day 41: Running In The Halls - part 3: Discipline and Training

"This job will be the death of me", he said as he pulled out of the parking lot at 10:30pm for the third time this week. The race we run with our work is a long one. The way careers are set up we can expect to spend most of our adult lives working. We do this day after day, sometimes closer to seven days a week than we want. We subtract hours from other parts of our lives, like sleep and family time, and add them to our work days. We do this month after month and year after year until one day we hit a wall and say we just can't take it any longer. It is a long and grueling race and if we were able to step back from it and see the size of the hills in front of us we would probably think differently about how we approach our work. But, trying to gain that perspective is nearly impossible, so we do out best and we slug through day by day, giving it our all, running the race the best we can. We have been exploring what Paul had to say about how to win the race of life and faith and how to finish strong for our Lord. We have applied the principles that he describes about knowing the goal/objective and focus and on how to get to the finish line. He also says in verse 27 of I Corinthians Chapter 9; "I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should". I like this statement because I believe that much of the success any of us have at anything we strive to achieve comes from the preparation we do before the task. I believe it was Billy Martin, the controversial but heralded coach of the New York Yankees in the 1970's, who said, "The World Series is won in spring training". He was saying that the finish line and how the we finish is all in how we prepare, discipline and train ourselves. We can run a strong race at work if we also adopt this attitude and we begin today to train and discipline ourselves for the future and the work ahead of us. We can be stronger and have more endurance if we think of our physical bodies as the tool that allows us to operate day in a day out at our highest productivity. How we eat, sleep and exercise can make a difference. And, how strong we are spiritually before the crisis hits lets us be prepared for the times when we will be tested emotionally and physically. If we begin each day in training, both physically and spiritually, and we stay disciplined to be strong in both areas, we will stand a much better chance of completing the long race, winning along the way, and knowing that when we finish we will have finished well.

Reference: I Corinthians 9:27 (New Living Testament)

day 40: Running In The Halls - part 2: Straight Ahead

"It's a rat race around here". Ever heard that statement? What picture does it conjure up? When I hear that statement I think of a maze with two rats being let loose into the entrance and off they go working their way from one side of the other to get the cheese. Or, I see two rats running after each other, running in circles and swerves trying to catch each other. Minus the rats part, (or not minus, depending on where you work), the picture of running around like crazy or running around a maze can feel just like the office. We so many times feel like we are chasing and going from thing to thing without purpose or definition that we end up feeling like we have wasted time and energy until it just wears us down. We then wonder why we are not springing out of bed in the morning to get to work. As mentioned yesterday, Paul gives us his tips to winning the race for life and not only does he tell us to run the race to win, he also says to run with discipline and focus. In verse 26 of I Corinthians 9 he says, "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches". What Paul was modeling for us was efficiency and productivity in reaching a goal and purpose, because we can straighten out the line between two points. When we feel like we are in the rat race at work, a place to start to fix is determining where it is that you are trying go and get very specific on that goal and purpose and "straighten out" the corners and angles that get in your way. And when at work we meander and wander and lose that purpose of why we are here in the first place, we can end up in a maze that takes us quite a bit of time to exit at the goal. The straightening out of work can happen when we part ways with those that drag us down or cause issues for the sake of causing issues, or it might be adjusting our own emotions to filter out the negative attitudes within ourselves that so often can creep in. And, it might be that we need to start afresh today with getting down to business and not spending that extra time worrying or talking about what it is that things should be, but are out of our control. There is a great feeling about finishing a race strong. The same can happen today at work for you by setting your goals and purpose for the day and running straight towards that goal keeping the distractions away until the goal is achieved. A day where on he way home you can feel great about what was achieved is a GREAT day!

