…and I won’t back down. Ok, so this is a little off my usual thread, but it does have some learning in it. What I’m talking about is using your attention and your money as a way to express your values. It’s what I’m increasingly doing, and there’re lessons in it. So let’s talk about standing up for what you believe in.
It may be that I’ve stood too much on principle in the past, and paid the price. I left a (probably) secure position at a university to come back to the US to be closer to our aging parents. A job at what was positioned as a secure startup appeared to be a good choice..but I didn’t properly account for ego and greed. I even was a bit cheeky about a possible position, to my long-term shame. Consulting then, I joke, went from a euphemism for ‘unemployed’ to a way of life. I’m fortunate, that despite my lack of business nous, my curiosity and inclination to share learnings has proven to be moderately valuable. Somehow, this hasn’t been enough to dissuade me.
As I theoretically get wiser, I’m being more forthright. I’m relinquishing my accounts on platforms that have demonstrated a lack of accountability, for instance. I’ve left a few places in the past few years. I stay on LinkedIn, because it’s not awful (though getting worse), and it’s the place where folks connect for business. I’m on a few other social networks, one that is built to be able to stay independent, and one that, so far, is seeming to have good principles. That latter one I’m willing to abandon if that changes.
I’m also avoiding technologies with misrepresentation, and calling out such claims. Not always, of course, I want to educate, not punish. Still, I strive to let what science tells us to serve as a guide, not what folks want you to believe. Their intentions may be simply misguided, or worse, they may not care. It’s important to be careful, which is why we (Matt Richter and I, e.g. the LDA) wrote the research checklist, for instance. (May require membership, but it’s free!) I even avoiding indulging in an opportunity to watch an activity I enjoy, because it was part of a trend I think is harmful overall (e.g. supporting increasing compartmentalization).
I’m also shifting my purchasing. I’m trying to shop more local, and use sources that aren’t aligned with the most problematic providers. This isn’t always easy, as the ‘long tail’ means certain things are hard to come by. There are consequences, including paying more, and doing with less. Tradeoffs.
Similarly, I try to do business only with those who have approaches I favor. For instance, I’ve avoid positions where I receive compensation for promoting a product, because that would bias my recommendations. I (perhaps wrongly) believe that having that unbiased opinion (and stating when I have conflicts) is of value. I am now am working with Elevator 9, but that’s because they have demonstrated that they care about learning science.
None of this is perfect. For one, there are barriers to completely shifting. Some services you just can’t get without aligning with one platform or another. Certain products are basically just impossible to source any other way. Not everyone you know and care about will go along. You do what you can, and live with the results.
There’s learning from this. It’s harder than not. I’ve learned that trusting what people say, particularly those with vested interests, isn’t a good bet unless they’ve earned your trust in other ways first. Acquisitions, for one, rarely go the way that the acquirers promise! Also, it’s pretty obvious that this stance is an effort that not everyone can, or is willing to, make. There’s risk, for instance. On the other hand, it’s rewarding. You do feel better that you’re doing things to support what you believe.
Note that I’m being relatively opaque about my intentions. I think they’re pretty obvious, but still, the principles hold regardless; vote with your attention and your dollars. Align your actions with your values. Standing up for what you believe in is a way to show what you believe so others can see what others think. It’s a way of learning ‘out loud’ I suppose. Or maybe ‘living out loud’. Still, I won’t back down. What think you?
(And now, back to your regularly scheduled posts. BTW, my intent is to keep Tuesdays for my thoughts; if I’m touting something I think you should know about, I’ll try to keep to Thursdays. And rare. ;)