day 1247: What's New?

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."

Why do we read trade magazines and online "news" like TechCrunch, Mashable, etc?  Why do we try and keep up to date with innovation?  Why do we Follow on Twitter those that get to the news first?  Our culture is obsessed with what is new.  And, even in the sharing economy we still are curious to know what is being developed and what is on the horizon.  We don't have to look any further than the lines of people who wait for the midnight delivery of new technology or new entertainment.  Our culture rewards those who are there first and who can rush out and tell everyone else their experience.  Technology has given us instant access to share, so our perceived rewards to being there first has been heightened.  When was the last time you delivered to your consumers, customers, or employees something so new that they rushed out to tell everyone else?

God is new to us every morning but always the same!  Read that again.  He is new every morning but always the same!  The newness is what we can receive from Him in our lives.  But, as we read in Ecclesiastes, nothing is really new. Why that is important is that every day in the world we live someone is pitching something new and in that pitch trying to pull us away from our walk with God.  We are challenged in our work to create new products, services and offerings.  That is fine.  But, we are not to try and create God anew in our image of what we think He should be.  That is the way those around us would like it to be.  We are to stand firm today and call upon what is not new, but instead what has been and will be eternal.  Today we start a new week.  Let this week be one where our commitment and courage is renewed!

Reference:  Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New Living Translation)

 

 

day 1228: Premier League Time

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven..."

It's only taken 30 plus years but in the last year, we now can watch The Premier League soccer (football) on national U.S. broadcast television.  We all saw it coming as soccer became the most played sport by kids.  But, the demographic changes that could only take time to grow up and become viewers and consumers who could through their buying patterns and power create advertising pull and viewership.  And now, we have to ask, what next?  Could we see finally the development of a U.S. based Major League Soccer League that would someday rival The Premier League?  Sure we could.  Demographic shifts sometimes feel like boiling a frog, but then one day it seems so obvious.  There is great value in spending time projecting forward and trying to align to the shifts, pulls, pushes and all that comes with them.  Sure, we might be wrong more often than not, but wouldn't we rather be wrong because we thought about it, not because we ended up flat-footed, surprised and late.

As we grow older in our spiritual age, we have to consider what and how we will feel if one day wake and find that we missed out on the years that we could have been getting closer and closer to Him, telling others about what has happened in our own lives, and living out the example of Christ to others.  In somethings, we should not wait. As we go start today, let's consider what it is that we can be offering to others, that they have been waiting for someone to deliver?  Today, it might just be you that they are waiting.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New Living Translation)

day 1090: Do Well And Do Good

"Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom."

Every now and then we need a reminder to do our best and up our game.  Sometimes that reminder will come from that motivation within ourselves to reach further, push harder, go faster...but for most of us we need an external influence to make that happen. This is partially what a Board of Directors can do and certainly what a boss is there to do.  But, the best motivator is our competition.  If we are honest with ourselves and we look at what they are doing with appreciation and a spirit of learning then we will see things that we can do better and where to improve or sometimes even shift and pivot to a new direction.  Ignoring competition or looking down our noses at them is only being short-sighted.  The great thing about most industries is that there is room for a couple of big players and then a number of smaller companies.  The same can be said about the room and number of people on a team. Together the tide can rise if we come together to make it better for everyone.  Think of the Dairy Association and their campaign, "Got Milk?".  By working together, doing well collectively and individually, the entire industry gets better. Whatever it takes to do what we have to do as well as we can, we need to be open to that exploration so we don't get left behind.

It's clear that God has given us talent and time to use and spend.  How we do so will determine our impact on others and how we expand the Kingdom, or not.  We have to start though with doing well with what we have been given.  I try not to judge others, but I can't help in being disappointed in believers who pull up short in searching for excellence and to be the best at what they do.  It hurts to watch their talents not get used and to see others view them as not willing to give their all. The world we have been born into is one where we all have to work, work hard, and learn to be good at what we do if we want to grow, develop and succeed. Let's not hide behind any reasons that keep us from reaching our full potential.  We don't know when, where, or how God wants to use us, but as we are taught, we need to be ready to multiply our talents and to every day, all day put these to work for the glory of God.  Anything short of doing well is not taking advantage of what we have been given,.

