day 1407: Following Instructions

While on a pilgrimage walk on the Camino de Santiago (St. James Way) in Spain, I  asked some of the most committed and courageous faith-driven business leaders I know to guest contribute to Purposed worKING.  Enjoy! - Rusty

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"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. "

In our work lives we are given instructions of tasks to carry out on a frequent basis. For some tasks vary day to day while for others they are more repetitive. Whatever the circumstance it is important we carry out our work instructions as given. The phrase 'cut corners' is used often in business when describing why a person failed at their tasks. It takes strength and courage to do the hard work when cutting corners and seeking the easy way out in order to go on to other things - personal things appears to be the right way to go.

In our faith walk, God reminds us to be careful to obey His instructions passed to us through Moses and not to deviate from them but stay focused on the important things at hand - His will.

God's instructions are not gray, they are black and white and living our lives His way results in success in everything we do. BTW: Success is not defined by striving to obtain earthly wealth but by the peace we have through accepting Christ and the knowledge we will be in relationship with Him for an eternity.

Reference:  Joshua 1: 7-8

Hank Stringer

day 717: Instructions

"Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful."

If we could stop and count the hours in a day, a week, a month, or a year that we spend giving and then repeating instructions, it would be an enormous number of time. It doesn't feel like that much daily because we break it down into little segments, like, "We need to finish this report by Tuesday and after we review it , it needs to be sent out to Jim, Mary and Larry by Wednesday morning.", and then we move on to the next task. When the report gets done, gets reviewed and then only gets sent to Jim and Mary, but not Larry, we have to go back and review why not, and then repeat the instructions again to get it sent to Larry ASAP, with an explanation (and apology) why he was not included the first time. What happened that Larry got missed? Who knows. Maybe it wasn't said clearly enough, maybe someone didn't write down the instructions when receiving them, maybe someone just forgot, or maybe someone didn't want to follow the instructions and ignored the request. We usually never know, but what we do know is that time, energy, emotions and social capital gets burned up in trying to redo what should have been done the first time. What we can learn in business is that taking the extra time to ensure that the instructions are heard and understood, even if that means writing them down for someone else, is time well spent. A missed instruction can create a bonfire that can burn out of control for a long time.

In Proverbs, when Solomon tells us that we can prosper by following instructions, he is assuredly telling us that about God's instructions, but he is also giving us a good life lesson on attitude and approach. If we become one who follows instructions then we will also become one who others can count on and feel comfortable that when given a task, the task will be done to the specificity of the instructions given. Think about someone who you work with who you wish was more that way. Then, imagine that someone else, your boss or a co-worker, might be thinking that way about you. We live and work in a world where we all want the greatest freedom to create, innovate, and experiment, but regardless of that, we still have to learn to follow our instructions. Today, God may have instructions for us that we need to follow. He may also be saying to us that we need to swallow our egos and get rid of our pride and be willing to graciously follow the instructions which we are given.

Reference: Proverbs 16:20 (New Living Testament)

day 652: Instruction Manuals and Handbooks

“All scripture is given by the inspiration of God.”

I was recently in a Best Buy where I overhead a customer telling a salesperson that he had just bought a TV and he couldn’t find the owner’s manual in the box and wanted to see if he could get a copy from the store. The salesperson told him that the TV manufacturer no longer prints manuals and that he could go online and pull down what he needed. The customers was caught a little off-guard and then reluctantly said, “okay” and moved on. The following week I was working with an Executive from a good sized private company and he showed me their employee handbook and was asking my advice on how best to update and disseminate policy changes. I found myself giving the same type of answer as the Best Buy salesperson in that it was time for this company to get everything online and then just push out the changes that occur instead of taking on the cost and headaches of printing something that is out of date the day it comes off the printer. We each need to get more and more comfortable with what it means to obtain knowledge from a screen. As you read this, that is exactly what you are doing. And to this, if we know that our customers, clients, employees, etc. are moving quickly to everything being online then we need to get better and better at the communication that we can create for online consumption. Some say that blogs are dying or already dead. The same is being said about websites. So, it is up to us to figure that out and stay ahead of the curve so we don’t fall behind. Better to know than not know in today’s day and age.

Regardless of whether it is online or written on parchment paper, God has given us the ultimate Instruction Manual and Handbook for work and life. 66 different books, written by forty different men all inspired by the same and one God, written over a span of 1600 years and holding up today as well as it did at the time of its’ writing. Like the person who decides to jump into a project before reading the directions or the instruction manual, we can end up going into our work and our lives without direction if we don’t spend time in God’s Word. There is no guarantee that any of us will put together our lives in the best way, but with God’s instruction manual don’t you think that it can be much better than guessing and trying to go it alone? Have you taken the time today to check in and see what instructions there might be for you today?

Reference: 2 Timothy 3:16 (New Living Testament)

day 484: Following Instructions

It would be very interesting to see the amount of productivity that is lost each day from the lack of people following instructions and having to "rework". All day long we are given, or give, instructions only to find that at the end or in the middle of something someone didn't follow the instructions, cut a corner, or decided to change the instructions to their own liking and everything falls apart. Sometimes these events in the business world can have a huge impact. As we wait to see why the fail safe of the BP gulf oil rig didn't work we are left to believe that the fail safe faulted because one person didn't follow the instructions and allowed the batteries to die and then didn't replace them. Not following instructions can have a severe impact on the lives and livelihoods of many people. So, what are we to learn from this? I believe instructions are given to be followed and only after those instructions either don't yield the desired results do we then try and change them. Every good boss I have had has been open to my ideas, if I have followed their instructions well and found ways to improve, or I went the extra mile to do more than required. Seldom was anyone happy about my ideas if I hadn't already followed the instructions given to me. I have reflected on this many times and I am also amazed at how God demonstrates for us in the Old Testament (many times) how important it is to follow instructions when given to us. Numbers, Chapter 4 is a great example as God doled out the duties to the Clans through Moses and Aaron. He was very detailed in the instructions and expected each person to follow them thoroughly and fully. The lesson we can take from this is that if we are here to bring glory to God in our work, then we will never be able to do so if we don't follow the instructions well, complete the job as given to us, give it all that we have and then when it is over, we can look at ourselves in the mirror and know that all that could humanly possible occurred and we can give glory where it belongs to the God who gave us the talents, the skills and the attitude to be the best we can be.

