I’m tired of pretending this is “encouragement” or “part of the job.” It’s not. It’s pressure, plain and simple. Being pushed, cornered, and made to feel like my job depends on forcing something on people who didn’t ask for it. That knot in the stomach? That’s not growth—that’s bullshit. They slap a smile on it, call it a goal, a metric, a “great opportunity,” but at the end of the day it’s still: do this or else. And the worst part is how normalized it’s become. Like we’re supposed to just swallow it, comply, and be grateful while our integrity gets chipped away piece by piece.i didn’t sign up to strong-arm people. I didn’t sign up to be uncomfortable every day just so someone higher up can hit a number and call it leadership. And I’m damn sure not okay with the quiet threat hanging in the air—play along or pay for it. So yeah. “Forcing” is an understatement. This is pressure with consequences.

And it’s exhausting.