B. Business Executives

If you are up to date on American politics and news, you might know that the walls are closing in on President Donald Trump, and his previous attorney Michael Cohen. Once upon a time Cohen said he would take a bullet for Trump, indicating a high level of loyalty, but what happens when the person you are trying to protect, purposefully and willfully walks into a line of fire? In this case, you might find yourself in the same situation that Cohen admitted to; making incorrect or dishonest statements, to be consistent with the person to which you are loyal. Cohen eventually plead guilty to lying, but it started with misguided loyalty. In The Church and The Community, Page 178, I wrote about a well meaning person who like Cohen, tried to protect a person they were loyal to. The end result was not good for either of them. Let us not do things that necessitate lying, and may we never be dishonest.

You can spend an inordinate amount of time and resources working to improve upon your opportunities… would it not be more logical to figure out what you naturally do well, and then work to do it better? Take penguins for example; they are not built to walk quickly or efficiently. If a predator were to attack a penguin, no amount of training or preparation would equip the animal to escape the danger better than if said time was spent in the water. Penguins are built for swimming, not running. Have you identified your natural gifts and abilities? In The Church and The Community, Page 181, I shared my top 5 of 34 talents. I am strategic, an achiever, competitive, command oriented, and seek significance. If you are unfamiliar with your top strengths, I implore your to take Gallup’s Strength Finders Assessment. There is no point focusing on jogging, or trying to run faster, if you are a penguin.

The answer is probably no. Maybe you heard the mantra “you have to earn my trust”? Well sadly, this is usually code for the person having been hurt in the past, and wanting you to prove trustworthiness. It makes sense, and is logical, but it is not right to force people through the lens of your past hurts and hang ups. Further, you run the risk of living a life alone, or one with very few friends, because you project past issues on present people. Thankfully, I have had the pleasure of developing many great friendships, from people who have gauged whether or not to trust me, based on my present actions. I wrote about one such friend, Benjamin, in The Church and The Community, Page 135. And with this, I encourage you; if you find yourself struggling to trust people, deeply consider why, then do your best to forgive or reconcile the issues of your past. Only then can you enjoy deep friendships, as do I.

Especially in today’s narcissistic and self-centered world, who still admits when they are wrong? It is so much easier to justify our behaviors or say the result “was not our intent”, but in reality, we all have fault, and transgress against other people, unless of course you are Jesus Christ. Assuming you are not (Jesus has other things to do than read our blog), there will come a day, possibly multiple, when YOU will be forced to admit YOU messed up, and or have a problem. Bad employees and managers keep their issues bottled up inside, or hidden in your closet. They hope no knows their faults but that is also the downside; no one is able to help you fix it, stay accountable, and reconcile with those you wronged. In The Church and The Community, Page 130, there is an account of how a good person benefited from reconciling their issues with other people, publicly. Are you brave enough to do so?

I do not know why people do it; murmur or complain about their employer. Most jobs are voluntary, meaning you can turn in your resignation at any moment. Just go online, find the perfect company, and make the transition. Oh, that’s right; we feel it is our duty to solve the problem(s) before leaving. Well gossiping with fellow employees is hardly solving any problem, rather making them. And you know that worker who always praises the company? They are not doing that to look good. It is called strategy to be agreeable with the organization that pays you, which in turn motivates them to move you up the ranks. Finally, it rarely ends well for the constantly complaining employee, so stop it. The Church and The Community, Page 130 tells a detailed account of how it ends for the complainer, the employer, and all those involved. Dare to read it?

Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, a man’s word was his bond. That means if you said “I will be back tomorrow”, come hell or high water, you would make good on that promise. Now and days though, there is a myriad of things that might cause our words to not reflect our actions, or more importantly, the truth. Maybe comfort (or maturity) does not encourage someone to admit their intentions are contrary to their spoken words. There could also be the issue of personal gain, where few people perceive a benefit from admitting a painful (but true) narrative. It is all the same; people lie, and they do it all the time. Humans are hardwired to do what is easy or convenient, not difficult or honest, so it is prudent to fact check periodically. In the The Church and The Community, Page 148, I shared a story of lying even after the truth is presented… how will you decrease dishonest in our society?