How do you sleep at night…knowing that you don’t let people out of the contract? What your company is doing is handcuffing its customers to the contract…

What you just read above are a couple of sharp comments I made to a person on the phone.

Throughout the 11-minute conversation, I kept thinking of questions that would penetrate the representative and allow me to break my one year contract.

I was unable to get out of the contract, and the questions and comments I made left me with a feeling of guilt.

What resonated with me is that I’m a leadership speaker, and I was talking down to a person who was just doing their job. I write about honoring your word, and I was trying to get out of something.

Today I got a hold of the person, apologized, and will continue with the one-year contract.

Guilt is just as powerful, but its influence is positive, while shame is destructive. Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement. Brene Brown

Creating ownership at work first starts with us taking ownership of our emotions even the ones we try to suppress and rationalize.

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