Reference: I Corinthians 9:26

day 39: Running In The Halls - part 1: Focus

"How are things at work?", you are asked. The reply rolls off of your tongue easily. "I'm running around like crazy, trying to get everything done". It's a familiar feeling isn't it? So much to do, not enough time to get it all done. The metaphor for running around is an apt one. But are we running to a goal, to finish a race, or to win a prize, or are we just running up and down the halls metaphorically because everyone around us is doing the same and we aren't sure if we are getting anywhere at all? It's so easy to fall into this trap and find ourselves day after day in a full out sprint but not sure of the location of that elusive finish line, if there is one at all. While Paul, in I Corinthians 9:24-27, was talking about the "run of life" and how we are to race for the finish line for the prize to be with Jesus, he is also describing to us how it is that a runner wins any race of life. If we chunk down the different portions of our lives, like work as a significant chunk, the lesson he gives us can also help us win the races that we run at work, each and every day. The first lesson he gives us that we must run in a way to win, not to just run for the sake of running. For exercise, I am a distance runner and I understand what he is saying completely. When I run without a goal or an objective, I do not run the same. I am more likely to not push myself and to not actually improve. When I know I have a goal, which would be my personal race to win, then I train differently. I train in a disciplined fashion, which makes me better. Paul talks about the way to win the race is to first run to win, not to just show up. How we conduct ourselves at the office and live our worklife is a large part of the life race that we run. How we get our work done and balance it within our lives is also a part of the race. The example of working and living in a Christlike manner is part of the race of life. So, today, instead of running up and down the halls without purpose, can you chunk down the day into the things that are most important to accomplish and then also think about "how" it is that you will accomplish those goals as you work with others and affect how they feel about this day of work? Can you lay all of this out today to God and ask Him to help you run this race well, with a "W" in the win column when you leave the office today? Let's have a win today, regardless if a big or small race because we were able to focus on why we are running the race. Tomorrow, more of how Paul says we can win the race.

Reference: I Corinthians 9:24-27 (New Living Testament)

day 38: Motion Offense

It's time for the big decision. Everyone is looking to you to be the one who can save the day and what you come up with is going to be the for sure answer. The deal will only happen because of your negotiation prowess. We will only get this account because you always know what the right thing is to say at the right time to bring the account across the finish line. The machine will only start back up because you have the knowledge to diagnose the problem. We will only get this funding if you can do like you always do, and convince them to give us the next round. None of these examples are any pressure at all, are they? Who are we kidding, these can feel like work life or work death decisions and points in time. And, it is only worse when our necks are out there, and down deep inside, we aren't sure we have the right answer, decision, or direction. What do we do then? That is when we follow Solomon's advice in Proverbs 15:22 and we reach to as many people as we trust to give us counsel. He says specifically, "Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success". I grew up in Indiana, and during that time, there was a guy named Bobby Knight who coached the Indiana University basketball program. Coach Knight ran what he called the "motion offense". What that meant was that when on offense, the ball and the players were always in motion until the ball and a player was in the best spot to take the highest percentage makeable shot. My basketball coach ran the same offense and like Coach Knight, if the ball didn't change hands at least four times before a shot was taken, he would sit down the shooting offender. This is what Solomon was saying, we need to find the players/counselors around us who we can pass the ball to multiple times before we take the shot, before we make the big decision. Do you have your counselors in place? Are you in the habit of seeking their advice and counsel and passing the ball to them before you take the shot? Proverbs says that many counselors will bring success. Today would be a good day to begin getting them in place and to start practicing your own work version of the motion offense.


Reference: Proverbs 15:22 (New Living Testament)

day 37: Met Needs

The Israelites wandered around the desert for 40 years. When Moses exhorts his people to remember and obey the almighty God, he had to point out some of the most basic things to the people to get them to realize that while they were in the desert that God did indeed remember them and watched over them, meeting their most basic needs. Not only did God provide food in the form of manna and water from rocks, he also provided for them in other supernatural ways for their basic needs. In Deuteronomy 8:4, Moses points out to them, "For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell". Those are the most basic of needs, beyond food and water, if you are going to be lost in the desert. They had their clothes and they could walk to travel. What I find most fascinating about this is God's attention to detail when it comes to our needs. God doesn't waste his time on the superficial things, He gets right to the heart of matters and establishes a way for the baseline needs to be met. And, in this example, He did it even though the people couldn't recognize the miracle that was occuring. I love it, a miracle that no one notices and had to be pointed out later. What this verse tells me is that we can depend on God to provide for all of our basic needs, no matter our situation. Sometimes at work it feels like we are wandering in our own desert and not sure where to turn or what to do next. Could it be that God is allowing us to live that test and all He wants us to do is recognize that He is there with us providing for our needs and that is the confidence we need to break through and find what it is that He wills to happen? We are given talents that God is wanting to put to work at work. Today, let's not worry about our needs and let's turn those over to Him and allow ourselves to work within His will and glory. I suspect that that feeling of wandering and worrying might just change when you hand the needs back over to Him.

