day 438: Performance Feedback

It's the middle of the year and a time when many companies will do their mid-year performance feedback or even an annual performance review. Sitting down and receiving a performance review and the feedback that comes from it is never easy. As much as we all want to say that we are open to any and all feedback and reviews, when we are sitting there our hands get a little clammy and our breath shortens a bit and we do all we can to not become defensive when we hear things that we don't agree with or feels unsubstantiated. The hardest part about all of this is that we always see ourselves different than others and sometimes we aren't in touch at all with the perception of our boss or peers. So, when we have a sit down and we hear things that we don't want to hear or we hear something new, then we tend to clam up, get defensive and try to argue and countermand what is being said. The truth is that many times we deserve the feedback and if we would only be open to listening and taking it all in for adjustments, then we actually might learn something new about ourselves that we didn't know before. The best way to gauge what is actual is to compare the feedback with the actions and results for the period being evaluated. What we don't always factor in is the real actions that did or didn't drive results. We get so caught up in our efforts that we lose our objectivity. We would be best to follow and listen to God's words in Jeremiah 17:10: "I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." If we can accept that our actions are the driver of our rewards then there never should be any reason to fear or be concerned by performance feedback. Even in our performance reviews, God gives us a way to think and react. Who says that God can't come to work with us every day!

Reference: Jeremiah 17:10 (New Living Testament)

day 437: The Big Rocks

Our career paths are ones that are not paved, smooth or straight. It just doesn't work that way. Instead the path goes up and down, it has crevices, it produces small stones that get in our shoes, it curves and winds, and sometimes it looks nearly impassable. All kinds of things get in the way of what you'd think would be a clear pathway, but instead the way in front of us looks more like an obstacle course. The frustrating parts are those big rocks that seem immovable. They show up in the forms of bosses who we can't get support, senior management who won't give us the resources or the financing to get done what needs to get done, the co-worker who is just impossible to work with, the relocation that just can't happen because of the cost of living difference, and on and on. Big huge rocks that can't be gotten around or gotten over. At that point we either want to give up or just settle on the way things are now. But, we don't have to do that. We just need to figure out how to move those big rocks to get around them. Ever think that we might be able to split the rocks in front of us so that we could walk right through? How wonderful would that be? The answer is yes, we can of we have the faith to do so. Moses and the Israelites were beyond hope when God had Moses strike a rock and as we read in Psalm 105:41, "He split open a rock, and water gushed out..." Sometimes in our careers we are up against the rock and we have been at it for so long that we are tired and thirsty. We want to give up and turn around and go back the way we came. This is when God wants us to call upon Him. Actually, He wanted us to call upon Him to guide us on our career path a long time ago, but even now when it looks there is no place else to go He wants us to look to Him to split the rock for us and open up the path. How often do we take our career path to God? We should each day and ask Him to walk in front of us so that we can follow. What looks like big rocks to us are nothing but small pebbles or nothing at all to Him. Today, let's get Him back on the path with and in front of us.

Reference: Psalm 105:41 (New Living Testament)

day 436: Freedom To....

Much is written about freedom and autonomy in the workplace. Having spent the last decade plus with people in the entertainment industry there is nothing more sacred to someone who is a creator than having creative freedom. This also is true for software engineers who if they feel don't have freedom to code, then they rebel or shutdown. Actually the desire for freedom to work and operate without being watched over or micro-managed is universal. In order to be at our best we need to feel a level of trust that is sent our way that can translate to a feeling of freedom to express ourselves in our work. We have all been on the other side of the coin and the day we start to feel like we are being put on auto-pilot or being robotic in what we are asked to do, we begin to get frustrated and if it happens enough we begin to look for another job. Japanese style management in the 1970's even began to give people on the assembly line freedom over decisions and how they worked. That was successful then, and it is successful now, if we will practice it with those who we work with and around us. If we are in a situation where we can't find that freedom and we are stuck in the job and in our place of work, then we must look elsewhere for that feeling of freedom and not let our jobs be the defining force for our attitude or outlook on life. In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us where real freedom is found; "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." If you want to bring a freedom to your work, then try today bringing along the Spirit to what you do. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to allow that to pervade within the work that you will do today. See if there isn't a freedom that comes from Him that you cannot gain in any other way.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 3:17 (New Living Testament)