Reference: Ecclesiates 9:10 (New Living Translation)

day 1036: Holiday Parties

"So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can."

Tonight is the prime night for seasonal holiday office parties.  All across the country today there will be assistants and event planners getting ready for the "big night".  For some, it is the event of the year and they are excited about dressing up and having a night out without the kids.  For others, going to the annual party is a requirement and they dread having to attend.  But, all the same, it is great for people to get together outside of work and to share some good time together.  Each time this year, we can read also about the career  warnings of the annual parties and what behaviors are accepted and which are not.  Inevitably there will be that one person who has too much of the fun and ends up with an appointment with HR on Monday.  I was once taught that nothing good in our careers happens after 9:00pm.  I think this rings very true for the holiday party, or for any party outside of work when co-workers are in attendance.

God has given us this life to enjoy and be happy, but there is a bright line that we as believers must know and hold when it comes to the fun in this life.  At the holiday party, there will be others watching to see how we behave and handle ourselves when the party starts.  Of course, we can have fun, but if we stray from our self-control and act in a way that is unfitting of the example that we work so diligently each day to build and maintain, then we not only let ourselves and God down, but we run the risk of causing someone else who has been watching and evaluating whether or not this life is for them, to turn away and be jaded and cynical about what it means to be a believer.  So, have fun but also remember that tonight's celebration and this season is about the birth of Jesus and that we are at His birthday party.  How would we celebrate if He was in attendance?

Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:12 (New Living Translation)

907: Flashes in the Pan

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."

I’m a tee-shirt guy.  Give me a pair of Converse Chucks, a pair of blue jeans and a tee-shirt and I feel rightly dressed.  Since I like tee-shirts I have been thinking that I should have a few made up that I like and what I thought would be fun would be to go back over the last couple of decades and have shirts made up with the logos of bib popular companies that have passed on.  Like Netscape or Lotus,  Companies like that.  They could be great conversation starters too.  This is just a reminder how quickly companies can get up and into the jetstream only to be faded from memory in a short amount of time. One of my favorite music/tech pundits, Bob Lefsetz, wrote this week on how the answer isn’t juicing yourself to the top, but instead building for the longhaul.  He referenced turntable.fm and foursquare as his examples of being flashes in the pan.  It’s a great reminder that if want to be here today and gone tomorrow  that it can be more easily achieved than finding our way into the mainstream by methodically and predictably delivering a quality product or service and doing so in a high integrity manner for our shareholder, our partners, our team and our customers.  It’s to always be considered if we want to stick around in the kitchen for a while rather than being a flash in the pan.

This is also true of how we manage our Christian life journey.  Sure, we all want the highest of highs in our spiritual life but if that is all we are striving for then once those times are gone we will be left searching again.  Jesus modeled consistency, diligence and discipline for us.  There was no objective to be a world-wide phenomenon and draw together people from all around the world to come hear him speak and teach.  In many cases it was just the opposite, he would quickly move away when the crowds became huge.  Jesus wanted to leave behind men and women who could and would further His message for all of eternity.  We are so fortunate to have His life and Him to accept, model and follow.  When we do, we learn that it’s not about being the flash in the pan for His Kingdom.  There are plenty of those to go around.  No, it’s about being a model of consistency in how we live, work, treat others and bring glory to Him.  Have a great weekend and know that our God recognizes and appreciates those that will go the distance with Him.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New Living Testament)

day 764: Moving Sidewalks, Part 2

"Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize they both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life."

