Ethics in action: standing up for your principles

It had already been 2 coffees but seemed like we were just beginning the night. I love politics, and getting involved in political campaigns. But this one was just different, this campaign was simply breathtaking. The headquarters were still crowded by that time of the night, again. Money from the party came in late and with no notice - they wanted new posters to be printed the next day. Which meant we had to come out with new concepts that same night. As a native Spanish-language speaker, I was one of the ´go to´ persons when developing ´Latino language´, and they wanted some Latino messages too. 

¨Can you give me an ETA?¨, I was asked when getting to the kitchen. ¨Give me a couple hours.¨ I said. The team had knocked off the new strategy the day before and we felt pretty confident it was a winning one. So I get one of these trendy coffee mugs with quotes, and I am back at the desk when a new messaging request comes in. Usually, I would look at the strategy, think how we may frame it, and include some creative elements. But that request was slightly unusual because of the issue it touched. 

I think adaptability is key to succeeding in the workplace - which partially explains my shifts from PR to advertising. And so is responsiveness - either to the task, to your leader, or to your teammates. In this kind of fast-paced environment, you tend not to know what is coming next in terms of the ask and the timing. But I also honor transparency and find approaching to your manager with openness and honesty priceless. Now the challenge was that I found the new messaging ask unethical, according to my values. 

Don´t get me wrong - I have worked in very tough campaigns, I have planned strategies in sensitive matters, I have sold experiences nobody had experienced yet when launching new products. And let me tell you, these are my favorite projects: excelling the art of developing winning arguments from alternative perspectives on the issue. Yet I have gotten to know what my principles are, and this has impacted positively on my roles: as they are a result of self-knowledge, I know where my limits stand, and I can quickly devote to my responsibilities with passion and limitless creativity.

Knowing beforehand that ethics and principles vary from person to person, and acknowledging I was thousand of kilometers far from home, I came to my manager with my ethical concern. I strongly believe that being authentic with the person supposed to bring the best of you at work is fundamental, so I bore in mind that I was perhaps wrong, came to listen, and it ended up being a quite revealing conversation: first, my effort was congratulated; and second, I was told that in politics it is crucial people remain authentic to their values, regardless of whether they are at the front line or behind the scenes. ¨Cuz working in something you don´t agree with not just sucks, but also might lead to conflicts within the team." That being shared, I would like to finish with this quote by English poet Samuel Taylor: "In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in failure". Let's stand up for our principles.