We often have a choice: speak up or leave.
In commerce, if we don’t like a brand, we leave. The always-present choice to stay or to go drives bosses, marketers and organizations to continually be focused on earning (and re-earning) the attention and patronage of their constituents.
Sometimes, instead of leaving, people speak up.
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Loyalty, then, could be defined as the emotion that sways us to speak up when we’re tempted to walk away instead.
…When you have a chance to speak up but walk away instead, what does it cost you? What about those groups you used to be part of? I’ve had the experience several times where, when my voice ceased to be heard, I decided it was easier to walk away instead.
Voice is an expression of loyalty. Voice is not merely criticism, it might be the contribution of someone who has the option to walk away but doesn’t.
And if that voice is not listened to, is devalued, invalidated, shut down, belittled, ignored — it does walk away.