Be careful what you say...

There’s nothing like writing a controversial blog to anger and upset my clientele.  I think next week I’ll tackle Pro Life versus Pro Choice or maybe feminism.  But for now… at least this week… Occupy Wall Street is the big news.  Are you for it or against it?  Are you a Tea Party advocate that hates big government or an Occupy supporter who is fed up with corrupt businesses. Or are you in favor of both?  You know, all of us, whether we are the Executive Director of a small non-profit or the President of a large company, have an opinion on these matters.  But let this article be a warning to you that you don’t always have to share what you think.

I was on staff at a church in Birmingham, AL that was led by a wonderful man named Frank Barker.  One of the most genuine men I’ve ever known.  And he was always a big Auburn University fan. So much so that he would often tell a joke from the pulpit the Sunday after the Tigers met their arch rivals, Alabama, in the Iron Bowl game which many around the country revere as the biggest in-state rivalry in the country.  This game created lots of tension between Alabama and Auburn fans.  So to be funny and relieve a bit of tension, Dr. Barker would tell a joke that next Sunday.  Sometimes it was at the expense of the Auburn fans and sometimes it was to poke fun at Alabama.  However, he realized over time that not everyone could take a joke (can you relate?).  In fact, some members of his church decided to leave over this seemingly frivolous issue.  So whether he liked it or not, Dr. Barker had to decide if it was more important to poke fun at the rivalry or would it serve the greater mission of Briarwood to simply let it go.  So what did he do?  You guessed it.  He decided to let it go.  Today, Briarwood is a large and influential church in the city of Birmingham and beyond and it is filled with people that love Alabama, love Auburn, or hate them both.

As the leader of your company, you have to determine what issues are detrimental to your mission and what are important enough to go to battle for.  In some cases, your mission may align well with those that support Occupy Wall Street and therefore, it is worth coming out in support of this cause.  In other cases, you may have a clientele that is split down the middle and it becomes best for the sake of your greater mission simply to keep quiet.  However, the choice is yours.  Your decision to voice your opinion will have consequences and you may see these as either positive or negative.  Just don’t be ignorant of the problems your statements can cause.  We have enough unemployed people in America today, don’t say something stupid that adds to that number.