Reference: Numbers 4

day 227: Follow The Instructions

My father used to say me, "When all else fails, follow the instructions". That has stuck with me over the years, especially when I am in the midst of a project that is hard and complicated. Somewhere, there are instructions that can be followed, if we just think back hard enough to remember what and where they are. Even at work we are given instructions all the time on what to do, but I have found that many people tune out during the instructional moments and then the work comes back either not totally completed as requested, or in more cases than not, overdone in some way with work that was not necessary or actually valuable. And while, as a manager, you thank the person for the extra work, what you really want to say, is "had you listened and written down what we talked about then you wouldn't have had to do these extras that I can't use anyway". The other thing that happens is that a manager will assign a task and not give clear directions, or any instruction at all, and since we want to be great employees showing initiative, run off into the dark and get to work without really knowing what is being asked from us. So, we guess, and then we bring back the work and guess what? Not surprisingly, it's not exactly what was needed so we have to rework what we have done. We don't feel good about that and our managers don't feel good about it either. All that needed to happen was before we left the room the first time the task was assigned was ask some simple questions like, "what will this be used for", "who will be using this", "how specific or general do you want this?", "when is this due?", etc. You get the gist. It is about receiving and following instructions to make our work easier and make us more productive. Being good at following instructions and directions is Biblical. In Proverbs 16:20 we are told: "Those who listen to instruction will prosper". There you have it. Being open and willing to receive and listen to instruction is a path to take when in doubt. The verse also goes on to say that "those who trust the Lord will be joyful." The greatest instruction manual of all time is in front of us with the gift we have of God's word. We should never be in doubt with directions that God has given us. So, when you are on the job and there are not any instructions or directions to follow and you are in doubt, fall back on God's directions and listen and receive them as He provides them to you. We all tend to think that God wants us only to go to Him for the biggest of problems. Don't forget that He knows that your work and job is "very big" to you and that He wants you to bring Him your work issues just like all other issues in your life. He wants to give you all the instruction that you will ever need. Then it is up to us to listen and receive. Start today practicing taking in instruction from God and from others and see if things don't start getting better!

Reference: Proverbs 16:20 (New Living Testament)

day 157: Fill It Up

I have been in meetings the last couple of days where I was struck by either someones intense intellectual curiosity and insatiable appetite to learn and try new things or another person's complete opposite reluctance and unwillingness to learn. In one meeting I could hear both sides. The learner is asking, "Why do we do it that way?". The other person will say in the same conversation, "We have tried it that way before and why would we want to do it any differently?" It's fascinating to watch and listen. It makes me wonder why we slow down our learning and in some cases just allow our minds to calcify. As I write this I am with a group of people who are on the front line of changing the way we educate and retrain people using technology. They are all learners and open to new and different ways of getting things done. Even among themselves there aren't many of the people who resist the new. When you are with these kinds or people the feeling of the room is full of positive energy and optimism. It is almost palpable and certainly evident on the faces and the body language of each person in the room. it began to make me wonder why some people want to take in the new, have others reveal to them what they don't know, and then there are others who put up one barrier after another to other feedback or advice. The Bible tells us that we are to be open to the words and advice of others. As such, I believe that we are to be open minded to new ideas and ways we do our work. To close down and not accept advice and instruction is to be foolish. We see this in Proverbs 19:20;"Get all the advice and instruction you can, and be wise the rest of your life." So today when you are hearing from others that there is a "better way" and your first reaction is to shut them down and not listen then try listening and looking at what the others are saying in a different way; optimistically, with an open-mind, and with a positive reception. What you are likely to find is that not only will you feel more positive but that others will react to you by delivering back their own positive vibes. If we are open to this advice and instruction we can be filled up with all kinds of found wisdom. Yes, fill it up, please.

Proverbs 19:20, (New Living Testament)

day 14: Feedback Welcomed

It's getting that time of the year when companies are planning their salary budgets, bonus programs, and maybe even performance appraisals and development plans. Usually any of these will necessitate a conversation with your manager about how you are doing at your job. I don't know about you, but these aren't the conversations I looked forward to having because no matter how well I was doing at my job, I could expect some constructive and critical feedback on how to get better. After many years of angst I finally figured out that the only reason I was reticent to receiving feedback was that I was letting my ego get in the way of listening to what others had to say, and what they had to say was more than likely grounded in wanting to improve me. I should have welcomed that feedback. We all should. It really is the only way that we will get better and improve ourselves. Without real, honest, targeted, and observable feedback we could find ourselves not growing. Not developing, improving and growing is way worse than taking in feedback, processing it and putting what we take from it to work. Proverbs 19:20 tells us to "Listen to counsel and receive instructions, that you may be wise in your latter days." I like this verse a lot as it not only encourages us to listen and be open to receiving instruction from others it provides a promise that if we do so then we will gain wisdom and that wisdom will show up in our latter years. And as we grow in our professional careers we need all the wisdom we can get. So, next time your boss says, "I have some feedback for you", or, "it is time to receive your performance appraisal", or to receive 360 degree feedback from your peers, take a deep breath and approach this time with optimism and enthusiasm taking it as a learning opportunity for you to grow and develop. Think of it as an deposit in your wisdom bank for the future.