day 435: Curiosity

There is a guy I know who knows something about everything. No, really, he knows a little something about anything you mention. Sometimes it comes off a little as a "know it all" but I see it more as an admirable trait that he is curious and always learning. An executive was saying to me recently that he is so caught up in what is going on at his job that he feels like he has become myopic to other areas of his life and other people. This happens to the best of us. We have all the intentions to stay connected with others, to network outside of our jobs, to read, travel, learn, etc. But, the days turn into months and the months turn to a year and we wonder where the time went. What we realize is that we haven't put our head up or done much beyond our own jobs in quite some time. It doesn't have to be this way. We can all start today changing this pattern by just showing some curiosity with those who work around us. Just down the hall, right now, is someone who would love more than anything to talk a little bit about what they are doing right now and tell you what they have planned for the weekend. All you have to do is ask. Paul tells us that being curious and interested in others is a good thing. In Philippians 2:4 we read; "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." Today, think about looking beyond what you have on your own plate and send that email, make that phone call, walk down the hall and let your curiosity show.

Reference: Philippians 2:4 (New Living Testament)

day 434: Hot Days

With the summer solstice having brought in the summer months we can all get ready for the hot days that will follow. The hot days outside and the hot days inside. Yes, there will be hot days inside our office and it won't just be the weather that makes the difference. There is always another "hot" topic or "hot" issue that must be addressed and when these come and especially when they come day after day, week after week, it can wear us down and like the oppression of heat and humidity outside, we thirst and we search for shade and relief. But that is hard to find when the deadlines are looming and the heat has been turned up by the boss or the bosses' boss. This is the time when perseverance and commitment shows up, or doesn't. As a person who uses long distance running for my exercise I remember hearing the great running philosopher George Sheehan write that running in the heat builds commitment. I hear that in my head on every long run when the sun is beating down on me. Just like in the long run, when the heat is turned up at work we have to find that commitment down deep inside of ourselves to carry on and carry on in the way that others never really see us sweat. God gives us His promise that we can do so if we are doing the right things and doing our work in the way we should. In Galatians we read; "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." Even though those "hot days" will be upon us, if we are doing what is good and doing our best to bring the glory of God through our work, there is the blessing and the refreshment of the harvest waiting for us, and a much cooler season coming soon.

Reference: Galatians 6:9 (New Living Testament)

day 433: Thinking Ahead

How many times do we all say that we wish we had more time to sit down and get some thinking time? It used to be that an airplane was the only time I felt I could really sit and think but now with extended life batteries, power jacks and on-plane wireless it feels like that time has been taken from us too. Yet, we know that we need the time to think ahead and that those who do take this time are the ones who seem to have it all under control. Those who scramble and are always thinking on the fly, miss important points and inevitably will have an important ball dropped, and that is never good. So, we can all be better by finding the time to think ahead. It is not only hard because we can’t find the time, but it is also many times because we have a hard time starting. It takes some courage to start and get the ball rolling, especially when our backs are not up against the wall. Thinking ahead, planning and being ready is a skill we should all perfect. This is a place where God wants to have us bring Him to work. In Deuteronomy, God shows us how He not only stands behind and next to us, but He will also go ahead of us if we allow Him to do so; "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." What a great promise God provides the Israelites and each of us. Today, let us let God go before us and then we can begin to start thinking ahead with Him there with us.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Testament)

