It has been some time since my last post and I'm sure much has happened in your life as it has in mine. Of late, I have been focused on leadership in the workplace and expressing, or not, my Christ-following self there. More closely, though, of expressing the love of Christ and deliberately recognizing that I am an extension of Jesus everywhere all the time. Sounds simplistic, maybe even common place but placing academia into middle management is far from that.
I am weaving two themes here. Leadership and infusing a higher way of interacting with emplyees and my role as a reconciler, peace-maker. I am moved deeply buy an insight of one of my favorite speakers and one of the best Biblical expositors one will find, G. Campbell Morgan. He says, "I am to put my whole life into the great business of bringing about a reconciliation of men to God." Does that not describe the purpose of every Christian? I think that sums it up!
Working in a secular healthcare environment has delivered experiences that challenge how to reach others for Christ without using position in an inappropriate way. Business in not blind, like justice should be, but it mostly, deliberately will make decisions not in the better interest of employees. But this is becoming old school in thought but hardly in practice. Many studies and books have been written drawing attention to positive psychology in the workplace. In fact, Marcus Buckingham has suggested that a more beneficial way of looking at work is not "work is a place where work gets done but rather work is a place where people get done." Try that one on your CEO or manager. Yet evidence supports the old addage...happy emloyees are productive employees.
In my experience most employees want to be loyal, engaged, effective and productive for the business. But not so much if the business is calouse to the emotional and psychological needs of the employee.
"If you can provide a core belief that [a new idea] will work and grow and adapt, other people will come along who believe it, too...It also requires a certain amount of initiative to do things even if people think you're crazy -- they might be right, but doing it anyway is what's important" says Vinton Cerf, Ph.D.
