The 3 C's: Comrades Are Committed to the Mission
Yesterday we talked about Constituents.
The people who believe in what you're building.
I compared them to scaffolding.
Their support helps the building go up, and when their part is finished, that doesn't mean the relationship failed.
It means the scaffolding did its job.
Today we move to the second C.
Comrades.
Comrades are different.
They don't just stand outside cheering for what you're building.
They climb into the trenches with you.
They work.
They sacrifice.
They fight beside you.
They may spend years helping you accomplish something neither of you could have accomplished alone.
And because of everything you've been through together...
It's easy to assume they're there because of you.
But that's where understanding the relationship becomes important.
Comrades are connected by a mission.
They believe in the cause.
They believe in the direction.
They believe the work matters.
And as long as you're both moving toward the same destination...
They may be some of the most committed people standing beside you.
I've seen this in business.
I've seen it in organizations.
I've seen it in ministry.
I've seen it in communities.
People can accomplish incredible things together because they believe deeply in the same mission.
But here's the part that can be difficult to understand.
What happens when the mission changes?
Maybe your direction changes.
Maybe their direction changes.
Maybe something that once mattered deeply to both of you doesn't carry the same weight anymore.
Sometimes the Comrade leaves.
And sometimes they find another person or organization pursuing the mission they still believe in.
That can hurt if we misunderstand what originally connected us.
We can interpret their departure as disloyalty.
We can take it personally.
We can wonder how someone who fought beside us for so long could suddenly walk another direction.
But maybe they didn't stop believing.
Maybe they're still committed to the same mission that brought the two of you together in the first place.
That's an important distinction.
Because something doesn't have to last forever to have been real.
The work was real.
The sacrifice was real.
The victories were real.
The relationship was real.
Its purpose may simply have been connected to a particular mission and a particular season.
One thing I've noticed...
A lot of unnecessary bitterness comes from expecting people to remain committed to us when what actually connected us was the mission.
That doesn't mean Comrades don't care about us.
Of course they can.
Some Comrades may eventually become lifelong friends.
But that's not what makes them Comrades.
What makes them Comrades is the cause you were willing to fight for together.
And that relationship deserves to be honored for what it was.
Not resented for what it wasn't.
Constituents believe in what you build.
Comrades build it with you because they believe in the mission.
But there's still one more C.
And I think it's the one we misunderstand the most.
Confidantes.
Because Confidantes aren't primarily committed to the building.
They're not primarily committed to the mission.
They're committed to you.
We'll talk about them Monday.
— Ruben Escalona
Red Alpha Custom Prints
What Healthy Actually Looks Like
Healthy people learn to appreciate Comrades without demanding that every Comrade become a Confidante. They understand that relationships built around a shared mission can be meaningful, loyal, and genuine even when that mission eventually leads people in different directions.
Constituents believe in what you build. Comrades build it with you. Confidantes would still be there if there were nothing left to build.