day 432: Stepping Forward

Yesterday, we looked at the importance of taking a stand when called upon to present a point of view. Today, let's look at what we can do to be known as people who are not afraid to step forward when called upon. We all have sat in meetings where the boss says, "Who would like to take this on?" or "Anyone want to look into this?" When the room goes silent and everyone picks up their Blackberrys you know that no one is going to step forward. And then someone does and then in their minds the rest of the people are saying to themselves, "should I have done that?" The boss is now happy and the person who volunteered now has an opportunity in front of him/her. What holds us back from being one who will step forward? Sometimes it is just that we don't want the extra work but many times it is because we are concerned that we won't succeed or we have a failure in our history that holds us back from trying again. We need to let the past go and allow the future to be in control of us. If Peter would have crawled in a cave after he denied Christ at the foot of the cross, then he never would have lived up to his and God's potential for him. Peter went on to be a leader and one who stepped forward. We read in Acts 2:14; "Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles...". Peter was a leader and he showed it by his continued stepping forward. Today, think through where you could step forward if you chose. Ask yourself what is holding you back? If it is some fear of what happened in the past, then course correct today by charting a new course...a course of stepping forward.

Reference: Acts 2:14 (New Living Testament)

day 431: Taking A Stand

This past week I was reminded of a time when the leadership of a company was about to change and each member of the senior team was polled to see who they thought the next leader should be. While the change did not occur right then, everyone had to make their declaration as to who they would follow and who they wouldn't, which created some interesting dynamics going forward. Basically, everyone had to declare what camp they would be in and lines were drawn. I would not encourage and organization to do this unless they are at the point of a change being a reality. What was amazing though were the different stances of the team of people. There were those who were steadfast on their decision, those who were waited to see what others would say first and then there were those who would never declare as they didn't want to reveal themselves in case the decision came out and they would end up on the wrong side of the person who would get the job. After the process was all over and nothing came of it, guess who the tem respected the most? Yes, those who were not afraid to take a stand, regardless of how things turned out. Recently a gentleman named Michael Jordan died. This is not MJ, #23 the basketball player. This was Michael Jordan who was the President of PepsiCo and then went on to lead Westinghouse when they bought CBS and was later acquired by Viacom. He then turned around EDS which led to the acquisition by HP. He was a remarkable business person. I had the opportunity to sit in a few meetings with him and I will never forget him saying that a point of view was worth 10 IQ points. He was saying that taking a stand pays off. We all know of the time when the Disciple Peter had a chance to take a stand and say that he was a follower of Jesus. When he didn't he was crushed and the Bible tells us that he "went away, weeping bitterly". Fortunately for us he did not stay away long as he went on to be a staunch supporter and evangelist for Jesus. But, you wonder if he didn't hold onto that moment and wonder what would have happened had he stayed true to his point of view versus denying that he knew Jesus on that fateful day. Today, are you struggling with whether or not you should take a stand on something you are facing? If you are and you need the encouragement to be courageous, please take the stand. You will be glad you did.

Reference: Acts 2:14-17

day 430: "Stick-To-It-ness"

The best of the best know that quitting early or not finishing something is a permanent decision that leaves no one feeling good. If we are the quitter or the person who leaves something undone then we don't feel good about our performance. If we are the party depending on someone else to complete or finish a job and they either quit or just don't complete the task then we are left holding the goods and are disappointed in them. That is why the people who rise to the top, receive the next big assignment, and are granted the best work are the people who have "Stick-To-It-ness". These people don't know the meaning of the word quit and they would rather work around the clock than miss a deadline or not finish something that is given to them. It is a noble and admirable trait to have and it is one that we should all try and adopt and develop. People who can be counted and depended upon are people that others look up to and respect. Among peers they become the ones that others go to for assistance. When the nod comes for the next leader, no one can take away anything from these people as their promotions are earned and worthy. Or course, it is important that the "way" they go about getting their work done is also deemed respectful and admirable. But if that is there along with "Stick-To-It-ness", they will rise and be rewarded for their efforts and achievements. We should all strive to be one of these people. God is this way. He sticks to us no matter how we live, achieve, fail or even turn our back on him. He is the great example of "Stick-To-It-ness". Paul tells us so in Romans 8:38-38; "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" God sticks to us and He sticks with us. Today, let's follow his example and see if we can't add a little more "Stick-To-It-ness" to who we are.

