The Ten Commandments of Working In A Hostile Environment

3^rd Commandment: Embrace Opportunities For Change

One of the greatest sources of friction and discomfort in many people’s life and work environment is change. Just when you get on solid ground with your manager, she’s promoted and you have to learn to relate to her successor. Just when you complete that big project and look forward to some downtime, a new and bigger account takes its place. Just when you thought that you have the office politics figured out, your company is bought out by another corporation.

Much of this friction is caused by our expectation and desire for things to go smoothly. It is indeed ironic that out of our desire for stability, security and predictability we set ourselves up for instability, uncertainty and surprises. Perhaps if we adjusted our expectations to be more realistic, we won’t be traumatized when change comes. And rest assured- it will come

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So often we view job security as the be-all and end-all, the condition upon which we can finally rest and coast through our remaining time in the workplace. Once we become used to the personalities of our co-workers or team members, we want them to remain in place, stay the same, and require nothing more out of us than what we’ve given in the past. Even when our work environment is hostile, as long as it’s predictable, many people grow accustomed to it and lose sight of their purpose for being there. 

You may even realize that much of your job dissatisfaction stems from boredom, from being stuck in a rut, locked inside the box instead of having the freedom to risk thinking outside it.  But nonetheless, you know what to expect and would rather be bored and stifled from reaching your full potential than face the discomforting dynamics of change.

Next-Level Living. One way to mature your handling of change is to remind yourself of your purpose and to view the transition as a means to your next level. Many of us want to go to the next level, to grasp the next rung on the ladder, to crash through the glass ceiling, but we aren’t willing to stretch to get there. But truthfully, the only way we can extend ourselves to reach the next level is to move beyond our comfort zone and utilise more of our talents and capabilities. We must be willing to risk, move, take action. But even when we are sluggish, fearful, and resistant, God can still overcome our inertia and use us. When we don’t move on our own, He introduces some change into our gives to spur us into action. The least we can do in turbulent times of change is to give Him the opportunity to use us, even when what we face seems formidable or impossible to us.

Stay in Character. It’s tempting to believe that when we enter a new job or get promoted that we must change the way we act, the way we dress and speak. The personal assistant who advances into her boss’s vacant position may think that she must act more like her boss- assertive, terse, intense, and focussed- when in the reality her own strengths that got her the job may be very different from her predecessor’s. She may be gentle calm, organized, and an excellent communicator. She doesn’t need to pretend to be her boss or have his attributes.

You need to take your character with you when change occurs. In the theatre, when an actor is onstage and forgets his or her next lines, they are trained to remain “in character.” This simply means that even though they can’t remember the exact lines of dialogue that their character should speak, the actor can quickly improvise based on who they know their character to be. Since most actors usually seek to understand the motives and desires of their roles, to know the essence of who their character truly is and how that character interacts with other characters, they can simply use this knowledge, along with the context of the spot where they forget their lines, to create a new script.

Similarly, you need to stay “in character” when change comes and you feel caught in the spotlight without knowing your lines. Don’t on airs of superiority, especially if you now oversee employees who were once your peers. While you may be required to update your wardrobe or change the nameplate on your door, don’t try to play a role that doesn’t reflect who you really are.

Have a nice day.

The Ten Commandments of Working In A Hostile Environment

As I wrote earlier, the commandments are originally from T.D. Jakes but the discussions are my thoughts. Please enjoy as you read.

 

2nd Commandment: Don’t expect to be Appreciated

As it is for some parents while training their children, back in Ibadan my parents taught us to always appreciate people when they do things or give us things. Although for the most part we would just say thank you and not collect the thing. As adults, we often get disappointed when we give someone a present and the person doesn’t remember to say thank you for the present. This is the same when we do a neighbour a favour and he forgets to thank you for it. 

In the same vein, many people complain that their job doesn’t satisfy them because no one in their workplace appreciates what they contribute. They say things like, “If my supervisor only realized how much I give to this team…” or “I wish my co-workers would acknowledge my contribution….” And “It would be nice to get a little credit for all that I do.” While I understand the innate craving to be recognized, appreciated and valued for what we do, I’m afraid these folks are in for a rather rude awakening. 

You see, when this desire to be appreciated becomes the condition upon which your contentment rests, then you have bought into a falsehood that can threaten to keep you in a place of misery. 

