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They Asked Me to Fudge the Numbers — What I'd Tell My 25-Year-Old Self About Standing Up to Leadership Every day, high-powered senior leaders ask a lot of their teams. Sometimes, we disagree but succumb to the pressure to say yes. Before you sell your soul, know you have options in how you respond.

By Amy M Chambers Edited by Kara McIntyre

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Seventeen years ago, I worked for an organization that encouraged its employees to compromise their integrity and ethics. I felt tremendous pressure to fudge numbers and do things that weren't aligned with the company's core values (and my own). I was only 25, and I wasn't courageous enough to speak up about what I was seeing — so I simply left.

I promised myself I wouldn't ever work for anyone that pressured me to do the wrong thing; a promise that I kept. However, I've also learned it's not uncommon for employees to periodically feel pressured by their leaders. I've also learned there are several effective things employees can do when this happens instead of just walking out.

Related: My Leadership Was Tested Twice, and Both Times — I Failed. Here's What I'll Never Do Again.

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