The “Is It Worth It?” Question
Have you ever been in a social media comment section where you just knew you were right? 😤 Maybe someone said something you totally disagreed with, and you felt like you had to jump in and prove them wrong. In an article by Army Captain Travis Shaw, he shares a great story about learning this lesson the hard way. He used to think a good leader was someone who always spoke up and fought for their position. But he soon realized that winning every argument online wasn’t actually helping him. In fact, it was just making things more difficult and stressful. He learned that being right isn’t always as important as keeping a good reputation and your mental peace.
Learning to Talk to People
The captain’s story shows us how important it is to have digital tact—the ability to interact with others online in a respectful way. He thought he was being a good leader by being direct and honest, but his boss saw it as being difficult and confrontational. It’s like in a group chat with friends: you can have the best idea, but if you’re constantly arguing with everyone, it might make them want to mute you. 🔇 True digital leadership means knowing how to communicate in a way that builds people up, not in a way that just starts a fight. It’s about being aware of how your words and emojis affect others.
Choosing Your Battles
In the end, Captain Shaw learned a valuable lesson that we can all use, especially online. He realized that some fights just aren’t worth having. He quotes a wise person, C. JoyBell C., who says, “Choose your battles wisely. After all, life isn’t measured by how many times you stood up to fight. It’s not winning battles that makes you happy, but it’s how many times you turned away and chose to look into a better direction. Life is too short to spend it on warring. Fight only the most, most, most important ones, let the rest go.”
This is a great reminder for everyone on social media. It’s about figuring out what really matters to you and standing up for those core beliefs, while knowing when it’s better to just log off and let the less important things go. It’s about protecting your own peace of mind. 🧘♀️
Read the source article: https://www.militarymentors.org/post/the-cost-of-being-right
#leadership #humility #tact #professionaldevelopment #militaryleadership #veterans #careeradvice