Our workplace is not the place to be affirmed. Little do we know that this craving for appreciation on the job gives others such power over us, power to define us and influence our self-worth. We become ‘people pleasers’ and not God pleaser. We become ‘people centered’ and not ‘principle centered’. We flow effortlessly with the political terrain in our workplace and become comfortable with the cliques and groups that often degrade our self esteem. We sacrifice our personal values on the alter of unquenchable thirst for appreciation in the workplace. 

Your job doesn’t define you. Forgetting our own true identity is one of the easiest ways to set us up for failure in the workplace. If we forget who we really are and begin to think to think that our job defines us, then we are in for a bumpy ride as we rise and fall with the opinions of others around us. Taken to an extreme, we become ineffectual because we are not willing to make decisions or to take risks of our own, for fear that they might negatively affect what others think of us. We become ‘yes man’ or ‘yes woman’ who nods and agrees with like some bobblehead doll on the receptionist’s desk, agreeing with anyone and everyone just to please them and let them like us. 

Don’t take it personally. A job should not be source of your affirmation. Get that clear in your mind and maybe get yourself an emblem that reminds you why you are here and why you are not. Now if you get appreciated or affirmed, wonderful. But I can promise you that if being appreciated is your sole reason for performing and working, God will have people overlook you until you get the order of work straight in your mind. 

You can get appreciated at home, by your friends or your family, but work is just like it sounds: work. You are on this job to give and to give and to give some more. A job is not a personal environment. It is a professional environment. 

Don’t let that job affect who you are; you are sent to bring godliness, not get gratification for personal needs.

Have a very nice day.

N.B. Please note that the commandments are originally from T.D. Jakes but the discussions are my thoughts. Please enjoy as you read.

The Ten Commandments of Working In A Hostile Environment

As I wrote earlier, the commandments are originally from T.D. Jakes but the discussions are my thoughts. Please enjoy as you read.

1st Commandment:  Know That You Are Anointed For The Job or Position You Now Hold 

Whether this is your first job or your last, God has anointed you and appointed you for the job. It doesn’t matter how your resumé got into the hands of the person that spoke for you .Take a few moments to think about how long it took you to get this job; about how this job has been a life saver for you; about how much fasting and prayers went into finding this job for you; about how many interviews you have attended and none yielded the desired fruit before God graciously decided to favour you and wipe away your tears with this job.  

You probably lost your previous job with or without a fault of yours but God gave you another one. He gave you another chance. Take a few minutes to think about your former colleagues and classmates who are yet to find a job but you have one; think about those that you wrote the aptitude tests together, those that you attended the same interviews together, those that you even received the appointment letter together but for one unpleasant reason or the other they couldn’t start the job with you. Think about running your family without having a job. Think about the things you can afford because you have a job. Stop reading for a moment and thank God for this miracle. 

Then you should know that your job is a miracle. It is a miracle because of two things: God answered your prayers and He anointed you for the job. To be anointed is to be divinely empowered. God’s divine power is in you. He has specially anointed you for this job. A miracle is a purposeful divine empowerment. A miracle is God’s monopoly. God has a reason for answering your prayers and wiping your tears with this job. His purpose is obviously not for you to engage in anything that doesn’t glorify Him in your workplace even if you call it a mere joke. He placed you where you are now because He loves you and He needs you to serve Him there.   

Knowing and accepting that you are anointed for the position you presently hold simply means trusting that you are on a journey and that there is something you need to learn and take with you from your present position into your next stop along the way. And I ‘m convinced that these lessons are both skill-building as well as character-building. 

You may need to learn skills such as Presentation Skills and ACCA as well as patience and gratitude. You may need to learn how to manage a team of people as well as how to manage your temper. 

In all you do always remember that God allowed you to be on this job till now because he needs you to give your best and learn as much as you can.

Have a very nice day.

N.B. Please note that the commandments are originally from T.D. Jakes but the discussions are my thoughts. Please enjoy as you read.

The Ten Commandments of Working In A Hostile Environment

My Thoughts

Research tells us that you will spend over half of your waking life on the job. Think about that for just a moment- over half of your life. That’s more time than you spend at home with those you love the most. Imagine spending this time of your life engaging in office gossip, politicking, sowing words of discord and disunity between and among groups within your organisation. 