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:4 (New Living Testament)

day 36: C'mon, Get Happy!

Bobby McFerrin sang, "Don't worry, be happy!". That song became a huge hit because it struck the chord we all want to have inside of us; no worry and all happiness. Well, isn't that what we are supposed to be allowing our faith to generate? So, why is it that we can feel this way with a number parts of our lives but when it comes to work, it is just the opposite; "Worry, don't be happy"? Sure, we want our work to be enjoyable and we want to find joy in it, but as we have discussed before, work was not given to us originally as a gift (thanks Adam), but that doesn't mean that we can't and shouldn't strive to find happiness in how we put our talents to use to build, sell, market, support, or create. That happiness is within reach and we will feel more fulfilled and whole at our jobs if we can find that chord. After Solomon had gotten done telling us in Ecclesiastes how questionable work was, he goes on to tell us in Chapter 3:22; "So I say that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why they are here! No one will bring them back from death to enjoy life in the future". I find these words inspiring. I also take these words to make me want to change my attitude on the rough and tumble days. I also know these words to be true as many a family or relationship falls apart at home because someone is unhappy at work and they carry that unhappiness and frustration that comes with it back into the household. As much as the consultants teach, "check the office at the door", it is so much easier said than done. Maybe it is a set of small and surmountable frustrations at work that are keeping you from being happy. Today would be the day to take the serenity prayer to work with you. Go after changing those things that are burrs under the saddle that you can change, and just let go the other stuff that is above your pay grade or out of your sphere of influence. You can't change it all overnight, but start today with a little change. Enough of these and they will add up and happiness might sneak back into your cubicle.


Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:22 (New Living Testament)

day 35: Accusations

Yesterday, I wrote about taking credit and boasting where neither is warranted. It is a part of being dishonest at work. There is another dishonesty that happens at work and that is when things aren't going so well. This is when there is blame to pass around for something that went wrong like when the customer is upset, a report was incorrect, a sale fell through, a person quits because he/she was upset with how they were treated, a part fails, or a presentation wasn't ready in time. You know the drill. The boss or person of authority comes looking for rear ends to kick and chew. And we all know certain people who no matter the problem, they will not stand up and take accountability for themselves and instead will pass it off on someone else. They look like Teflon on the surface but inside they are being dishonest and falsely accusing others for blame when they should be standing up and taking it themselves. This is almost such a common decency and baseline treating of others that it doesn't need a Biblical reference to convince the point, but the reference is there when Luke in Chapter 3 of the same named book, describes what it was that John the Baptist came to preach as he was preparing the way for Jesus. In verse 14 of Chapter 3, John the Baptist responds to a group of soldiers who were asking how they should live their lives. He said to them to be sure that they were fair financially and not extort others and also "don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do". In that time, if a soldier was to falsely accuse someone of something they didn't do it could lead to death. Fortunately, in our country that doesn't happen at work, but there can certainly be a deathly emotional outcome each time someone is falsely accused at work. It doesn't take but a few times to have the false blame come your way that you don't want to be at that job any longer and you feel "run out". For that reason alone, we all need to choose our words carefully and be very, very sure before we pass along any blame on anyone so we not take the chance that we are falsely accusing. Better yet, it is better to stand up and take a part of the blame and instead of allowing the witch hunt to continue, change the conversation to how we ensure it never happens again, before someone else gets dragged in rightly or wrongly. When we are willing stand tall for our actions and results, we stand along with the example of one who was willing to give His all when He was wrongly accused.

