The Cost of Being the Sensible One
I built my career on being reasonable. I was the one who kept meetings calm when tempers flared. The one who reframed aggressive comments into something palatable. The one who could be trusted to “see both sides” and avoid unnecessary conflict. Early on, this was rewarded. Managers described me as dependable. Senior leaders said I was “safe”. Promotions followed, slowly and quietly. What no one tells you is that reasonableness has a cost. Being the sensible one often means absorbing other...