Reference: Romans 8:38-39

day 429: Working the Organization

Every organization has a structure to it that breaks down into functions and to some smaller groups of teams. These could be departments, work pods, etc. Most organizations are organized around functional expertise so we have finance, marketing, R&D, sales, operations, HR, etc., all reporting up to a senior team who brings it all together. The challenge is in how to work across the organization so that we don't get lost in our functional departments and don't get a chance to see the bigger picture. The key to this is to criss-cross the organization lines and build relationships with people in other areas and ask what they do, how they do it and how they fit into the broader mission and goals of the organization. This also requires that we know, understand and can process the mission of the company into what is done by people all over the organization. Sometimes this is not easy to understand but if we search hard enough we can find it and then apply it to what we know and to what we feel we need to know to be better at our jobs. If we do this, we will be better in our jobs as we have context and meaning for what we do. The same thing is happening in how we work to bring glory to God and make that our purpose. This starts with staying focused on what we know to be what God wants us to do and then to fall into His service with our talents, skills and experiences. In 1 Corinthians 12:5 Paul says; "There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord." Just like we work in different functions and departments but all roll up in what we do for the mission of the company, we all can serve God in our own ways, and different ways, all rolling up in His service and calling. Today, check yourself and your work to see if you are rolling up what you do and who you are to what God wants you to do to serve Him best.

Reference; 1 Corinthians 12:5 (New Living Testament)

day 428: "What Do I Need To Do?"

This past weekend, I was the guest speaker at my church for the weekend services. Each time I do this, I am humbled by the amazing energy, endurance and commitment that those who serve each week in a pulpit bring to those of us who are the recipients and beneficiaries of the messages. It's hard work and we should all thank and pray for our Pastors as they carry this calling. The title of my message was "When the Earth Moves Under Us" and it had to do with the lessons that could be learned in the courage that the Jailer from Acts 16 had when he made choices and decisions as it related to the potential escape of Paul and Silas. The Jailer is a lot like any of us who do our jobs, day in and day out, and then have a misstep happen to us. The final note of the message was that the courageous question that we each should be asking daily is, "What do I need to do?" If you are interested in hearing/watching the message I have inserted the link here for you:

http://cornerstone-sf.org/tv/detail/257

In Acts 16 the Jailer finds the courage to ask, "What do I need to do?" If only each of us had the daily courage to ask that question and then take the answers and learn from them. Imagine how much better we would be if we started with this question first before we come at our work, our problems, our relationships and our challenges with; "Here is what I am going to do...what do you think?" See the difference? Try asking the right question today and see what it yields. Ask your boss, your co-workers, your team and don't forget to also ask God. His will be the best answer you will get.

Reference: Acts Chapter 16

day 427: Why We Mentor

I have been involved with a number of mentoring programs and even helped some companies who were facilitating mentoring across corporations. What I have learned over the years is that everyone needs a mentor and few want or know how to be one. Early on in my career I was assigned a mentor. He was a great guy but at the end of the day we didn't share the same values and principles or interests. But, I was assigned to him because he was more senior, successful and therefore, I should have been able to learn something from him and he should been able to teach something to me. Both were true and to some extent it worked, but he was never someone that now I call out as a mentor. Mentors are those who we seek out and because of the generosity of their heart and their spirit, they give the time, energy and emotional commitment to teach, inspire, listen and encourage. When you find a mentor who is like this, then it can be a magical and fulfilling relationship that lasts. I believe part of our purpose in bringing glory to God in our work is to follow in the footsteps of the great teacher and mentor, Jesus. It does not take long in the accounts of His life throughout the four Gospels to see how He mentored His disciples and others. He modeled to us a relationship where he walked, talked, ate, worked and ministered together. His direct disciples truly got the mentoring of all mentoring. We read in Proverbs 9:9 that our mentoring efforts are certainly not in vain; "Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more." Today, I would challenge ourselves on how much mentoring are we doing? If we don't have at least one person who would say that we have been a mentor to them, then we need to make ourselves more accessible and open to that possibility. Everyone needs a mentor. Why can't you be the one?