Reference: Luke 3:14 (New Living Testament)

day 34: No Boasting Allowed

There is the old adage; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave". That line could be repeated a hundred times a day at work. Work is the easiest of places to tell the white lie, cover up an issue, fudge a number, point a false finger and worst of all take a little extra credit for something that we really didn't do all that much, if anything. Where you hear this the most is from the subordinates who actually did the work. No one hates it more than when the boss takes the credit. The next worst is when a co-worker steps forward and takes the applause. I have always felt that when it is going right, it should be impossible to have an academy awards type of event at work where one person would get the credit for a big project or success. It is never just one person. There is always a supporting cast who should be getting the same, if not more credit. How tempted are we at work to take a little credit for things that weren't all ours to boast about? If this is something that creeps up on you every now and then, then I encourage you to look to the Psalms in Chapter 12, Verse 3 where David talks about what he prays should happen to those who boast, about anything. He says that the Lord should cut out the tongue of a boastful person. That is pretty harsh, but you can see where he is coming from. Think how hurtful and divisive it is when someone is boastful. I know many a person who does this and no one wants to be on their team or work for them. No one wants to do anything for them as they know that they will take all the credit. When faced with the question, "who did this?", today I would encourage you to begin with all the other people and then add your name last, that is if you actually were a part of the success that wants to be recognized. If you can become known as one who passes credit around and would be the last person in the room to boast about yourself, you will be setting a purposeful and Kingdom example.


Reference: Psalms 12:3 (New Living Testament)

day 33: Produced Fruit

When we hire someone into a job we are basically crossing our fingers and hoping that the interview and assessment process works and that the person will be all that we want him/her to be. And, there is no day more so than someone’s first day when they will receive the highest regard and have the highest potential and expectations place on them. From day two on it will all be about the results they achieve and how they achieve those results. That is the way we are all evaluated at work. Someone got it mixed up when they thought that work was about having a place to go and do the least to be done to get by without regard to how others feel about how we do our job, get a paycheck and go home content and assured that the job will be there tomorrow and the next day. If there ever were those days, they are long gone. Today, we live in a performance-based work world where the expectations on us are raised each day. So, what you did yesterday is not good enough for tomorrow. This doesn’t have to be a negative. In fact, this is all within our control. Jesus gave us the parable in Matthew and its fruit. He was speaking of how we are to beware of false prophets and those who say they believe but don’t act or live so. He goes onto talk about how a tree that doesn’t produce fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, it is a reach to take this parable and bring it into the workplace, but part of our everyday way we live is how we live in our work and what we produce is under scrutiny in both the earthly and spiritual realms. The point here is that we have a choice in what kind of tree we want to be. We can choose to be a tree that produces fruit and results or we can choose to not be, and take the consequences. The fruit is not only "what" but also "how". And, so much of our spiritual journey on earth has to do with how we treat others and live our lives. It is the how as much as it is the what. Jesus says in Matthew 7:20 says that we can be identified by what it is we produce; “Yes, the way we identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced”. We have control over the type of fruit and results we will produce. While we have that control shouldn’t we do some self-introspection and pruning to be sure that we are producing at the level and abundance that we, and God, wants us to be producing?



Reference: Matthew 7:20 (New Living Testament)

day 32: If It Comes Too Easy...

We have all seen deals that are just too good to be true and just look too easy. It’s easy to decide if they are too good to be true or not. If they seem to be so, then the truth is that they are going to be a problem. In the United States in the late 1990’s, the mantra for those graduating from college was, “Get in, get stock options, get rich and get out”. Silicon Valley became the contemporary, “Go west, young man!” destination. And now years later we see many of those companies, unraveled and gone and many of their leaders living less than fulfilled lives and some even doing so behind bars. Why is it that we know that if something seems too easy to obtain wealth from it, that it can’t be good, but we still either romanticize the situation to becoming convincing or we are just lured right into the web? I don’t think it is because we are inherently lazy, but rather that we are opportunistic and we believe that we can make something great from anything. It is in our nature. But we need not look further than in Proverbs 13:11 for the warning to heed, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.” So, if the deal or offer you hear today just seems too good to be true, put it aside and get back to work. The hard work you do day-in and day-out pays off. The wealth that is accumulated from hard work feels earned and as we know from our adolescent years, those things that are earned are more appreciated. So, the money earned from hard work will likely be more appreciated and stewarded more carefully. We should feel good about the hard work we do and allow ourselves to appreciate the earnings that come from that labor. So, be wary of that “offer of a lifetime”. It can come in the form of an investment, a presented deal negotiation term, or even a new job offer. There are no things that are good that come too easy, so be wary and listen to the Proverb when confronted with one of these opportunities.


