Faith, A Miracle, and A Ladder

What do we need to succeed at work? What do we need to survive in our communities? What do we need to make our families strong?

Would faith, a miracle, or a ladder help to solve the problems that plague everyday life?  Hebrew 11:1 defines faith as  confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. A miracle is defined as a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment; is considered to be divine.  A ladder is a structure consisting of a series of bars or steps between two lengths of wood or metal, used for climbing up or down something.  A series of ascending stages by which someone or something may advance or progress.


I have consistently benefited when I rely on all three to succeed in life.  Here is how I have used faith, a miracle and a ladder in the past and continue to do so today.  


Faith is my confidence that God will answer my prayers and give me what I need when I need it most.  While faith does not guarantee a specific conclusion, it provides strength to handle disappointment, and humility to handle success.  Add faith to the miracle that takes place to get us the interview, job, promotion, salary increase, necessary votes for public office, acceptance into the college of our choice, scholarship dollars, apartment, house, husband, baby, or recovery from illnesses.  God provides a miracle everyday for the faithful.  Matthew 19:26 reminds us that "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  The ladder is symbolic and literal.  We have the option to pull ourselves up and away from the challenges and obstacles that might prevent us from achieving our personal best.   Expect to exert effort before experiencing career success, community influence, and family commitment.  The ladder is our leverage point as we go up and down on our journey to avoid the pitfalls of doubt, entitlement, cockiness, self-pity, fear, poverty, and bias.


As a corporate executive, I have used faith to put me in a position to get my work on the radar of decision makers.  The merit of my work created a series of opportunities which led to a track record of success.  This track record was the basis for promotions and salary increases.  I was fortunate in business but plagued with miscarriages in my personal life.  A miracle took place to give me a child and then another child.   I believe in God and miracles.  Today, I have my children and my family is complete.  The ladder has been the route for upward mobility, lateral moves, and a step back in my career.  The ladder has given me  a perspective, an advantage, and an arial view to appreciate others but avoid problems.  


Find your faith, believe in a miracle, and pull up on your ladder to meet the challenges put in front of you.  
 

I HATE MY BOSS!

Do you use the words “hate or distrust” when talking or thinking about your boss or a colleague?

If the answer is yes to the question above, this blog is for YOU.

Hating you boss or colleague is not a secret. When you hate someone, it impacts several aspects of your life.  Hate, distrust and a lack of respect can cause you to be at your worst. Your intellectual quotient, emotional intelligence, and spiritual foundation are in disarray when you are preoccupied with hate in the workplace. Your performance is not at its best because you are not fully present.

Hate may cause you to behave differently by--coming to work late, leaving work early, taking unscheduled days off, getting sick from stress,  exerting minimal effort on company projects, being abrupt when communicating to others, not listening, gossiping with others, or mentally quitting but staying in your office, A negative connection to the workplace will commonly spill over into your personal life.  If you don’t believe me, ask your family and friends if you are fun to be around since your hate-filled relationship with the boss started?  Why do you hate your boss or colleague?

Did he or she cheat, steal, lie, discriminate against you, not promote you, not listen to your concerns, not consider your ideas, ignore you, give you a poor performance appraisal, harass you, curse at you, not include you in a meeting, not recognize your hard work, embarrass you, demote you, talk abrasively to you, not value your contributions, not give you training and development, or do they just act like an idiot?  The list of things a boss or colleague can do wrong is endless. 

Now that we have established that your boss or colleague deserves to be hated, what makes you so perfect?  Why do you think you are not a part of the problem?  Generally, when there is tension in a relationship, both parties contribute to the conflict.

What can you do to take your hate-filled attention off your boss or colleague and get back to being your best?  I offer you two recommendations—forgive or quit.

Forgive your boss or colleague for offending and hurting you. Go to them and explain how you were negatively impacted by their behavior. Find a compromise for how you will treat each other in the future.   Forgive and move on. 

If you cannot forgive, you should find another job.  Hate in the workplace cannot be allowed to exist.  In time, you will fail and be fired.  The consuming nature of hate will result in poor performance from you.  Over the course of time, the issue of your poor performance will become the relevant matter.   The original conflict between you and a boss or colleague will seem small when compared to your inability to do your job.

Love yourself more than you hate your boss or colleagues.  Your love can heal the wound caused by someone who offends you.  Be successfully at work by being your best.

Welcome to my first blog post.  If  "I HATE MY BOSS" was relevant to a relationship you have at work, I hope the content helps you to find solutions.  The intent of my future blog posts will be to address the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats of a successful career.