Proper Essay Example About Fighting For The Right Direction

There was a time in my career when I was in a dilemma whether to quit or to assert my values in the implementation of our project. There is this project on poverty alleviation and we were task to make the project socially acceptable through a campaign drive including press releases. Personally, I didn’t like the project simply because it does not really alleviate the people from poverty because it is dole out. In my opinion which is drawn from many dole out projects, it will only create dependency among the poor people instead of empowering them towards self-reliance and fighting for their rights to social services.
That time was one of the most difficult moments in my career because I didn’t have a decisive voice in the organization but I love what I was doing. It was the job I dreamed for quite a while and I cannot just let it go because of values conflict. My colleagues didn’t have the perspective like mine. They thought that the project is a good start for social change. They were even enthusiastic about it. I raised my opinion with my colleagues whom I was comfortable with and they advised me to just shut up and get to work because my opinion will not change anything. I felt bad that my voice was brushed off immediately just because I am not an influencer within the organization. I also felt bad that the organization I looked up to did not study the project very well. I idolized the organization because they didn’t accepted projects from corporations that are causing environment destruction and from corporations that have notorious record on violating workers’ rights. It was the reason I applied for the job because my personal values aligned with most of its ethics. For the past years, I worked hard because at the end of the day, I felt rewarded.
I was planning to voice my opinion in front of my bosses but I was afraid that it will be the end of my career. For some time, I just kept my voice to myself. Days went on and I just continued my task in the project. Because I wasn’t passionate about the project, it affected the quality of my work. My supervisor called my attention. It was already a make or break moment. I mustered all the courage I can muster and face my fear. I decided to be honest and see what they felt about my political view on the project. I started my explanation by sharing an example of a community programs. The community programs I shared were supplemental feeding program and a series of numeracy and literacy program. I explained that most organizations and corporations would choose the easiest one which is the supplemental feeding program. Yes, it is easy and the communities who benefit from it will be happy with it. For one meal or two, they will be fed of nutritious food but there is a question on the sustainability. Numeracy and literacy program on the other hand can be sustainable. In the countries where education is barely accessible, this kind of community program is needed. They can use the knowledge and skills gained from the project to put up a small enterprise or to simply read and write.
After sharing my supervisor the two kinds of community projects, I asked her which project will she be supporting. She answered, the numeracy and literacy. Then I told her that the supplemental feeding is tantamount to the poverty alleviation project that we are trying to sell to the public. I explained further that my conscience cannot stomach that we are becoming instruments to creating dependence among the people intended or not. I added that I do love working for the organization because most of its ethics aligned with my values. For me, it is of great importance that I am proud of what I am doing and at that moment, I am ashamed of myself for what I was doing.
My supervisor understood where I was coming from. However, she is not in the position to break the agreement with the institution who contracted our organization. I was thankful that there was someone who can understand my dilemma. She promised to raise the concern with the bosses of our organization but still advised me to just continue with what I must be doing. The stubborn spirit in me wanted to tell her that “just because it must be done doesn’t mean that it should be done” but I just shut my mouth.
After the conversation with my supervisor, I felt freed. It felt good that I was able to burst my curtailed opinion. Whatever the result of the discussion, I was ready for it. I prepared myself to be fired or something bad. I just felt that it was the right thing to do. I cannot afford to be placed in a situation I am used as an accomplice to break the peoples’ cultures. Reading Gentile’s “Giving Voice to Values” reinforced my opinion that I did the right thing. My values can develop the ethics of my organization if my voice is heard. As Gentile (2010) said, “our effort to promote the development of such cultures, policies, and incentives, is in itself, an instance of voicing values”. Indeed, the organizational ethics were not served in a silver platter instead, they are products of voicing our values and if the organization agrees to the said values, it will become part of the ethics.
I was hoping that my values would be treated in a positive way. I have faith with the leaders in our organization that they will keep an open mind. I was thinking that if ever our leaders take my opinion negatively, the right direction for me is to look for another job. Fortunately, my opinion was taken positively and our leaders sat to review the project. They didn’t break the contract but they made sure that my values would be integrated in our organizational ethics. They pulled me out of the project and I was happy for it, my work load was temporarily decreased though.
It is indeed necessary for members of any organization to voice their values. If we have second thoughts of doing it, we have to ask ourselves if we are in the right direction. If not, then we have to fight to realize the right direction.