Two years ago I wrote the post below. Last night as I was coming into Chicago and walking on the moving sidewalks in Ohare, I was reminded of this and I thought it worth sharing again today. We are all faced with loss and the reality of the short-lived time that we have here. Let us make the most of the sidewalks that we walk on today.

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Anyone who travels as a part of their job is consciously or subliminally aware of this statement: "Caution, the moving walkway is about to end...look down the moving walkway is about to end". Yesterday as I traveled from SFO to Denver to Indianapolis, I heard that statement at least ten times. This past summer after the death of my father-in-law I began to hear those words with a different meaning. As he was like all of us, a worker, his moving walkway ended sooner than he desired. In is mind, there was still work to be completed, to be finished the way he saw it to be done. He was not ready to end his work. But, as we know, when the moving walkway ends for each of us is not in our hands. I have also seen over the last year many people who have had their work end prematurely and like that stutter step and strange feeling you have after walking briskly on the moving walkway and then coming to the end and getting the feeling that you have lost a step, so felt those who had their jobs taken from them with recessionary cutbacks. Caution, the moving walkway is about to come to an end. We just don't know when and are we prepared for these changes when they happen to us or those around us? On my flight segment from San Francisco to Denver I sat next to a man who appeared to be in early 60's. Halfway through the flight he pulled out a folder and the first page was a set of handwritten notes with the heading; "Questions for the doctor". As I glanced at the page I could see that these were questions that he or someone else had written so he would be sure and ask each of them to the doctor. They covered pre and post surgery routines, medication reactions, etc. Written was also, "Percentage chance of success with or without the surgery?". As I saw through the rest of the flight he had pulled off a lot of information on the internet and while I could not figure out what the condition was, from the pictures of people with scars on the back of their head down into their spine it had something to do with a spine or brain problem. I felt for the man as he was, right next to me, staring at his moving walkway and by necessity, having to look down and take caution.

Today we are going to go to work and most of us will not think twice about the moving walkway coming to an end. We will jump on it with all of the energy we can muster and walk and run as fast as we can for the next eight to twelve hours without so much as looking up or around. We will miss all the people who are walking slower than us blowing past them with an occasional, "how you doin'?". What we forget is to live and work in the moment and listen to the words in Ecclesiastes 7:14: "Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize they both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life." If you are traveling today, or the next time you are traveling, listen for the automated words from the moving walkway and take that opportunity to stop for a moment and thank God for the blessings, the challenges, and the moment that you have now. Ask Him to make you a better example to others and to help you realize your full potential and purpose that He has put you here. And then recognize that your own moving walkway will one day end and that today is the day to make the most of what you have been given.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 7:14 (New Living Testament)

day 603: Dominoes

As companies hire and fire it’s like a game of dominoes. One domino falls and then all the others start moving until many changes have been made. That is if the company’s succession plan is a good one. What can also happen is someone begins to fail, or quits, and then there isn’t any one who can pick up the dominoes that fall behind them. This is when we all have to chip in, roll up our sleeves and pick up the extra slack. It’s one of the harder times in a company. It’s also one of the harder times for people who have to take on the extra work but may not feel like they are getting any extra reward that is due to them. We have all been there at one time or another. As I look at how companies today think about staffing and resourcing their organizations, we should all probably get used to this happening more and more. While we may be on the backside of the Great Recession, there remains a pressure for productivity and efficiency. Not filling open jobs, or at least delaying the fill, is a way to realize that gain and also test the elasticity of the organization. This is why we all need to be sure that we are surrounded by others who are willing to help us when we need the support. And, even more so, we need to be the type of person that others can depend on when they need us. These can be frightening and anxious times or these can be hopeful and prepared times. We read in Ecclesiastes, which it should be; “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Let us be a domino that when pushed is there for others and will not fall alone because we are always ready to reach out in support of those who work around us.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:10 (New Living Testament)

day 801: Rearview Mirrors

“Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this”