Reference: Proverbs 9:9 (New Living Testament)

day 426: Annual Physicals

In the 1980s companies began realizing that the physical well-being of a worker was important to their ability to do their job. Before this we were in the "Mad Men" time when lunches consisted of drinking and people could sit in their offices and smoke cigars and cigarettes. I remember the first few years of working and having my boss smoke his pipe in his office. We would shut the door for a one-on-one meeting and he would enjoy his cigar and I would too in a second-hand way. And then something began to change where companies saw that their executives in particular were having more heart attacks and strokes and overall health issues. Along with the government, companies began banning smoking in the workplace and companies started focusing on health improvement as part of the workplace offering. It would be nice to think that this was because corporate boards were actually being sensitive and overly caring about their employees, but the bottom line was that health care costs were going through the roof and they needed to do something to curb the premium increases. If they could get their people healthier then just maybe they could see a better overall experience rating and thus a lower increase in their insurance premiums year over year. So, in came fitness centers and the introduction of annual company-paid physical exams for executives and others at certain levels within the company. These started as a perq but over time to some people became important in their quest to become healthier. Data shows that these efforts did work and companies have done better with their experience ratings and overall health of their teams. But we know that physical strength is only part of the overall human condition. How much better we would be if we also addressed our spiritual strength with the same effort and conviction as we have our physical well-being? Church is our fitness center but we still need the daily and consistent training and exercising of our spiritual being just like we do our physical body. David tells us in Psalm 73:26 that our physical strength will pass, but our spiritual strength can remain strong: "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever." Those annual physicals that were given to us did wonders for many, but nothing is as wondrous as finding our strength from God first. Today, think about what level of effort and conviction you put into your physical body and compare it to your spiritual conditioning. Which one wins out and what does that tell you about where you draw your strength from?

Reference: Psalm 73:26 (New Living Testament)

day 425: Quietly Going About...

There are multiple categories of people who we work with on our jobs. There are people who are "loud" about their work and there are those who are "quiet" about their work. Those who are loud are the ones who when things are going well, everyone knows about it and when things are going poorly, surely everyone knows about it. These people tend to be the people who are quick to boast and brag and also quick to deflect and point blame, or be sure that it is always some other reason for things not coming together, etc. Then there are the quiet workers. We know them well. They do their job without a lot of fanfare, drama, or extras. When things are going well, they may have an additional step in their gait or a smile on their face, but they don't go tell others much about it and when things don't go well, they shrug their shoulders and they get back to work. They quietly go about their jobs. There is something calm and peaceful about these people and while the spotlight may seldom come their way, we all appreciate them and we like to be with them, especially when things get a little rocky and wavy. When we think about how we work, I believe we can take some lessons from those who quietly go about their work. Calm, peaceful, steady, predictable and quiet about ourselves is a good way to be known. I was reading in I Kings Chapter six about how Solomon went about building the temple and I was struck by verse 7, which reads; "The stones used in construction of the Temple were prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without the sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site." The Temple was built quietly. There is a lesson here for us today.

Reference: I Kings 6:7 (New Living Testament)

day 424: Battle vs. War

We all fight battles at work, each and every day. Sometimes they are small battles, and sometimes large. Overall, we also have our wars that must be fought and won. Hopefully, the wars are those that are against the competition or external forces that are hard to overcome and take our full focus and attention to win. It's when the wars creep into the internal aspects of our businesses that our time becomes unproductive. It is also when we start to get so overwhelmed or engrossed in one thing that we begin to lose perspective and the the battles and the wars become blurred. It is hard to keep them separate because we are passionate about our work and we have our goals and objectives to which we must take stands and have strong points of view. But, it is so important that we don't lose the war because we lose ourselves in the heat of the battle. I was recently in a conversation where two people were deep into a heated battle over a contentious subject and in the midst of the argument, one person, made the conversation personal and attacked the other person's character. You could see the conversation deteriorating quickly. The person who made the slip of the tongue, lost perspective. The battle was sacrificed to the loss of the war as the person offended now stood on the higher ground, regardless of the merits of the original battle. Proverbs 12:18 speaks to this; "Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing". The war to be won is our character and the life that God wants us to live that others can see. The battles of the day, while important at the time, are insignificant in the overall life we are to live and how we handle ourselves. Today, you will be invariably thrust into battle. As you stand and speak, remember the overall war that is to be won.