The organisation you work for deserves your productivity not just your activity; executive management deserves to earn your heart service not your eye or lip service; the Board of Directors deserve to profit from your creativity not your craftiness. 

Even if you are not meeting up with the target your organisation has set for you yet, your attitude to work should be positive enough to convince you that you are reaching for the stars. This attitude is not necessarily a ‘show off’ to make your boss, colleague or customer feel that you are working. It is genuine commitment to your task.

True, moral becomes very low when our bosses don’t recognize what we are doing. Especially when you put in all your efforts but the eventual outcome is not pleasurable. This is no fault of yours. Maybe the reason for this undesired result is another person’s negligence, price differentiation, government policy, system malfunction or even force majeure. Is the right response neglecting your duty? Is the right response forming a Pity Party Association where you gossip your concerns so that we can have the approval of others in similar situation?

Imagine the congestion of people in several religious gatherings in present day Nigeria and the consequent congestion of requests travelling the airwaves from the hearts and mouths of people in such gatherings on toward the heavens; asking for breakthrough, success, promotion, new job, better job, better pay, better year, good health and generally a better life.

It is true that despite our faithfulness, God’s faithfulness endures forever but, He expressly told us in His word that he that is faithful in little, more shall be committed to his hands. In another place, the scripture says that you pray and you don’t receive because you pray amidst- contrary to God’s will. It is impossible to expect a faithful answer from a faithful God while we wallow in unrepentant unfaithfulness on our job.

It is worthy of note that we wear our white robes of Christianity on Sundays and we are quick to put them off by Sunday evening in preparation for work the following day. When compared to people of other faiths, it has been observed that those who pledge allegiance to Christ are the most devious and cunning when they are out of the confines of the church especially in dealing with other Christians.

How should we then conduct ourselves in the midst of these gossips, politicking and deceit? How do we position for productivity, heart service and creativity? How do we deal with issues of not being appreciated even when we have put in our best? Why and how should we remain committed even when we are not achieving the desired results? What do we need to do to remain faithful in our jobs so as to enjoy God’s ever faithful blessings through answered prayers? How do we carry our Christianity into our reality Monday through Friday?

Based on the above thoughts stemming from discussions and observation of the hostilities in the workplace, God placed it in my heart to share my thoughts on The Ten Commandments of Working In A Hostile Environment with my friends on face book.

Always know that you are supposed to be a solution to a management identified problem rather than being the problem management needs to solve urgently.

Take A Cue From The Animals

In 364 BC, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle said: In all respects, man is the best of all animals; when he deviates from order he is the worst.

After studying 2 million ants in 2005, the John Hopkins Research Institute came to a conclusion that, if ants were humans in their organised state, they will conquer the world in a very clean strike.

The research revealed that while performing their tasks each ant moves 0.25mm per sec leaving almost equal space between one ant and the other. All these communicates selflessness, obedience to rules and communal passion.

But the case is different for human beings. Think about the way people (hefty men, pregnant women, nursing mothers with their babies and different kinds of people) rush and fall to enter buses in Lagos, Nigeria; the congestion situation in Bombay, India; Manila, the Philippines; Cairo, Egypt; Seoul, South Korea; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Jakarta, Indonesia. Even ants queue up in an orderly manner in their movement, leaving space for each other. Human beings organised are not so.

Animals engage is survival habits while human beings engage in suicidal habits. Aside extreme acts such as electrocution, suffocation, hypothermia and poisoning, the FRSC in Nigeria recently released a report that the following four acts are responsible for over 7.5% of deaths in Nigeria. (1) riding on a bike without using helmet (2) driving without using seat belts (3) crossing the expressway despite the availability of a pedestrian bridge (4) abrupt interception on BRT lanes. On the contrary, animals are orderly. We say they dont have language but they communicate. They obey instructions and act solely for communal survival - the noble responsibility of providing food and security for the community.

As I am talking to you, over 10 million people are held in traffic in different parts of the world for no just reason but because one or more human beings decided to disobey traffic order. We have no respect for traffic lights. We do things anyhow. Are we organised?

The Lagos State Government of Nigeria has encouraged us to the extent of using renowned Nigerian Artistes like famous Funke Akindele (Jennifa), Segun Arinze, Kate Henshaw and Stella Damascus to tell us the essence of tax payment but we refuse to comply. While some have been compliant up to date, many are still evading and/or avoiding tax.

