"I was willing to accept less for me, but not for my employees."

"I was willing to accept less for me, but not for my employees."

A client said this to me the other day.
I’ve heard other leaders say a version of this over the years.
Heck, I’ve said it, too.

At first it sounds good, and I nod along, agreeing.

It’s an admirable quality in a human - to stick up for others, to advocate for your employees, to use your power to help those who have less power.

And yet. What if?

What if we also harnessed that power to advocate for ourselves?
What if we don’t “accept less” for our employees OR for ourselves?

Because the truth is, when we stick up for ourselves, most of the time we end up creating a better environment for everyone, including those who come after us. 🤩

And when we don’t stick up for ourselves?
We end up resentful, overstretched, and performing far less than our best. 🙁

What’s a time you stuck up for yourself (even if you hesitated), and the outcome was far better than you expected?