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.