Reference: Proverbs 12:18 (New Living Testament)

day 423: Money Pits

We many times refer to money pits as old houses and expensive toys that we might have that just keep draining dollars day after day and if not one thing with them, it is another. But, sometimes business can feel just the same. We get caught in a cycle where the numbers don't add up and there doesn't feel like more that can be cut on the expense side and we find ourselves hoping and praying that everything goes exactly as budgeted and planned. Invariably though, we all know that no business runs perfectly or without hiccups. These can be tough times in our jobs and after the last couple of years the thought that our economy could take a double-dip has the anxiety level at threat level red throughout corporate America. None of us want to have to go back down to the bottom of the corporate money pit and go through what we have felt recently. This is a time when the optimistic, the courageous, the confident and the faithful will shine. Others will seek out those who can stay steady and positive through the times of adversity. It is hard, and for most they do not have the foundation or well of strength to draw from. This is the time that those who draw upon the strength of the Lord will be noticed. I recently was in a church where the Pastor taught on the book of Hosea. If you want to see a bleak picture of a country, read what Hosea says about the future of Israel. The Pastor tried to extrapolate this book of prophecy to America. He didn't capture me totally, but the message of a downward spiral is not pretty, regardless of the country. But, there are also verses of hope and faith in Hosea that do apply to our time. Hosea 12:6 says much for us as we face our money pits; "So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love in confident dependence on your God." There is a message and lesson that allows us, regardless of the depth of the pit, to stand before others with confidence and hope for the future. This means that there is no pit that can be dug that is too deep for our God to pull us out of, if we only reach up to grab that hand that is there waiting for us.

Reference: Hosea 12:6 (New living Testament)

day 422: Allowances

We make allowances for things at work, all day long, every day. Few projects are on time and perfect. No deal doesn’t have allowances made and compromises taken. Even new buildings have value engineering allowances taken so it doesn’t quite end up being the same as what the original design held for the facility. We are used to making allowances to get things done and have others see our point of view. We give, we take, we give, we take. It is the way of business. The same is true with our bosses and co-workers. In order to get our way, sometimes we have to make our own allowances to be sure that others side with us as we go forward. Allowances are an every day part of work. However, we all know people who make allowances with everything but when it comes to other people. These are the people who fail to see the human side of an instance, or they see it and refuse to acknowledge the weaknesses and fallibility of people. With them, one mistake and you can be marked. We all know these types of bosses and co-workers. I was doing a reference recently for an executive and I had to come clean and say that I felt the one real issue with this person was their inability to give others a break, or allow them to work to high but not perfect standards, standards that not even this executive could claim to meet. Yes, the executive wanted to hold others to a standard that they can’t even uphold. Somewhere in here is, “don’t do as I do, or say….do as I think you should do.” We all need to have someone give us some allowance in our work. None of us are so perfect that we aren’t going to stub our toe or slip up once in a while. Paul tells us in Ephesians that by being people who can look past the current issues and focus on the good of people, etc.; that we can also still be successful; “"Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." You see, if we truly loved as Paul says we should, then it would not be hard to allow the faults of others. But because we love something else more; ourselves, our career, the money that comes from the job, the power, etc. we don’t allow ourselves to accept the weaknesses in others. Today, think about who others think you are. Are you one who is known by others for the allowances you will take, or the hard-liner who is just waiting for the first slip up? We know that God has high standards when it comes to work and excellence at what we do, but He is not a God who doesn’t at least give us an allowance a day. He is the God who wants you to turn over yourself to Him so that he can assure that the right allowances are given and taken.

