day 133: Memo To Phil, part 1: Taking One For The Team

Unless you don't work or you work for yourself with no investors, shareholders, or Board of Directors, then you have a boss. Most everyone has a boss. Over the span of our careers most people, at some point or another, also get put in a spot of responsibility where they are responsible for a project, a team, a department, or a person. They then move to being a boss. Being a boss is not easy and we all appreciate it greatly when we get a good one and we are miserable when we have a bad one. So, it is important to try and be good at leading projects and people and also understanding our bosses and helping them be good at what they do. The Bible is full of great examples of leadership and one of the best texts that I follow is the book of Philemon. In this short letter from Paul to Philemon, Paul corresponds to Philemon from afar and if he was writing a business memo or email to Philemon the heading or subject line might have been "Taking one for the team". Paul was asking Philemon to accept a man named Onesimus into Philemon's ministry/organization when it appears that Philemon might have some issues with doing so. Have you ever been in a situation where your boss is trying to get you to work with someone that you really don't want on the team? It might be that it is going to take too much time to train that person, or that they come from a different part of the organization and do things differently, or that you think you can get the job done better and faster if you just do it alone, or that you don't like other people giving you their opinion on how things should get done, or you feel threatened because you think the boss doesn't trust you alone, or maybe you just don't like the other person. This happens all the time. The boss asks you take one for the team, for the good of another person, or for a reason that you don't understand fully or don't understand at all. This is what Paul asks Philemon to do and because Philemon trusts Paul, he does it. But, beyond the trust, it is "how" Paul asks and the words that he uses to Philemon that makes the message powerful and acceptable. Today, you may be asked by your boss, to "take one for the team". She/he may not be as articulate or as caring as how Paul asks Philemon, but the request is there all the same. How will you respond? Will you fight, argue, or acquiesce reluctantly, or will you understand that setting aside your own agenda for the good of the whole and at the request of your boss is a good thing? God gives us these examples and stories in His word to learn and follow. Stay with me for a few days as we go through Paul's memo to Philemon to learn some great leadership lessons. In the meantime, if asked to take one for the team and don't want to and need some help then you can follow in the example of Philemon.

Reference: The Book of Philemon (New Living Testament)