Adevnt Blog: Profound Educational Experiences - College Style

Intended for post 12/6/15 (sometimes life gets in the way)

As a follow up to the post from 12/5, I had a similar assignment and experience in college.  During professional practice class in undergrad in the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, Dr. Eric Kelly asked us to write (in class) one of two essays: 1) I would rather be planner than right, or 2) I would rather be right than planner.  I chose to write I would rather be right than planner.

The way I interpreted this assignment was if you would stand up for what was right even if it meant losing your job as a planner.  This happens in public, private, and non-profit organizations from time to time.  I have friends who, consciously or not, have chosen either way.

I knew that being right and acting in the public interest was more important to me than any one particular job.  I hope my argument for why I took my position was logical, rational, and coherent.  I haven't seen my essay since that day.  But I do know that it has come up for me several times.  I am not suggesting that any of my employers have asked me to do something so wrong as it be illegal or immoral.  But there is a lot of gray area in the world and sometimes what is in the organization's best interest and what is in a community best interest may not be aligned, or at least in a moment.  There are also the things I have seen my friends, particularly in the public sector, encounter with different political winds in their community.

Being committed to doing work that you believe in and that is right means you may not be settled in one community, organization, or firm very long.  That alone is difficult for some people.  Some people like the work of being intimately involved and embedded in the community where they work and are in it for the long haul because our work isn't typically short-term in yielding results.  Others prefer to bring perspective and ideas to many communities and organizations, consulting and building relationships with communities and colleagues that wax and wane over time, watching the yield from afar.  I am one of those.  A consultant.  Yes, I have spent half my career in traditional consulting and half in non-profit community economic development, but even for the past four year much of my role has been that of a consultant.

I have pushed back (sometimes hard) with employers and clients when I believe that the public interest is not best being served, or responsibilities to clients and communities are not being met because of external influences.  I can't say it has been the cause of me leaving (voluntarily or not) any employer.

The prospect of unemployment is scary.  It was my second worst fear (behind being diagnosed with diabetes until that happened) and when it happened I survived.  Nothing has been easy, but I lived and took on new challenges and have grown as a planner.  But once you've been there, you know that there is an other side of the experience and can decide if you would really risk your position to be right.  Most of the time I still think I would.