Reference: Proverbs 13:11 (New Living Testament)

day 31: Outward Interest

What is it about work that makes it so all-consuming? From a particular project to complete, a sales account to be landed, a problem to be solved, a part to be repaired, to a presentation or report to be given, we can find ourselves heads down and so self-engrossed in what we are doing that we miss everything else that is going on around us. I have more than once in my career given feedback to others about how they are not perceived as a team player and at the root of the problem was that they were more concerned about themselves and what they were responsible for, than they were concerned, or even cared for others around them. So, it was not unusual for them to be thought of as a solo type of person. The typical consequences were that they were not sought out by others to be friends or close associates. I found that the go-it-alone people were usually the people who were less likely to stay in one company long and they never seemed happy at work. Paul tells us to not be this way. In Philippians 2:4 he says, “Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others too, and what they are doing”. I knew a very popular CEO who would just drop into someone’s office or cubicle and say nothing more than, “tell me what you are working on”. Oh, if I could only adequately express to you the look on people’s face when he would do this. There was an immediate uplifting of the person’s face and spirit as they talked about what they were working on and described in detail their successes and challenges. From them beamed a pride in their work. And where did all of this come from? It came from a simple question that was posed because someone else was taking interest in them. How much more effective leaders would be if they would start their days with interest in what others on their team were doing? I believe that this outward interest in others is one of the more powerful forces that could be instilled in the workplace. Morale would palpably improve just by looking outward versus always inward. We already know that we like people who are interested in us, so why not reciprocate and bring that attitude to work today? Instead of holing up in the office, conference room or cubicle and focusing on your own things today, why not take some time early in the day to drop in on a few people and sit down with them and ask them what they are up to and with sincere interest listen to them. With more of this and less of ourselves, we might find that work not only becomes more interesting for ourselves, but also that others take more interest in what you are doing too. And, when that happens then who knows who your next best friend at work might be?


Reference: Philippians 2:4 (New Living Testament)

day 30: Impressions

We are taught from the time we are first walking and talking that the impressions we make on others is one of the most important intangible assets we have. Whether it be mom or dad or a teacher, we heard, “you only have one chance to make a first impression” and that first impression was worth a great deal. And that surely carries right into the workplace. From the first impression to obtain the job or to attain the promotion, we work to manage the impression that others have us. While on the surface, there is nothing wrong with that, and in fact, in the work world where we have counter forces working against to diminish the impression of us while others put themselves ahead, we have to somewhat manage the impression that others have of us. It would be naïve to think that in all cases that we can, without restraint, be ourselves. There are times for a more mature you than you might want to be and there are times for a more optimistic and cheerful you than what you feel at the moment. So, we all manage our impression. But, Paul says in Philippians 2:3 that we are to not be selfish; and we are not to live to make a good impression on others. I had to process this for awhile to understand what he was saying. Why wouldn’t it be right to try and give others a good impression of ourselves? Aren’t we more able to have a greater impact on others if their impression is favorable? At work, this always seemed to be true. We depend on a favorable of impression of ourselves preceding us when we walk into a meeting with others we don’t know that well. Certainly the opposite can be disastrous. So, how far are we off base if we try and create a positive impression? The key to what Paul was saying was the first part of the sentence when he said, “we are not to be selfish and not to live to try and make the best impression". If we are selfish and we are living, or being all consumed and obsessed in the impression we make on others, then we are not being cognizant and considerate of others. It means we would be self-obsessed and that attitude is not what we are to possess. So, I take Paul to not not want us to make a good impression on others, but to do so in the spirit that will be one of concern to others and those around us, and let the good impression that we make from that spirit and attitude be the one that precedes us. If we start with being selfless and let ourselves flow from that place, then it would be hard to not make just a good impression, but the best of all impressions.


Reference: Philippians 2:3 (New Living Testament)

day 29: Who's Better Than Me?

