day 1062: Who Will Ask?

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking."

Have you ever been in a meeting where the leader or the facilitator says, "There are no silly questions" to get the group to speak up? Of course, there are no silly questions if we are all committed to learning and there is no one in the room evaluating the knowledge level of people. But, how often is that? There is always someone of a higher level or someone who is sitting in the room leaned back in their chair watching and listening to who says what. So what happens is that we don't ask the silly questions. We leave the fundamental questions like, "Why do we do it this way?", "Isn't there a better way?", "Who does it better than us so we can learn from them?", "What does all of this mean?", or "I just don't understand what you said, can you please explain it again?". These are the "silly questions" that don't get asked but need to be asked, however because of fear of retribution, evaluation or embarrassment we just don't ask even when we know we should. Work is just not set up right for that so we walk around in the dark or acting like we know the answers to things we don't. One place I worked, the CFO was very focused on increasing cash flow so he was putting in systems, reporting, measures and incentives to increase cash flow. He was so conversant and knowledgeable on the levers that drove cash flow in the business that he would get going fast and there were others (myself included) who couldn't keep up. I remember a meeting where a whole bunch of senior people from many functions were there and the CFO was going on and on about what we were going to do to meet our cash flow objectives and in the middle of the meeting he was called out for a moment. As soon as he left the room, someone asked the group, "Do you all understand what he is talking about?". And to my relief, almost the entire room chimed in with, "I don't have a clue". When the CFO came back in the room, the courageous person in the room asked the silly question, "Can you explain this again to us, because we just don't get it". After the CFO took a deep breath, and likely made a mental note, he started over and most of us got it the second time around. So, while there are no silly questions, we can feel like there are certainly silly questions that we just don't ask. 

 

It's interesting that in work and life we are seeking knowledge and wisdom and we don't know where to go to ask. God tells us that He is one who we can reach to for these answers. In James 1:5 we read; "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." Today, you may need to ask the silly question and don't know how to do it for fear of retribution or evaluation. Try going to God first for the wisdom needed on how to get the answers you need. We know that He will not rebuke us and that in the answers we get we will receive the wisdom we so need. To God, there are certainly no silly questions.

Reference: James 1:5 (New Living Testament)

day 826: More Wisdom

"And this is what he says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'"

"That would not be wise" seems like an easier statement to make than, "That would be wise". We are braver to call something "not wise" as it takes experience and confidence to make the counter argument. In the business world we can watch these statements align with level and job title. At the top we hear more, "That would be wise" than we do further down the organization chart. In fact, I would go as far to say that the word "wise" probably doesn't show up in our vocabulary until well into our careers and until we are in positions of leadership and have been around the block a few times. The same can be said for businesses and how they relate to other companies within our industry or in a broader arena. I am reading Ron Suskind's book, "Confidence Men", and no where better can it be seen than when the financial "masters" gathered together during the financial crisis that there were those who could use the word "wise" and others couldn't. It's a fascinating dynamic in business to watch. Those who confidently and credibly can use the word "wise" early in their careers are few and far between and likely, if they are humble and true to a strong set of values and principles that they will not compromise, will end up in a/the big job someday.

God cuts through it all for us and tells us His own secret by telling us what is true understanding and wisdom. I love that He bluntly tells us that true wisdom is the fear of Him and to forsake evil is real understanding. At the most foundational level it is here that we can build the platform of our lives. When we seem to be floundering or swaying, let's return to our core and strengthen ourselves here first; with true wisdom and real understanding. From the core out comes all else. For us to be the strongest that we can be in the workplace with our work being truly purposed, the core must be strong. What better day than today to start strengthening.

Reference: Job 28:28 (New Living Testament)

day 825: Understanding

"But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living."

"I just don't understand", says the new employee. The boss of the employee pauses for a moment and knows that she needs to slow down and take a few more minutes to clarify and reinforce the point, but she is busy, late for a meeting with her boss, and she just can't "afford" the time. So, instead of fixing a time to talk later or direct the employee to someone else, she says instead, "Don't worry about it. You and I can catch up on this later." And then she whisks off and the new employee who is excited and anxious at the same time about his new job, goes on about his job, doing what he can without really understanding what it is that he specifically is to do. If this scenario doesn't feel familiar then I would be surprised. Understanding is hard to get to and we take it for granted that others will understand and since it is so hard to get to an "understanding" we seldom go the whole way to nail it down once and for all. Understanding can be a competitive advantage if we just take the time to make sure that everyone truly does understand what to do, when to do it, and how to do it to a level of shared satisfaction.

We are told in Job that we can't find understanding and wisdom from the living. While this, on the surface, seems to not be so, when we consider a deep and true understanding and wisdom of our lives, we can see why this statement is true. This is why God gave us His Word. Written long before us by ones long gone, we can find the wisdom of God there. Each day, each of us, face a set of work and life challenges that we know if we had more understanding and wisdom that we would be able face these big and small things in a way that would allow us to conquer whatever is given to us. Before we take on today, let's take just a few minutes to ready and arm ourselves with His Word to move us through today.

Reference: Job 28:12-13 (New Living Testament)

day 738: Super Wisdom

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere."

I was recently with a young entrepreneur who tried to convince me of all the things he knew and in the course of the conversation try and convince me of all the things I didn't know. He was doing his best to try and be "wise", but the more he tried, the more "foolish" he looked and came across. This is of course, not an unusual occurrence in a business world where freshly minted graduates come into the workplace full of vigor and unlimited optimism and confidence. We also have built the "system" to reward and recognize the new and for the young to push on the old. It is no wonder that those with no wisdom display all the signs of not having it even though they think they do. This is why it is important that in the businesses that we run that we take the time to spend with the up and comers and help them learn the ropes and find a pace that allows them to succeed but also to learn, take-in, experiment, and realize that there are many ways to solve a problem and many years before one can claim to "know".

