The Cost of Not Caring

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 “𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄.” 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 “𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱” 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
While we’re busy protecting ourselves from feeling too much, from caring too deeply, from being “too emotional” at work, something essential is slipping away. The spark that made us choose this path. The fire that made us want to lead.

Leaders aren’t losing their teams to competitor offers. They’re losing them in the small moments of silence: The feedback never given; the ideas left unspoken — because “what’s the point?”; the dreams diminished as “stretch goals.”

The cost isn’t in resignation letters. It’s in the slow withdrawal of trust. The slow fade of enthusiasm. The gradual acceptance that this is just how work should feel.

I see it in my own leadership. At times I’ve chosen diplomatic silence over difficult truth — letting “being professional” become an excuse for being less human.

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.

So question the meetings that feel empty. Push back against cultures that demand your silence. Show up with your full heart, even when it’s easier not to.

Because 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.