Loyalty is an interesting concept. It’s something most of us claim to have and something we look for in friends, family and colleagues. It’s also something that’s hard to define.
This week, my 11 year-old daughter reminded me of a story that taught me the value of loyalty. A few years ago, I worked for an agency that was acquired. The
owner of the agency was close to retiring and I worked closely with him. Years prior to retirement, years before he thought about selling the agency, he had told me that, when he retired, I would be working directly with his son.
At that time, his son didn’t have an assistant, so it seemed natural that I would step in to help him when he took over. As time moved on, he eventually did get an assistant and we worked closely together. When the time came for my boss to move on and his son to move forward, I was offered the position to work directly with his son and move to another location. Since the offices in our agency were all glass and he called me in early in the morning to speak with me behind closed doors, the office was a buzz.
The son’s assistant called me at home and asked what was going on and I told her I was offered her job. I clarified that technically they “had” to offer me her job since that had been the plan years ago. I felt guilty even though she would not have gotten fired. She had other duties within the agency. She would no longer have a role she was really engaged with, as her boss’s “right hand.”
I declined the offer to work for the son as I felt I couldn’t be disloyal to his assistant. I told him that I would remain with the agency at the current location and do the other duties. With the uncertainty of a change of owner, I took the chance that I may eventually get weeded out of the agency.
A few weeks later he approached me with another position and asked if I would be interested in interviewing for it. The position would be at another location, in a higher capacity than I was currently working in, and a higher salary. I was competing with another employee for the position, but I did get offered the job and, this time I accepted.
The lesson is that loyalty can pay off in the end. I did what I thought was the right thing for a colleague and we both ended up with a good result. I truly believe the value in loyalty goes beyond gaining friends and colleagues that trust you, sometimes it can benefit you in ways you never expected.
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