I worked many a year and I don’t think I can remember a day that I rose and on my way to the office, I said to myself, “Today, I am going to work really hard at ensuring that others get ahead of me”. It’s just not the way that work is structured. Organizational hierarchy has only one box at the top of the pyramid and so on and so on. So, instead it is ingrained in us to reach for the top and to get there, with or without regard to the others we work. It’s not malicious or mean-spirited, but it is just the way it is. But, as we find purpose in our work, we are to think of ourselves differently. In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul says to us that we are to think about others as better than ourselves. Yes, you read that correctly, we are to put others in front of ourselves and Paul didn’t say, “…other than at work”. No, we are to adopt this spirit of humility in all that we do, including work. I find this not only a formidable challenge but also as one that runs so counter to what we face day-in and day-out that the only way we can live up to this challenge is to draw deeply on our faith and believe that if we work as Paul describes that we can still succeed and advance in our careers. But, if we take heed of Jesus’ words how we finish up on the organization chart has no forbearance on how we will receive our eternal rewards. So, it is a no lose proposition, we are to put others in front of ourselves and let the rest of it work itself out. I know, it is not easy, but what in life and work is? Remember, nothing worth good is easy. So, today, take that humility pill and allow yourself to put others in front of you and wait for the rewards.


Reference: Philippians 2:3-4 (New Living Testament)

day 28: Complainers

Okay, let's just stipulate that there is always going to be something or many things we don't like about our work. Could be that we don't like our boss, our office, our co-workers, our tasks, our commute, or just about anything. It's just the way it is that we aren't going to like everything about our job. So, the real question is what are we supposed to do about those things we don't like? Of course, we are to do our best to change what we don't like and make our work the best it can be, but, it is how we go about that change that can make us, as believers, different from others. Stop for a moment and think with me, do you know someone at work who all the time is complaining? You know, the person who seems as though he/she are just down on about everything and every other word out of their mouth is a complaint? I once counseled one of these people and when he came to me for the umpteenth time about the same issue and complaints and he said, "this is never going to change!", I said, "Sam, do you really believe that it is not going to ever change?". He emphatically said, "Yes, it is never going to change". So my return was, "If you really believe that then why don't you accept your belief and quit complaining about it, or tell me that it is so important to you that you go ahead and resign over it. Is it that important?". To that he told me it was not really that important after all and accepted the fact that his constant complaining over the issue was not really doing him or anyone else any good. He was not smiling when he left my office, but I believe that he was a little more content with himself, and I can restedly assure you that everyone else who he worked with was happier by measures. God gives us a word about complaining in Numbers 11:1; "The people soon began to complain to the Lord about their hardships; and when the Lord heard them, his anger blazed against them." God, doesn't want us to be complainers. He doesn't mind if we are prayers and bring our petitions to him, but complaining for the sake of complaining, just doesn't cut it with God and it is real drag on others around usin work who have to listen to the complaints and get drug involuntarily into the emotions of the issue. It's worth a try to see if today you can be complaint free. I like to say to others when they ask me how I am doing, "that I have no complaints". And if they listen to that response, I follow it up with, "complaining is only reinforcing a problem to myself and that doesn't do me any good at all". So, see if today you can be complaint free at work and see how that fits. You might just like the way it feels.

day 27: Know It Alls

The last two days have been about creating harmony at work and what our responsibility is in making that happen. One way we can create disharmony is when we get on the wrong side of others because we think we know better, or worse yet, because we think we "know it all". Work is funny that way because most of the reward mechanisms are geared to always be ready to have an answer and if you don't know it all then there must be a problem. It is a hard thing at work to say, "I don't know". But, as we all know a "know it all" person gets pretty hard to deal with over time. Before long, there is no debate to be had with them and the "know it all" turns into the "always right". "Know it alls" also come across as having lots of ego and priding themselves over others. Romans 12:16 completes itself with Paul saying, "...And don't think you know it all". Paul understood that people who try and prove that know everything there is about anything and try to act intellectually superior will not be the people that others admire, look up to, or want to follow. This would not be a good way to be as an example of a follower of Jesus. If we are live in harmony as Paul has challenged us to do, then we need to check our egos and smarts at the door and recognize that others may have the answer too and that if we listen to them we will learn things we don't already truly know. Today, there will likely be a circumstance where you can either listen and let others express their position and thoughts or you can butt in and be the "know it all". When that challenge comes, see if you can hold back and then see if things don't feel more harmonious around you. You just might be surprised how it feels different.


