Member-only story
Loyalty Isn’t Lost. It’s Abandoned.
People Are Not Unable To Be Loyal. They Are Just Unwilling To Pay What Loyalty Costs.
The lost trait
One of my colleagues came up with a request. She asked, " Are you interested in contributing to a publication?” Her friend authored an article and shared the authorship. This is quite common among researchers and educators.
I said no. A brutal no. A bold no. I said, "I'm interested, but let’s share this with our HOD, and then we will proceed. I can’t do this without her approval. I tried to be loyal to my direct boss. I tried to be loyal to the institution I work for. That’s my personal choice.
She published that paper without telling me anything. She didn’t come back with any other information after that conversation.
She said she would meet our HOD next week and proceed. The next week never came.
This one incident shows how loyal she will ever be with me or with anyone. She got things done. She didn’t want to get our boss's approval. She didn’t want me either.
Her loyalty is questionable.
People are self-centered. Nothing wrong with that. But I can't compromise on certain things. Loyalty is one such thing. It must be non-negotiable.
