Earlier this week, a consultant colleague, Jim, shared his frustration with trying to help a client.

The gist of the story is simple: The client company faced an urgent need to increase sales effectiveness, so he and his client contact (a project leader I’ll call George) co-designed a program using the absolute best practices for accelerating learning on the job, based on both of their expertise and years of experience.  They got their leader on board and began developing the program.

Then, at the last minute, a senior executive with greater rank--without discussion--ordered the team to use a different design which they knew was far less effective.

As a result of the senior executive’s one-sided, reactive decision, several teams were tossed into turmoil—“deadline hell”—producing revisions of materials that had taken months to originally develop.  Consultants who had completed the bulk of the engagement were called back to re-bid on the revision.  Stress levels went through the roof, budgets were blown, family events were missed.  All the while, staff members were stoic on the outside, though inside they boiled.

“I felt like a punctured balloon,” said my friend Jim. “You’d think that now, of all times, they’d want to spend their money in absolutely the most effective way.”

But the client leader, George, kept a stiff upper lip. “I’m a professional,” he said. “I can take it.”

Hidden Costs of Compromise

As you undoubtedly know, compromise can be a good thing.  In a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, you need a healthy measure of flexibility and the capacity to “get over it”, if you are going to get anything done.

Yet compromise can also go too far.  What did George give up?  How much revenue was lost due to the less effective program the company implemented? How crazy did it make his team to watch money go down the drain during times like these?

The senior leader effectively stepped on the gas and the brake pedals for his organization at the same time. He is probably pushing them to meet targets and respond to competitive challenges; and on the other hand, he is contradicting that imperative with actions that speak louder than words.  The result is wasted energy, unnecessary heat and friction in relationships, and stalled progress on company goals.

The tragedy is that I am virtually certain that this leader is unconscious of the ultimate costs of his action, but simply believed he was being clear and decisive, cutting through “analysis paralysis”.

Does this happen in your organization? What are the hidden costs of compromises like this?

The focus of this blog is to explore the hidden costs of unhealthy compromise and what you can do when you face unhealthy pressure – so you can stay true to yourself while still being a team player.

The good news is that there are ways to do it well. You can learn to stop stepping on the gas and the brake at the same time, or speak up effectively when others do – but the first step is learning to see it.

So, when have you had to swallow your pride or “get over it” at work? What happened?