Since August, my church has been organizing a monthly seminar for the men on the subject "Winning at Work." The sessions are held on the first Saturday of each month, running from 7.00-9.30 am. Yesterday, we covered the topic "Your Reputation and Your Work".
According to the scripture, a good name is better than riches (Proverbs 22:1). Some of the benefits of a good name are: (a) people admire you as a man, (b) you influence others in a positive way, (c) young men seek you out - for advice and mentoring, (d) God is honoured, and you feel His pleasure, and (e) you feel a deep satisfaction about your work.
The speaker also shared five proven practices for establishing your name at work:
- Don't just work; work to be really good at something: "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." (Proverbs 22:29)
- Be responsive to those above you and earn their trust: "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful employee to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his bosses." (Proverbs 25:13).
- Over-deliver: This means going beyond "good enough". Focus on the details, sending thank you notes, doing extra favor, etc.
- Be an encourager and team builder: "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another..." (1 Thess 5:11).
- Keep your word: "He swears to his own hurt and does not change." (Psalms 15:4b). In other words, pay it back even if it hurts. Your name and your word are your bond.
photo: Ohio (May 08)
On the last point, the seminar also focuses on "Protecting Your Name at Work". One crucial commitment highlighted was : never use forms of deception or spin, which can come in many forms such as evasion, quibbling, obfuscation, stonewalling, obscurantism, "white lie", exaggeration etc. In particular, the 4 most common examples of "lying under pressure..." are: - to get a job: misrepresenting qualifications,
- to make money: misrepresenting products,
- to advance one's career: misrepresenting capabilities,
- to "cover" when called on the carpet: manipulating the facts.
Spiritual: As Christians, we are taught that a blameless life is far more valuable than wealth. "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse" (Proverbs 19:1). However, most of us don't act as if we believe this. Afraid of not getting everything they want, they will pay any price to increase their wealth, like cheating on their taxes, stealing from others or employers, withholding tithes, refusing to give. But when we know and love God, we realises that a lower standard of living - or even poverty - is a small price to pay for personal integrity (source: LAB, p. 1098)
reflection: Do your actions show that you sacrifice your integrity to increase your wealth? What changes do you need to make in order to get your priorities straight?
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