Here in America we are taught in driver's training lessons to glance into the rear view mirror every 10-20 seconds. I distinctly remember this lesson as my driver's ed teacher (who I don't remember his name but taught health and P.E. in the normal school year) had a stopwatch and every 10-20 seconds would say to us, "Glance". It has stuck with me as you can tell. But, that's not to say that we should spend more time than this with the rear view mirror. I know a number of executives who spend most of their time and energy contemplating and remembering the past to either romanticize a time that they wish they could return to, or worse to complain and bemoan how the past were the good "back in the day" times. Understanding and knowing the past can be very helpful in not making the same mistakes twice and of course history does teach us lessons and in some cases does repeat itself. But, that does not mean we can take our businesses and live in the past or have our leaders spending too much time in the rear view mirror.

In our daily lives we can learn from the verse in Ecclesiastes. Our God is a God of hopefulness and about a future beyond our comprehension. For us to live in the past or looking over our shoulder for the "ifs and buts and "what ifs" then we are turning our heads to what God would have in store for us. And, we might well miss what God wants us to do for Him. At the beginning of this New Year we should be looking forward and setting our goals for how we will grow and develop throughout the year. Goals are future focused and other than setting the starting point, there isn't any good reason to spend time in the rear view mirror. Let's make 2012 the year of the future!

Reference: Ecclesiastes 7:10

day 527: Knowing The Wind

Work consultants use wind analogies a lot. They talk about having "wind at your back", being able to "tack with the changes of the wind", how to battle "headwinds', understanding "turbulence", etc. The wind is a good metaphor for lots of things that are in our work lives because it is invisible but very forceful and it can either be a huge help or a real hindrance and the fact that the wind changes so often and unpredictably, it becomes even that much more relevant with the way our work and jobs can seem. Within our jobs there are many unseen factors that affect how we work and how we feel about our work. It's like when we walk into a meeting room and there is a chill in the air or a heaviness in the air that we know, without anyone saying anything, that this is going to be a tough meeting or we are getting ready to deal with a subject that no one really wants to talk about. And the opposite can happen when the boss comes bouncing down the hall, in a good mood and just wants to drop in and "catch up". Whatever it is, it's like the air and the wind and it shifts, swirls, and moves like its' own force throughout work. Knowing the wind is a smart thing but even smarter is knowing where and how we stand within the changing winds. What we want to make sure we are not doing is spending our precious time trying to figure out always where the wind is going, but instead, know where we are going and how we are getting there, regardless of the where the wind is blowing. Those who only follow the wind will be known as being political or indecisive. But, those who know who they are and where they are going and then manage the wind will be known differently, in a very positive way. This starts with knowing what is important for us to be doing and sticking with it. Solomon talks about his own work when he was "lost" and was not focusing on what he knew to be important; "But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." No, we are not to "chase the wind". We are to be strong, firm and able to withstand whatever the wind may bring. Today, let's take a look at what we are doing and making important in our work lives and be sure that we are focused on the right things and like the wheat and chaff that separates with the wind, we are staying focused on the things that the wind can't carry away.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 2:11 (New Living Testament)

day 493: Teamwork, Part Three, Back-To-Back

I often write of the politics of the office and that while we should not engage in the politics, we need to be aware and cognizant of these happenings so that we are not blindsided or taken unaware. We have all experienced that moment when we are sitting at our desks wondering why someone who yesterday supported something that we were proposing or doing and then out of the blue, from left field, that person changes their position and we are left alone, now wondering what to do next. Pure and simple; politics have been played. That is why we hear so often, "I got your back on this one". If there were no politics and no one was gunning for someones job, position or assignments, then there wouldn't be any reason to have to cover someones back or watch out over them. But, that is human reality as it relates to work. So, without playing into the game, we can certainly secure ourselves and use teamwork to ensure that we are able to do our best without having someone else undermine our efforts. This is why we need to be good team members and learn to practice teamwork! Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:12; "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Just as we need to have someone standing at our backs, there is someone else, or more than one person, at our job who needs someone to stand at their back today. Think through who is standing alone today and go and offer to support them, and assist them in what they are doing. At the same time you are giving to them, they will be giving to you and before you know it, you will be back-to-back or as the verse says, "triple-braided". To have one standing back-to-back to us, we have to do the same. Let's be the first to offer. This is what it means to practice teamwork.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New Living Testament)