Reference: Ephesians 4:2 (New Living Testament)

day 421: Accolades

I've had the opportunity to attend live awards shows and of course like most Americans, have seen more than my share on television. They are all the same with the nominated people all nervously awaiting their award announcement. And then only one wins and he/she will take the stage and either be really humble and gracious in their acceptance speech or leave the stage with everyone thinking that they were really full of themselves. It's a tried and true formula for the ages. While we don't usually have formal awards programs at work, although some companies do, in some ways every day is an awards show in the office. Staff meetings are filled with jockeying for attention, presentations are made without consideration of others who worked hard to make the presentation come together, deals are closed with one sales person getting the accolades while many worked on the account. There is no changing this aspect of work, but there is something that can be done in how we accept and receive the accolades when they come our way. In Proverbs we are told to never be the ones who boast of our own accord; "Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth - a stranger, not your own lips." This means that we are not to seek out the praise. We are to not self-promote and we are certainly not to brag, boast or create accolades towards ourselves. This is all to be left up to someone else, without us politicking or putting the words in someone elses mouth. This is many times a subtle but important point in how we are to be seen as examples of how Christ lived. He was the last one seeking out accolades and in fact went out of His way to ensure the attention went to His heavenly Father, not to Him. Today, can we try to be a little bit less about ourselves and more about how He modeled for us to live? When the unsolicited accolades come our way, it's great. But how we react, accept and ensure that the credit goes to those who deserve it, will say way more about who we are than the praise itself. May the accolades we all receive be the best of all, that others see us as ones who can receive but never act as though we deserve.

Reference: Proverbs 27:2 (New Living Testament)

day 420: Masks

If you have ever worked in a high-growth and fast-moving company, you know that the oxygen that fuels the fire is growth. Nothing masks problems like growth. When growth is present, the scrutiny on hiring decisions, compensation, promotions, purchasing, travel, anything where money is spent, goes way down. When in growth mode, the answer is usually “yes”. Yes, growth masks lots and lots of mistakes and insecurities. The issue with this is that as soon as the growth slows down or worse, stalls, all of the lack of process, bad decisions, bloated structures, etc. can fall under the proverbial roosters coming home to roost. In what feels like a nanosecond, we find ourselves trying to rationalize costs, defending hires, hanging onto projects, cutting projects, squeezing every penny, etc. Everything goes from awesome to ugly in short order. So, what are we to do in the growth years? This is the time of continued discipline and attention. It does not mean that we shouldn’t make hay while the sun is shining, but it is a time when we must ensure that when the growth slows that we haven’t overextended ourselves so much that we have to make a course correction. It is surely easier said than done but it is extremely important that we learn the lesson that growth is not the mask that we want to latch onto. There is only one great masker that is appropriate to become attached and addicted to and we read about this in 1 Peter 4:8; “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." Yes, love is a great mask for so many things. Unlike other drivers that are temporary or are so fleeting, love is consistent and can be spread to cover everything. The Bible is not saying that we should go and sin and let love be the mask of our sins. Instead, what we are reading is that if we truly love Him and God’s love comes through and there is a transfer of that love truly to other people, that there are many sins that we will never commit because they just can’t be committed when you thoroughly and truly love another. The love of God is at the root of everything we can do if we will only allow it to cover us and become the mask that we desire and hold dearly day in and day out.

