Loyalty is a word I hear often. Probably something I stumble upon daily. If not that exact word, a form of it. It is something I understand completely. In work, personal relationships, having support for your team…whatever. However, blind loyalty or loyalty for the sake of being loyal, can get you into big trouble with your career. There are a few glaring examples of this concept in something going on right now, NFL Free Agency.
Over the last week an aging star receiver that helped catapult his team through an unlikely Super Bowl run and help his QB earn a nice fat raise, was not only shown the door, but was traded to the team that they just defeated in the big game. I am of course talking about Anquan Boldin.
Elsewhere in the league, Tom Brady, one of the biggest names in the sporting world, restructured his contract and took a pay cut. He did it in hopes that the team would improve the roster, something that from an offensive standpoint, they rarely do. The team rewarded him by letting his favorite receiver walk. They not only let him walk, but let him walk to a top competitor, Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. This decision was over 1 million bucks a year. A lot to everyone else, but nothing to the NFL.
These are just two examples of where NFL teams did nothing wrong. They are businesses and did what they felt was in their businesses’ best long-term interests. However, in the process, both these teams got slightly worse, and their competitors a good deal better. Shrewd moves for all involved.
Remember, loyalty is fantastic, especially when it’s aimed at your children, significant other and even occasionally at the workplace too. Just remember, the person or inanimate object (a company) on the other end should be reciprocating that. Otherwise you might be left wondering…“what the heck was I thinking?”
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