When Staying Means Strength

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.
I had a boss who openly admitted he didn’t know what I did all day.

I sent him weekly updates.
No response. No acknowledgment.
He never tried to learn.

One day, he yelled at me - about how hard his job was. Then barked: "Do you even know what an AR is?"

Despite my initial urge to match his tone, I calmly replied, "Yes. I know what accounts receivable are." Ironically, I worked as an AR clerk to pay my way through college.

My voice didn’t matter.
My experience didn’t matter.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞.

Leave or stay.
Accept or endure.
I chose to stay and wait it out.

Not because I believed in him but because 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

I’m not saying people should stay where they aren’t valued. But this also wasn’t the first time I had faced something like this.

Instead of focusing on the frustration, I focused on the lessons:
✨ How to really hear people
✨ How to manage conflict
✨ How to lead with empathy
✨ And yes, how to endure with purpose

Not every story ends with a dramatic exit.

Sometimes, the most powerful move is staying – with boundaries set, and purpose intact.

Survival isn’t the same as silence.
And endurance isn’t the absence of power – it’s the quiet practice of it.

And then when it’s your turn to lead, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.
𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.