As King Fahd of Egypt said in 1515; I will rather justify my supremacy over the animal kingdom by orderliness in my kingdom not by the intelligence of my people.

I have never seen a case where lions, the king of the jungle, unleash nuclear weapons on other animals killing millions of people. Death rate from nuclear weapon is 120% more than death from cancer. (Nukefix, 2010). Reliable data from a National Crime Information Centre revealed that every 40 secs, at least one child is declared missing in the US which translates to 2,000 per day and 800,000 per year. Animals don’t kidnap other animals to demand millions of naira as ransom. Please tell me if you have seen tiger suicide bombers, animals don’t murder each other because of envy or jealousy; they don’t give death penalty by electric chair.

We steal, kill, lie, cheat, hit, abuse, discriminate & enslave others because of the color of their skin, age, sex, education, tribe or tongue but animals don’t do so.  We sell poison to others so that we can profit. Even our leaders engage in manipulation and corruption, favouritism and nepotism, ethnocentrism and tribalism, greed and irresponsibility.

If I will describe the animals in one phrase, I will say they are selfless creatures who work together for the utmost good of their communities. Let us take a cue from them.

The Three Mental Barriers to Time Power

If everyone agrees that excellent time management is a desirable skill, why is it that so few people can be described as “well organized, effective, and efficient?” Over the years, I have found that many people have ideas about time management that are simply not true. But if you believe something to be true, it becomes true for you.


Your beliefs cause you to see yourself and the world, and your relationship to time management, in a particular way. If you have negative beliefs in any area, these beliefs will affect your thinking and actions, and will eventually become your reality. You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.


Barrier 1: Worries About Organization

The first myth of negative belief, of time management is that if you are too well organized, you become cold, calculating, and unemotional. Some people feel that they will lose their spontaneity and freedom if they are extremely effective and efficient.


Many people hide behind this false idea and use it as an excuse for not disciplining themselves the way they know they should. The fact is that people who are disorganized are not spontaneous; they are merely confused, and often frantic. The key is structuring and organizing everything that you possibly can: Thinking ahead; planning for contingencies; preparing thoroughly and focusing on specific results. Only then can you be completely relaxed and spontaneous when the situation changes.


The better organized you are in the factors that are under your control, the greater freedom and flexibility you have to quickly make changes whenever they are necessary.



Barrier 2: Negative Mental Programming

The second mental barrier to developing excellent time management skills is negative programming, which is often picked up from your parents, but also from other influential people as you are growing up.


If your parents or others told you that were a messy person, or that you were always late, or that you never finished anything you started, chances are that as an adult, you may still be operating unconsciously to obey these earlier commands.


Time management and personal efficiency skills are disciplines that we learn and develop with practice and repetition. If we have developed bad time management habits, we can unlearn them. We can replace them with good habits over time.


Barrier 3: Self-Limiting Beliefs

The third mental barrier to good time management skills is a negative self-concept, or what are called “self-limiting beliefs.” Many people believe that they don't have the ability to be good at time management. They often believe that it is an inborn part of their background or heritage. But there is no gene or chromosome for poor time management, or good time management, for that matter. Your personal behaviors are very much under your own control.


Action Exercise

Imagine that someone were to offer you a million dollars to manage your time superbly for the next thirty days. Imagine that an efficiency expert was going to follow you around with a clipboard and a video camera for one month. After thirty days if you had used your time efficiently and well, working on your highest priorities all day, every day, you will receive a prize of one million dollars. How efficient would you be over the next thirty days?

Communication Nuggets

Three Skills to Improve Conversation

Research shows that 80% of success in family, marriage, business and the workplace is attributed to emphathic communication. If you are passionate enough to dream and you are willing to pursue it to success; then you should have the desire to develop your conversational skills.



The Benefits of Pausing

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.



First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing. Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity. The third benefit of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.



Ask Questions

Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, "How do you mean, exactly?" This is the most powerful question I've ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer. When you ask, "How do you mean?" the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.


Paraphrase the Speaker's Words

The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker's words in your own words. After you've nodded and smiled, you can then say, "Let me see if I've got this right. What you're saying is . . ."  By paraphrasing the speaker's words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.



Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.



First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is.



Second, continually ask, "How do you mean?" in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.