Shame
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
“There is no shame. There is only shame when you act poorly or badly as an individual or business. And there is no shame when you’ve acted with culture and values and ethics and find yourself in a tough situation. If anything, we all need to talk more so that we all learn and grow together versus living in shame and fear. There is no shame in what we’ve been through.”
~Shelli Taylor, former CEO, Alamo Drafthouse
Taylor was the CEO of a firm that operates movie theaters nationally. They had no income for most of Covid. She made the difficult decision to put the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the purpose of reorganization.
When consultants surfaced the subject during the summer of 2020, Taylor instinctively responded that she didn’t want to do it and that we were not those kinds of people.
And then she had to, and it was the right choice.
I know the story from personal experience. Many years ago, I had to do the same thing. My former wife and I overspent on means, and it was the only way we had to get out from under the crushing debt.
I’ve rarely taken on debt again because of the fear and shame I had with making the decision I made 30+ years ago.
For some of you, the past year has been ridiculously difficult financially and emotionally. Some of you have done a better job than others of hiding your shame that you are still struggling.
I learned that the more I spoke about it, the less power it had over me, and I could move forward.
I learned who not to talk with and who I could.
I learned I needed to talk and not hold it in.
I remained a fighter, determined not to give in to the feeling of being a loser.
I also learned that I needed support.
When I talk to job hunters who have been out of work for too long, I see their façade and try to break through it. For too many women and men, they know they need help but are unable to ask for it.
Their shame doesn’t allow them to do it yet.
Shame inflicts damage on the body that hosts it.
It is like a pussy wound under the Band-Aid that is left to rot and poison the body that it lives in.
Ripping the Band-Aid off and exposing the disgusting wound to sunlight begins the process of healing.
Take me up on a first 20-minute free call. I’ll listen to you cry, talk, rage or whatever you need.
I’ve heard it all.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2021, 2024
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3000 episodes.
Website: www.TheBigGameHunter.us (schedule a paid coaching session, a free discovery call or ask questions using my Trusted Adviser Services)
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