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The Compromise Trap
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The Compromise Trap

How to Thrive at Work Without Selling Your Soul (Bk Business)

Elizabeth Doty
Berrett-Koehler, 2009
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7

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  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
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Recommendation

How do good people lose their moral compass? Elizabeth Doty interviewed business professionals and drew on her own experiences as a corporate consultant to find out. She concluded that some people fall into the “compromise trap,” yielding to unhealthy pressure exerted at even the best companies. Doty explains that you must develop personal resources that allow you to stay true to your values. She recommends finding a higher purpose, a beacon, to steer you away from making decisions that conflict with your beliefs. Doty’s “key concepts” and “individual and group activities” provide practical exercises for integrating her theories into your day-to-day behavior. getAbstract recommends this book if you’re feeling compromised, wrestling with a moral dilemma or seeking expertise in business ethics.

Summary

The Nature of Compromise

“The compromise trap is the gradual erosion of vitality, passion and confidence that occurs when you deal with unhealthy pressure by playing along...and compromising in unhealthy ways.” When you play this game, you may make what you believe are minor concessions to obtain a greater goal. Yet if yielding goes against your closely held principles, conceding may prove harmful and demoralizing. Most people feel that the price of standing up against the tide of company pressure is too dear. Still, the costs of caving in are as high. You pay with your health, credibility and self-esteem. Redefining the game allows you to act with integrity by pushing back, confronting difficulties, making tough decisions and finding positive alternatives.

Jim was excited about his new job as sales director for a floor covering company. The company sold a line of green products that didn’t use harmful chemicals or end up in landfills. But once onboard, Jim discovered that the company also sold broadloom carpeting, a primary landfill offender, and expected Jim to sell it, too. Jim felt misled and compromised. He tried to correct the problem within the company, but ...

About the Author

Elizabeth Doty is the founder of WorkLore, a coaching and leadership development consultancy which specializes in helping leaders increase engagement, alignment and integrity by keeping their commitments real.

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