day 492: Teamwork, Part 2, Falling

This is part two in a series of the power of teamwork. We talk a lot about teamwork but we don’t talk much about what it means to be a good team member, that is unless it applies to someone else who we are quick to point out their deficiencies. Funny though, we do know what it feels like to have a great team member or partner. We know that we can count on that person to be there, no matter what as people who can almost anticipate our problems and failings and there to catch, support and prop us back up. How often do we do the same for others? Are we good at that? There aren’t schools that teach us to care and subordinate our own agendas and desires to help others. We are taught from an early age to achieve, move ahead and up, perform to our own highest potential and be the first to cross the finish line. Not many get something special for stopping to help even if that means someone else wins. However, this is what we really have to be willing to do if we want really want to WIN. We have to be there for others. Solomon tells us this in Ecclesiastes 4:10; “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” We’ve all probably done that trust exercise where you fall backwards into the arms of someone you don’t know and they catch you. Today, there is someone who could sure use your arms to catch them. If you just stop and think about those that you work with you will come up with someone who is carrying a heavier burden than usual or who is struggling. Look at them with fresh eyes and you will see that they are falling backwards and if you choose, you can be there for them. Don’t let them fall because they are alone. That’s being the team member they need.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:10 (New Living Testament)

day 491: Teamwork, Part 1, "1 + 1 = 3"

Over the next few days I want to spend some time on the power of teams and teamwork. It's obvious in many ways but there are some principles and applications that are always good to be reminded of now and then. In our jobs teamwork is often encouraged and some times incentives are established to promote teamwork, but when the rubber meets the road we can find ourselves flying solo to get the job done. Companies and organizations are paradoxical in this way. Organizations are structured into, by their own definitions, teams. A department, for example, could be a team. Committees are established to create teams of people working on or overseeing some piece of particular work. However, most people don't receive merit increases or their promotions because of the work of the team. They are rewarded instead on their singular contributions to the business. Paradoxical. So, teamwork has to be driven from the willingness and the acceptance that working with others can be more intrinsically, if not externally, rewarding than working alone. In Ecclesiastes 4:9 we can read; "Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor." Solomon is saying that 1 + 1 = 3. We should be be efficient with our energy and time. We should definitely multiple our efforts through working with others and being a strong team player. How much of the extra stress and burden that we feel in our jobs is just because we are trying to take on too much on our own and shoulder all the burden? Today, think about this and see if there is an area, a project, some work where you can get more done and get it done in a better way because you partner and be a team player.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:9 (New Living Testament)

day 489: A Farmer's Lesson

The other day I heard someone use the old adage, "we have to make hay while the sun is shining". We probably all have used that line at some point in our lives, regardless if we were ever farmers or not. It's a good lesson and one that can make us work a little harder and be more productive in the times when we may want to slack off. However, there is another lesson that the farmer probably knows better than anyone and that is that regardless of the conditions, work must get done everyday if the crops are going to grow and yield the produce at harvest time. Sure, there are sunny days but there are also rainy days, cold days, oppressively hot days and days that are so windy, foggy and dreary that all you want to do is roll back over into bed and wait for the weather to clear. If a farmer only waited for the best conditions then not much would get done. We do this at work too; we look for other conditions than the weather to direct our attention and efforts. We wait for the mood of the boss to be right, we look for the day of no meetings before we start on the project, we put off making the return phone call until the afternoon is clear to talk. Basically, we wait until the weather is clear. The lesson is that the conditions are never quite perfect and that we have to put our shoulders down and "weather the storm" if we want to get things done. In Ecclesiastes Solomon opines the same; "If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." Today, you may have some piece of work that you really need to get done but you have been in waiting mode for just the right conditions before you start, complete, present or send it in. Those perfect conditions might show up, but more than likely there will be something else that gets in the way that disrupts perfection. Consider today as the best conditions you will have and like the farmer, just get out in the field and get it done.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 11:4 (New Living Testament)