Reference: Romans 12:16 (New Living Testament)

day 26: Company We Keep

Yesterday, we talked about harmony in the workplace and the areas that each of us can watch and know about ourselves to ensure that we are doing our part to keep harmony. One of the areas that Paul speaks about in Romans 12:16 is the company that we keep. He says, "Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people". While this seems a simple statement and one that is not that profound, it does have major implications to how we conduct ourselves at work. Work is one of the most cliquish environments I know. Everything is set up for cliques to be created. There are departments, groups, pay grades or bands, titles, office configurations, etc. Ever notice how people of the same title and pay grades hang together at work? If you haven't just check out the lunch room today and take notice of who eats with who at what tables. It becomes pretty obvious very fast. One of the way that we can model a believer's life is by taking Paul's advice and be conscious at work about who we hang with and not let either pride or our title or responsibilities interfere with ensuring that we know and spend time with everyone in the company and we don't slip into our own little world of work friends. It's not that easy to do as it takes time and effort to know lots of people and spend time with everyone, but it is worth it as you will be known as the friend to all and with that comes a welcoming and respect. And when the time comes for harmony to be challenged at work, you may find that you become the bridge of peace between groups and people. What a fantastic reputation that would be. So, today, branch out from your normal set of people at lunch and invite others to join you. Start today and keep it going and I know you will pleased with the results.


Reference: Romans 12:16 (New Living Testament)

day 25: Harmony

Yesterday, we spent time on resolution of conflicts in the workplace. Let's stay with that theme for another day and expand it to how we work with each other to get the the best from our ourselves and others. The best selling business book by Pat Lencioni; The Five Temptations of a CEO, describes one of the fatal temptations of a CEO being the quest to keep harmony in the workplace. While on the surface and in the context of his book, the point is a good one, I have also been in too many workplaces where what is really needed, is a big dose of harmony. You have seen it too where companies, teams, departments, or in groups where it is always a constant fight among individuals and constant politicking. So much so that the politics of the organization take over the culture and there is no harmony other than the harmony that everyone is political. This does not make for a fun or purposed workplace and it becomes nearly impossible for an individual to feel as she or he can rise to their full potential and purpose in that environment. In Romans, 12:16, Paul is clear though that we are to strive for harmony. He says bluntly, "Live in harmony with each other.". It can be done, but it means that each of us have to dig deep into our souls and see if we are a part of the problem. If we are a part of the politics or the division of people and objectives, then we need to find a way to rise above the fray and become leaders of a different way. Each workplace has a definition of what harmony could be. That definition can be explored and uncovered by meeting and talking to those who are the best representations of harmony and alignment and staying on task or mission. And, usually, they are the people who everyone wants to work with or for. Can today, you seek out those people in your company and talk to them about how they have achieved this harmony in their team and then bring some of it back to your own team? Can you become an example and role model of how to bring harmony into the company and how to work with each other in a way that everyone can feel good about and be happy? I know you can!

The next two days we are going to take the same verse; Romans 12:16 and discuss how you can ensure that you are not the one who is creating disharmony.

Reference: Romans 12:16 (New Living Testament)

day 24: Resolution

How easy it is at work to have fall outs with co-workers over the most minuscule of things. The work environment, while trying to be a place of common purpose, mission and unified efforts is fraught with opportunities to become disjointed, fractured and misaligned. It's as if everyday there is a scattering force that takes over the minute we get to the office. I often think of it like when we were kids and would play with magnets and as hard as you tried you couldn't get all the magnets to stick together in line because there was always the negative force of the other end pushing away other magnets. And so, we wake up in the morning thinking not only about what we can achieve for the day, but we also think about how are we to overcome the petty fight that is lingering, or the boardroom battle that is looming, or the argument with the person who sits next to us. It doesn't make work as fun as it should be, does it? What are we as people of faith to do in these situations? Paul gives us a word in Philippians 2:1-2. He says that there is an encouragement we are to receive from belonging to Christ and that true happiness can be generated by finding a way to work together in agreement, a love for one another and working together with one mind and purpose. Paul wrote his letters to those who were doing ministry work in far-off places. But, his words are just as important for us who are seeking God's purpose in our work and trying to lead a life of example. If we can find a way to be a beacon of unified spirit and harmony in the workplace, then we will become a center of where others come to resolve conflicts and not be the source of conflicts ourselves. A day going into the office with all the arguments and conflicts resolved is a day that will be productive and purposeful. If you have some unfinished business today at work, take the time today to wipe the slate clean and be the leader of that resolution. The rest of the day, and tomorrow, will be better for sure.


Reference: Philippians 2:1-2 (New Living Testament)