One of my favorite quotes from the best seller "Good to Great" by Jim Collins says that "we must confront the most brutal facts about our present reality."
In Proverbs 27:6, King Solomon writes "Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses." Meaning that a true friend might say something that hurts but you can trust them, while an enemy would puff you up if it suited their agenda.
I quote these because I believe there is a very common misconception about Christians in the work place that we are supposed to be nice. When I say nice I am referring to a pop-culture definition that might go something like this: Christian Nicety - the devout manifestation through a person of faith; the actions of always smiling, never in disagreement with anyone, when one allows others to partake in any action despite the possible negative consequences.
At work, I have always have had a reputation of being very direct. Some who I have failed to communicate my intentions have labeled me as harsh, insensitive, and crass. I recall one of my employees coming to my office a few years ago after a rush of business. She was in tears and lamented that regardless how hard she tries, how much experience she has, it never seems as though it is enough. For the next thirty minutes we had a conversation about her being in an entry level job and how she didn't belong there. We talked about her incredible potential and that where she is today isn't equal with where I knew her potential was. I detailed how I value her contributions so much that if I failed to help her grow I would feel like a failure.
At a conference I recently attended the speaker showed a video of Penn from Penn and Teller talking about sharing our faith. He spoke about how Christians should be respected for sharing their faith because if a person truly believes they have the answer to life how much would they have to hate someone to not share it. Likewise in business, if we as leaders in the work place have the feedback that is capable of making someone more successful, how much do we have to hate them to not share it. It is one thing to be scared, its another to literally stop a person's development and hold them in a place where they cannot become financially independent because we are concerned about being perceived as nice. Furthermore, how did Peter feel when Jesus replied "Get behind me Satan" because Peter didn't want Christ to go to the cross? Jesus' rebuke was a critical part of Peter's journey. In the end, Christ also tells Peter that he would be the rock He built His church on. I promise you this, if we as Christians in the world begin having the conversations with those around us that lead to their growth and their success, we will build bridges that lead to conversations about more than performance; literally, conversations about souls.
Go ahead, I dare you; LIGHT THE WORLD!
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