day 248: Moving Walkways

Anyone who travels as a part of their job is consciously or subliminally aware of this statement: "Caution, the moving walkway is about to end...look down the moving walkway is about to end". Yesterday as I traveled from SFO to Denver to Indianapolis, I heard that statement at least ten times. This past summer after the death of my father-in-law I began to hear those words with a different meaning. As he was like all of us, a worker, his moving walkway ended sooner than he desired. In is mind, there was still work to be completed, to be finished the way he saw it to be done. He was not ready to end his work. But, as we know, when the moving walkway ends for each of us is not in our hands. I have also seen over the last year many people who have had their work end prematurely and like that stutter step and strange feeling you have after walking briskly on the moving walkway and then coming to the end and getting the feeling that you have lost a step, so felt those who had their jobs taken from them with recessionary cutbacks. Caution, the moving walkway is about to come to an end. We just don't know when and are we prepared for these changes when they happen to us or those around us? On my flight segment from San Francisco to Denver I sat next to a man who appeared to be in early 60's. Halfway through the flight he pulled out a folder and the first page was a set of handwritten notes with the heading; "Questions for the doctor". As I glanced at the page I could see that these were questions that he or someone else had written so he would be sure and ask each of them to the doctor. They covered pre and post surgery routines, medication reactions, etc. Written was also, "Percentage chance of success with or without the surgery?". As I saw through the rest of the flight he had pulled off a lot of information on the internet and while I could not figure out what the condition was, from the pictures of people with scars on the back of their head down into their spine it had something to do with a spine or brain problem. I felt for the man as he was, right next to me, staring at his moving walkway and by necessity, having to look down and take caution. Today we are going to go to work and most of us will not think twice about the moving walkway coming to an end. We will jump on it with all of the energy we can muster and walk and run as fast as we can for the next eight to twelve hours without so much as looking up or around. We will miss all the people who are walking slower than us blowing past them with an occasional, "how you doin'?". What we forget is to live and work in the moment and listen to the words in Ecclesiastes 7:14: "Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize they both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life." If you are traveling today, or the next time you are traveling, listen for the automated words from the moving walkway and take that opportunity to stop for a moment and thank God for the blessings, the challenges, and the moment that you have now. Ask Him to make you a better example to others and to help you realize your full potential and purpose that He has put you here. And then recognize that your own moving walkway will one day end and that today is the day to make the most of what you have been given.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 7:14 (New Living Testament)

day 169: Trapeze Artists

It's the summer and now is when the circus comes to town. At our summer home in Rhode Island the Big Apple Circus always starts their season in Ninigret Park in July for a week before they go on tour. It's a spectacle and I love to see the performers do their work. The high-wire acts and the trapeze artists are some of my favorites. The precision and trust that happens between the people is amazing. I always wondered if it was a marketing stunt that they are usually families, or is it because to get that level of trust and working together, it takes a sense of family. Maybe it is a little of both. Imagine that if all work took this level of trust how important it would be that we were able to reach to each other knowing exactly when and where the other person was going to be at the time and where we needed to be. Some dangerous jobs do need this level of trust and precision but for most of us our jobs allow us to be sloppy with our hand-offs and our level of trust is low with not very high expectations of each other. Maybe we should start thinking about this differently and begin working towards being more like the trapeze artists. In Ecclesiastes 4:10 we read; "If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." This sure rings true for the trapeze artist but it should ring true for us as well. Like the person on the receiving end of the swinging trapeze bar there is a sense of timing and expectation that the bar, and the person, who is going to need to be grabbed is coming and will be in the right place at the right time. It all comes together and works perfectly. We should be applying this lesson to our own lives and work. There are others who would like to depend on us to be at the right place at the right time for them so they can depend on a smooth and predictable hand-off and a tight grip from us. It may something as simple as following up on a request or a phone call or email. When we follow through and make the hand-off happen we are reaching out and helping. And beyond that we are creating that swinging back motion of the trapeze bar so that we will never fall alone either. Today, think about this metaphor and the words in Ecclesiastes. Is there someone who is depending on you to be there to catch them so they don't fall? Are you supposed to be reaching out to someone else to help? Let's never let someone fall alone because we weren't there for them.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:10 (New Living Testament)

