Blind Loyalty and the Problem with Yes Men
Every so often you’ll run into a person with his nose shoved so far up someone’s ass he can sneeze into the person’s ear. When you ask this guy, “What’s with all the cheerleading?”, his response is typically something like “Well, so-and-so gave me my first big break” or “He believed in me” or “I owe it to him because [insert asinine reason here].” And that’s all well and good, but I have a problem with these Yes Men.
This was the only relevant pic I could find, but you get the idea
I don’t think of myself as disloyal, but at the same time I can’t bring myself to agree with someone 100% of the time if every so often he or she says something that’s against my beliefs or that I take issue with. My stubbornness has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion, and I do have a problem with being blunt and unfiltered with my opinion, but if someone saves me from a burning wreckage that doesn’t mean I high five him when he talks about how “them colored folk are ruining America” (okay, extreme example but you get the idea).
Most successful people have some tenacity and aren’t too afraid to speak out and voice their opinion, even if it’s in opposition of an industry leader or a bigwig. They didn’t get where they are today by being blindly loyal to whoever has a bigger office than them. Yeah, I’m sure they did their fair share of ass kissing and strategic sucking up when appropriate, but if all you do is flop over and lamely nod your head and agree with your idol, you’re reduced to little more than a lap dog and won’t get taken seriously. Why would anyone bother to respect you and your opinions if you keep parroting the same person’s perspective, regardless of how sound the argument is?
Your opinion is what makes you you. We don’t need two Danny Sullivans because we already have one, so you don’t have to fawn all over him and chirp “I agree!” every time he says something. We don’t need Cuttlets following Matt Cutts around convention centers with little hearts for eyes, taking every single thing he says as the gospel truth. Don’t be afraid to question authority and disagree with your mentors — if he’s actually a good mentor/role model, he’ll applaud his young grasshopper for challenging his authority and thinking critically.
If you want to be a Yes Man, go ahead and be one, but don’t expect much success in your career unless you’re willing to be a backstabber and completely flip flop from kissing ass one day and turning a blind eye the next in order to advance up the corporate ladder. If, however, you want your voice heard, don’t be afraid to open your mouth and stick up for your viewpoints. You may owe someone a certain debt of gratitude and thanks for helping you out at some point in your career, but that doesn’t mean you’re forever that person’s bitch. Respect your colleagues and your mentors, but respect yourself more.
LOL, I SWEAR to God Rebecca each time I read one of your posts I laugh my ass off. This post hits on some of the reasons why I stop reading comments in some blogs. There’s so many people on other peoples nuts it’s hard to get good conversations going without cronies jumping in without knowing what the fuck they’re talking about to defend ‘he/she is the one’ …
You said it perfectly “Don’t be afraid to question authority and disagree with your mentors” and “You may owe someone a certain debt of gratitude and thanks for helping you out at some point in your career, but that doesn’t mean you’re forever that person’s bitch”.
yes i totally agree.
:D
Glad you liked the post, Donovan! My stubbornness has gotten me into a bit of trouble on more than one occasion, but overall I see it as a strength over a weakness.
Thanks Rebecca. What a great little post. I remember my first experience witnessing the Cuttlets surrounding and cornering Matt Cutts at PubCon. It was a nauseating experience to see the saccharine sweetness they heaped upon him, all the while pushing him deeper and deeper into the corner to prevent his escape from their loving eyes. *gag*
only 1 cuss word in this post, i do not have to say… profanity filter
First time I’d heard “Cuttlets”.
I lol’d.
Most of loyalty are blind :D
profanity filter? more post plz waiting 6 months to say this again.