very satisfied and comfortable, knowing that my ethical compass continues to help me get ahead.
This is a good question. How do I know if my judgement and ethical compass is really better?
Over time, I developed two scales to measure this.
1. Does my ethical standard get work done? Does it lift all boats? Does it inspire a majority of people? Do these inspired people feel safe to speak up? If yes, I know I'm navigating something right.
2. Do the majority of equal-level peers (not my reports) approve of my decision-making? Are they happy about working with me? Do they feel like if they work with me, they will see success themselves? Do they feel safe to verbalize this? If yes, I know I'm on the right path
3. Do the vast majority of managers recognize what I am doing? Are they able to distinguish my style from others and are able to appreciate the outcome? If yes, I'm on the right path.
The ethical compass didn't just come by reading books. It came from constantly trying to do good, constantly trying to be reasonable and constantly pivoting when I sense I'm going astray. It took me 15 years to do this.
An example of a case where my ethical compass saved me - recently, my own manager tried to roadblock my growth to the next level. I couldn't tell why. In my mind, a manager would want their reports to grow to their full potential. This manager tried to string me along, stole credit behind my back. He gave me bullshit answers to why I am not at the next level. Me countering didn't appear to work because in his narcissitic world, all the work doesn't count. It hurt me but I had my ethical compass to rely on.
So, I first validated my work, approach to work and thoughts with peers. I collected evidence of my work and talked with skip. He was aligned with my thought process and happy with my work.
Since I now had validation that I was not doing the wrong things, I spent 3 months collecting evidence against the manager, by documenting his lies and his credit-steals.
Showed this to the skip. He didn't like what the manager was doing. Ultimately the manager had to quit because his lies were exposed.
I learned something from this episode. I validated my ethical compass. I tweaked the ethical compass a bit with my learnings on how to tackle self-serving assholes.
Most importantly, I am left feeling very satisfied and comfortable, knowing that my ethical compass continues to help me get ahead.