Professional Loyalty a Myth

What is Loyalty?

Have we ever thought of this word before. The answer would be yes. But the truth is “for others” and not when it comes to us.

If we take the direct meaning of the word loyalty there are different ways to use it. First, in Confucianism, it is meant as “do the best you can do for others”. Second, in Christianity, “if loyalty to man conflicts with loyalty to God, the latter takes precedence”.

But what it actually means?

We almost correlate it with “slavery”.

How?

If my employee quit, its against loyalty.

If my friend speaks to my enemy, its against loyalty.

If I discuss into healthy debate with anyone of other company in my line of business its against loyalty to the company, so on and so forth.

But, hang on. Did we ever do a self analysis about us on this so called myth “loyalty”. No we won’t. Because whatever we do, it is all because of a cause and if the same is done by others then we immediately weigh it in Loyalty scale. This is not for you or for me. This is happening in most of the People I am able to acquaint with.

We forget that we were also working with someone else yesterday and will be working with someone else tomorrow. If we had worked with others and come to our present company then are we “not loyal?” . We won’t accept. Why accepting? We won’t even analyse us in that angle.

When we recruit people from other company we won’t question them for “loyalty”. We even go extra mile asking them to bring other people from their earlier company to our company. Some may even do that.

But when they quit, we first give lecture to them on so called “loyalty” and particularly we will advise them in a commanding tone about loyalty.

Is quitting a job means not being loyal?

First please understand. QUITTING is not anything against LOYALTY. When we feel something is not going to our comfortness or if we want  advancement in our carrier, we have to quit and move on. Else both our company as well as us are not going to advance, why advance, we won’t even feel comfortable in the profession.

What is loyalty then?

Loyalty is a virtue or we can say it is the top of all virtues. So it is not something going to do with Profession at all.

Just be “true” that is what required in profession. True to your profession and true to your work ethic. Non solicitation is the ethic of any job. Just don’t solicit anything which rightfully belongs to others.

According to me, Loyalty is a very bad quality against Professional and Personal Enhancement.

If you Boss or your company speaks about Loyalty rather than trueness then you are at the wrong place in your carrier.

Loyalty will bring in a slavery mentality within you which will stop you in coming out of the cocoon even though you may feel or want to.

If Loyalty defines to be “not quitting job” even if I am sure that I won’t advance myself in the current position, then I prefer to be Not Loyal.

If professional loyalty means “being true” to the position I am holding and held, then I prefer to be Loyal.