I CAN say that I have few true friends. If I am to reminisce about the good and the bad times that my friends and I have shared from childhood up to now, I believe we all have surpassed the test of friendship. I may say that I usually have different perspectives from my good friends about how we decide on what to stand for, but I am glad that we agree to disagree on these differences.
However recently, I made a difficult decision not to include a very good friend of mine in a project I lead. Yes, I thought about it many times before I finally decided not to consider her. First, I have seen how she has worked on so many projects, true to God, she was exemplary, she can deliver best. It is just that her energy in the middle of the project drops and she no longer completes the task and then people will hear that she starts with another project. And then her disliking the supervisor may affect her working commitments. Not to mention she thinks the pay isn't enough despite the organization being just a small one.
Oh, honestly with all the stories of injustices she shares, I would realize that she has a point, but as to how we should respond to it, I am not very convinced. I still believe in walking the talk, and that hinders me from believing her entirely. I see that she fights for justice but I also see that she is not fair in meeting her work responsibilities. She is always tardy and not delivering her tasks on time. How would she convince people then to believe in what she advocates?
It's difficult to decide on matters, especially instances where you are asked to draw a line between friendship and professionalism. But I realized how at times we must consider the entire picture to decide whether or not to include friends in a professional project.
The most difficult part is telling her the bad news. It wasn't really easy but just had to be honest. Abandoning the lies frees one from guilt. I reminded myself that there is beauty in telling the truth.
So, choose to be honest. Speak up even if doing so would hurt your friend because in the end, silence can be a form of a lie that strengthens one's insufficiencies. Lies do not help, fix, or cure anything. Instead, they damage one's heart and relationships.