I love the verse in James that explain what wisdom is really like. To me, what is described is "super wisdom". How great to be able to have such traits and to be able to bring those things forward to others. how James describes wisdom is how we could all best live our lives. Imagine that we were able to come into our workplaces and demonstrate these ways of treating others and handling ourselves? Would there be any doubt by anyone that we we were not "wise"? As we work to develop ourselves and to try and walk in the footsteps and example of our Lord, let's work to become truly wise by allowing God to work in us.

Reference: James 3:17 (New Living Testament)

day 445: Wise Beyond Their Years...

Wisdom comes from lots of experiences all bundled together into a collection that can be drawn from for better decision making, better stories and better advice and counsel. But sometimes we run into people who seem like they were born with an old soul and we will say that they are "wise beyond their years". It is like these people at a very young age were dipped into a vat of wisdom and are covered with it in a way that makes others want to seek out their counsel and their words of wisdom. These are the people who have a different perspective on things and who seem to be able to see around the corner when it comes to what should be done next. In many ways, it appears that these people have been given a gift of wisdom. And from this, these people become admired, respected and in most cases end up being leaders in some capacity. We are impressed by these people. We may also sometimes find ourselves a little on the envious side too. So, other than draw from these people what else can we do to become more like them? It is a good question to ask ourselves as we spend our time in our jobs and as we learn and grow from one experience to another. Naturally, if we are continually learning and growing we will gain wisdom throughout the years but we read in God's Word that the foundation of wisdom is having a certain amount of fear as it relates to God. In Proverbs we read; "Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. It's a hard concept to grasp but it makes sense. If we are fearful of the Lord then it means that we are constantly seeking what it is that we are to do and not to do in order to please Him. If we are fearful, we will not want to let Him down or have Him disappointed in us. We want to know more and want to be more and more like Him with each passing day. This may well be why in the Bible we saw so many young people who because of their fear and respect of God were made wise beyond their years and ended up leading at such young ages. Think Moses, Joseph, David, etc. Each were wise beyond their years and each were deep into their relationship and love of God. And yes, they each had a healthy fear of God. Today, as we try and develop ourselves and become better in our jobs and life, we can learn from this lesson by deepening our relationship with God so that we can learn more and become more wise in who He wants us to be.

Reference: Proverbs 9:10 (New Living Testament)

day 152: Silly Questions

Have you ever been in a meeting where the leader or the facilitator says, "There are no silly questions" to get the group to speak up? Of course, there are no silly questions if we are all committed to learning and there is no one in the room evaluating the knowledge level of people. But, how often is that? There is always someone of a higher level or someone who is sitting in the room leaned back in their chair watching and listening to who says what. So what happens is that we don't ask the silly questions. We leave the fundamental questions like, "Why do we do it this way?", "Isn't there a better way?", "Who does it better than us so we can learn from them?", "What does all of this mean?", or "I just don't understand what you said, can you please explain it again?". These are the "silly questions" that don't get asked but need to be asked, however because of fear of retribution, evaluation or embarrassment we just don't ask even when we know we should. Work is just not set up right for that so we walk around in the dark or acting like we know the answers to things we don't. One place I worked, the CFO was very focused on increasing cash flow so he was putting in systems, reporting, measures and incentives to increase cash flow. He was so conversant and knowledgeable on the levers that drove cash flow in the business that he would get going fast and there were others (myself included) who couldn't keep up. I remember a meeting where a whole bunch of senior people from many functions were there and the CFO was going on and on about what we were going to do to meet our cash flow objectives and in the middle of the meeting he was called out for a moment. As soon as he left the room, someone asked the group, "Do you all understand what he is talking about?". And to my relief, almost the entire room chimed in with, "I don't have a clue". When the CFO came back in the room, the courageous person in the room asked the silly question, "Can you explain this again to us, because we just don't get it". After the CFO took a deep breath, and likely made a mental note, he started over and most of us got it the second time around. So, while there are no silly questions, we can feel like there are certainly silly questions that we just don't ask. It's interesting that in work and life we are seeking knowledge and wisdom and we don't know where to go to ask. God tells us that He is one who we can reach to for these answers. In James 1:5 we read; "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." Today, you may need to ask the silly question and don't know how to do it for fear of retribution or evaluation. Try going to God first for the wisdom needed on how to get the answers you need. We know that He will not rebuke us and that in the answers we get we will receive the wisdom we so need. To God, there are certainly no silly questions.

Reference: James 1:5 (New Living Testament)

day 117: Few Words Will Do

Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230 these words for Queen Gertrude: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks". That statement has been twisted and turned to be used many ways to make the point that those who talk too much can end up being thought of as trying too hard to make a point, or full of themselves, or trying to weave and spin a story to cover a lie. Or sometimes, all of the above. I have always been cautious of the person who "goes on and on" as I have found that many words can spill lots of beans and just create more drama and worry than is necessary. Not to mention, that I remember as a kid when I would try and spin a story to my parents to cover myself I would make the story bigger and bigger thinking that they would think "if all of that happenned, "it must be true". I just assumed that my parents never read Shakespeare. :) So, we should be cautious of others and also cautious of ourselves with the number of words we use to make a point if we want gain the highest credibility and respect. The Bible states this also in Proverbs 17:27: "A truly wise person uses few words...". As we go through the work day and we strive for efficiency, productivity and clarity in our work and purpose, we should take measure of this passage. Those that are wise learn to use few words. By default that means that they also listen since they aren't talking. The instructions guide for wisdom that we find in Proverbs is chocked full. Starting now to pick, choose and limit our words will put us on that wisdom path and as we know, everyone respects those who are wise.

Reference: Proverbs 17:27 (New Living Testament)