day 397: Form, Storm and Norm

The common way that teams and partnerships come together is that they pass through the stages of forming, storming and then norming. Forming is easy. It is just coming together and getting to know one another and starting to work together in the best way possible. Norming is when the team or group begin to fall into a pattern of working together that is based on trust of each other and the following of the patterns of their skills and experiences. It is the middle phase that is the most interesting. The phase known as storming. Few like this phase because it is uncomfortable and not pleasant. This is when the true emotions get put on the table and we find the boundaries with each other. It is also the stage when any lingering issues or harbored feelings get exposed. Some groups never come through this phase because the issues to deal with are just too exposed or raw. Or, the people in the team get their feelings hurt beyond repair. While it is ugly, few good teams ever come to be without going through the storming phase. Those who do go through it successfully can be come very tight and trusting as if they are then almost inseparable. Many great things can happen with a team when they reach this level of togetherness. There is much storming that happens all around us at work and we just need to be ready and sensitive to taking these times and turning them into good. I am reminded of the verse in Job that references God's voice like one that comes from the storms; God's voice is glorious in the thunder. We can't even imagine the greatness of his power." Even in the storms God can be there with us. If His voice is in the thunder, then He can certainly be with us as we go through the storming stages in our work. Today would be a great day to ensure that you are taking God to work with you to be there with you in the storms.

Reference: Job 37:5 (New Living Testament)

day 9: The Dirty Job

There is a popular TV show called, “America’s Dirtiest Jobs”. If you haven’t seen it, a group of people are put on the most physically demanding jobs and evaluated against how they perform and how they endure. Isn’t it funny how we now romanticize the dirtiest jobs when most people go to school, study and train to get away from dirty jobs? And we do the same with the work we do day-to-day. We work hard to make our jobs today clean from anything messy. The Bible has something to say about that attitude. Proverbs 14:4 says, “An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from an empty stable”. What does that mean? First of all, I am sure you understand why an empty stable is clean and a full one is dirty? Does the verse mean that we are better off working in a dirty stable with lots of you know what up around our ankles? No, that is not the message. The message is also that work is not always clean and tidy. Work is messy in lots of ways. And that happens when you fill the stable and get to work. And if you don’t accept and ready yourself for the mess and instead shy away and never want to get your hands dirty, then there won’t be much income coming your way. We have lots of examples of great men in the Bible, including Jesus, who was hands on in all they did. They got down with people and got dirty to get things done. Have you ever heard about yourself or others, “you need to be more hands-on”, or “you need to get some dirt under your fingernails”? Leaders and people want to know that the others who they work with are not afraid to dive in and go as deep as needed to get the job done. Today, you will have many of those choices at work. You will have the choice to engage, get into the details, fill up the stable if you will, and get your hands dirty. Or, you can stand back on the sidelines to let others take on the dirty work. Today would be a good day to fill it up, get in the dirty stable and stir it up a little and see what happens. You might be surprised how much you like it and how well others respond to your new heads first and hands on attitude. And if for no other reason, you can rest assured that when you are in there you will know that the full and dirty stable is where you will find the income.

Reference: Proverbs 14:4 (New Living Testament)