‘You could start a fight in an empty room, mate.’ (Allan Jones) I’ve never sought conflict. Far from it. I much prefer harmony and peace. That said, however, I can’t escape a similar calling to that which Martin Luther King once heard: ‘Stand up for righteousness! Stand up for justice! Stand up for truth!’ It’s a call that burns deeply inside of me and has done, as far as I can remember it, for my entire life. I’m pained to admit that I haven’t always followed that voice anywhere near as courageously as MLK. I haven’t always handled it with his astonishing humility and love. I’ve stayed silent when I should have spoken up or spoken up when I should have stayed silent. My words have stumbled out clumsily. I’ve caused pain where I meant to bring healing and hope. Yet, at times, this vocational stance has proved authentic, valuable and worthwhile. In my 30s, I worked for a large UK charity in the health and social care sector. As an idealistic young radical, I challenged the leadership team on numerous occasions when I believed we were compromising our values. I tried to do this with prayer and humility and out of a genuine desire to build relationship and trust. On one occasion, the leadership team decided, in view of limited budget, to increase only senior leadership salaries until it had secured sufficient funding to increase frontline staff salaries too. I argued vociferously that we should do the exact opposite – and to freeze my own salary as a first step. On another occasion, the leadership team decided to reserve all spaces in its small head office car park for executives only, given that they didn’t have time to drive around to look for parking places elsewhere. I advocated passionately that, especially in the winter months, the spaces should be reserved for female and other vulnerable staff or visitors so that they wouldn’t have to walk along dark city streets at night to their cars. On yet another occasion, the leadership team recruited a ‘hatchet man’ on temporary contract to implement a tough restructure with associated redundancies. I protested that this blunt way of approaching the change would damage relationships, engagement and trust. At times, I imagined my challenges and counter-proposals were met with deafening silence or heavy sighs – especially as I wasn’t a senior leader at the time. Nevertheless, when a serious crisis broke out between the leadership team and entire middle management, both sides to the conflict invited me to mediate as ‘the only person they could trust’. The chief executive, a man of remarkable humility, took me into his confidence and treated me like a respected thought-partner. When I moved on, the company secretary wrote to me to say he had never encountered such integrity. Even the dreaded ‘hatchet man’ wrote that he wouldn’t hesitate to employ me alongside him in any future role. Pray with humility – take a stance – speak the truth in love.
16 Comments
Funmi Johnson
19/1/2024 05:16:01 pm
Love this. It takes courage to stand up and take an unpopular stance. It sounds like people were able to see your integrity and appreciated it.
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 05:25:09 pm
Thank you, Funmi. I hope so, although I wasn't always aware of it at the time. For instance, the 'hatchet man' I mentioned once refused to speak with me for 3 days because he was so intensely frustrated by the counter-stance I took on an issue. Yet, I discovered afterwards (to my great surprise) that he had actually respected me for it. I guess we pray and do our best to do the 'right thing'. The rest is in God's hands.
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Funmi Johnson
19/1/2024 06:56:37 pm
Absolutely.
Nick Wright
19/1/2024 06:57:06 pm
🙏
Dom Fraser
19/1/2024 05:28:31 pm
I'm surprised they didn't sack you! I think I might have. ;)
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 05:32:18 pm
Hi Dom. I'm sure that crossed their minds too from time to time..!
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John Boyle
19/1/2024 05:31:26 pm
I've retired now Nick but wish I'd spoken up more. I kept my head down, got on with my job and worried about paying my mortgage more than doing the right thing. If I could do my time again, I hope I'd be braver. Thanks for challenging us Nick. Keep writing.
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 05:35:42 pm
Thanks for your encouragement, John. When I look with regret on how I've acted or not acted in the past, I take heart in philosopher Richard Bach's words: 'Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.'
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Ti Ne
19/1/2024 06:49:01 pm
Well done, Nick. I have also always ferociously fought corruption at every level, but don't think my integrity has ever been valued as much as yours. Most of the time I think I am the most hated person on the planet, but I just hate corruption from the bottom of my soul.
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 06:54:45 pm
Thank you, Ti Ne. That sounds like a very painful life experience. My own interventions haven’t always been appreciated. Sometimes I’ve felt as if I’m banging my head against a brick wall - at risk of burnout. Thankfully, in the organisation I’m writing about in this blog, the leaders weren’t corrupt. We just sometimes had strongly different views about how to handle situations that emerged.
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Ti Ne
19/1/2024 09:40:33 pm
Well, glad to have met a kindred spirit. Makes me feel not so alone. I guess we are the salt we are supposed to be and people are not liking it. Integrity is my middle name and hopefully one day there will be a reward for it.
Nick Wright
23/1/2024 06:07:34 pm
Hi Ti Ne. You're certainly not alone. The challenge for me is always to offer challenge in the right spirit. For me, it calls for prayer, humility and love. It's all too easy to challenge from a place of anxiety, arrogance or misunderstanding - of where another person or party isn't ready or willing to receive challenge. It's a continual learning journey for me. I need to keep asking myself too - am I willing to invite and receive challenge in the way I hope and expect others to..?
Hans Vogel
19/1/2024 09:46:09 pm
You are so arrogant. You think you are better than all people.
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 09:48:25 pm
Hi Hans. I truly hope not. I have the sense that you could ‘start a fight in an empty room’ too? ;) Peace to you. ✨
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Sarah Westerton
19/1/2024 09:51:51 pm
Hi Nick. Thanks for sharing. I wish all my attempts at standing up for what is right had a happy ending like yours. I’ve ended up battered, bruised and bleeding more times than I can count!! Keep up whatever it is you are doing!
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Nick Wright
19/1/2024 10:08:41 pm
Hi Sarah. I’m so sorry to hear that. Sadly, I know that painful experience all too well too - and often at considerable personal cost. It can be hard to keep going. Often, it’s only the kindness and presence of others that sustains us. I hope you can find the strength and support to carry on… 🙏
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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