day 92: No Quitting!

We all have reasons and times to quit and leave our jobs. Sometimes it is the work. Sometimes it is the lack of progression or pay. Sometimes it is the direction and future of the company. Sometimes it is the people we work with and more often than not, it is because of our boss. Yes, all the research says we don’t really work for companies, we work for people and the most influential people are the people who we directly work for; our bosses. And if there is ever anything that wants to make you pack up the boxes, email in the resignation and stomp out the door, is when your boss is upset or angry with you and you know that he/she just doesn’t “get it” or understand or worse, want to take the time to really understand the situation at hand. So, we let it get under our skin, fester until we can’t take it any more and then we make the decision to quit, if for no other reason than we can’t stand working for that boss anymore. Sound familiar? This happens all the time and I would say that a very high percentage of people issue conversations I have had in my career have linked directly back to a bad boss/subordinate relationship. Many of these failed “relationships” ended up with the subordinate leaving the company in a huff and not feeling good about the company or themselves. Something that could have been fixed became the catalyst for a major life change. The Bible has so much to say about work, but I am guessing that you wouldn’t think, like I didn’t, that we are actually given a word about this particular topic. In Ecclesiastes 10:4 we are told: “If your boss is angry with you, don’t quit. A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes”. Amazing, huh? So the next time that your boss or your bosses boss takes aim at you and they are angry with you and you with them, know that you are to not let it get to you. We are to draw upon the strength that we find in our faith and let the quiet spirit and peace take us through this rough patch. The over-arching message I receive from this verse is that once again we are to tame our tempers and our reactions to the tempers of others, even when the tempers of others are so influential like they are when it is our boss. We are human but the reactions that we decide to allow of ourselves can have serious consequences or very positive results. The choice remains ours each and every day. If faced with this choice today, we now know how we are to respond.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 10:4 (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 13: The Power of Buddies

Work is hard enough, much less having to go it alone each and every day. My heart has always gone out to the person who comes to work each and every day, works extremely hard, does a good job but has no friends at work. They sit alone in the cafeteria or eat their lunch outside on a bench reading a book or magazine. They are never seen to be in the company of others when not in a meeting or some forced to be together time. Time at work doesn't have to be all friends and games but having others around you in the office who are like-minded and who you can share the trials and tribulations of the day with is a good thing. We are told this in Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." Makes simple sense doesn't it? It will be hard to find purpose in your work for yourself if you don't have "buddies" that you can talk to openly about how you are feeling and doing on the job. I have found that just knowing that there are others in the company who share my same faith is a tremendous assistance in the tough times. When the going gets tough, just to be able to email or talk to them in a context that is higher than the office politics can be a moment of rejuvenation and positive energy. We are surrounded in work by people who would rather see us fail than succeed. If those people are the only people we can reach to when we do fall, then we can expect to go all the way and hit the bottom. Your job will be more satisfying, rewarding and fruitful if you seek out and cultivate a relationship with some "buddies" and before long you might find yourself laughing off the little stuff and standing stronger on the big things knowing that you have others around you who want and will help you succeed.


Reference: Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 (New Living Testament)