Reference: 1 Peter 4:8 (New Living Testament)

day 419: Filtered Views

Lots of business books talk about how we are to be sure that what we see is actually what is happening around us, or be sure that we know what filters we are viewing the world through. We each come from, and through, our own set of experiences that then filter the world and our perception of what is occurring. I just got done having conversations with a number of people within a company who all work in the same place and are dealing with the same issues, who work for the same person and they all see things around them slightly, or in some cases, drastically different. It's a weird thing to see as an outsider looking in, but it's not hard to understand how each one of them can see things askew of someone else because of their different and varied backgrounds and experiences. We all need to remember this when we sit with someone and hear their side of a story and we don't understand what they are saying or where they are coming from. The reason is likely not them, it is more us not seeing and hearing them through our own filters. If we could, would, do this then we would find that we would be much more understanding and accepting of others. Every company and workplace I know could stand to receive an extra does of both. One filter we should all have is humility. David says that if we start with humility we will see something special. Read in Psalm 69:32; "The humble will see their God at work and be glad." Without humility we may be filtering out our ability to see God's full handiwork. It makes sense, because those who are proud are not those who know that it is only by God's grace that we are here and able to do what we do. So today, check your filters and see if humility is overriding your pride. If it isn't, then today would be a good day to do a re-prioritizing and bring humility back up and forward as a good filter for all that you see and do.

Reference: Psalm 69:32 (New Living Testament)

day 418: Recognizing Capabilities

Anyone who has ever been in a leadership position knows that the assignment of work against the capabilities of people is one of the trickier management problems. It would be great if one size fit all and everyone had the same capability because that would mean that there wouldn't have to be any picking and choosing between the better or not so good employees. It would also mean that we wouldn't have to sit down with people and explain why they didn't get the bigger assignment and why what they perceive as smaller is still just as important. Trying to nail down what is the best for the business, the work and the people is the balancing act that every leader has to learn. Those who can do it well are the leaders that others want to work with, around and for. Those who don't it so well get less responsibility over time. The first lesson is that everyone is indeed different and has different capabilities and that we shouldn't try and make everyone the same. Those who do this end up marginalizing great people as they round them down to the average and the average doesn't really grow or get better, they just stay the same. The best leaders intimately know the capability of each person and then apply the work against that capacity. We read this in Exodus when Moses provides us with one of the earliest examples of division of labor. When he chose the judges to take over from him he did this; "And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people; rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties; and rulers of ten." I am sure Moses had to explain to the ruler of fifty why he was not over hundreds, etc. and we can see that Moses did this and it worked. Today, you may be having a hard time doling and assigning work. Start first with your own assessment of capabilities and work from that outward. If you do start there, then you will be able to defend and promote the decisions based on capabilities, which someone may argue, but ultimately can only defend by proving they can do more. That is a nice place to have everyone thinking.

Reference: Exodus 18:25 (New Kings James Version)

day 417: Don't Go It Alone

It is a tendency within our jobs to find ourselves going it alone. As I have written a number of times, I believe this is largely a function of how business and organizations are architected to operate and how they compensate. We work within hierarchies and teams bottle neck around a leader who may or may not truly recognize or care about the overall strength and health of the team versus the work just getting done. These are the leaders who say, "You, just go get it done and I will reward you for it." They may not be that blatant, but that is the tone and the gist of the message. So, from there what do we do? We run off as individuals and we do whatever we can to be sure that we succeed and achieve personally in the eyes of our superiors and while we say we care, we actually don't spend too much time worrying about the overall team. This is why it is so hard for us to hear someone else say, "It is important that we/you work within the team." We understand it and it makes sense but in the next hour someone will be recognized, rewarded and/or given more responsibility because they took on the load themselves and made it happen in solo fashion. It is very situational but I do believe that part of what we are supposed to leave behind is that we have made others better along the way. Unless we are willing to let go of some things and get out of the way, then we will have missed this opportunity and potentially missed the greatest impact we can make within our careers. Let's be honest, if at the end of our work days all we have to show for it is our own success and not the success of others there won't be many reunions or phone calls in the future about the good old days. Plus, the burden that we carry by ourselves is likely to shorten our work-lifespan versus sharing the work with others. Jethro told his son-in-law Moses this in Exodus 18:22; "...So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you." Today, you may find yourself in a place where you have been going it alone for too long. Today could be a great day to start looking around and letting go of some of what you like to do, so that others may grow. A little sharing right now and not going it alone could be the beginning of something great for you.

Reference: Exodus 18:22 (New King James Version)