Working The Dream

God’s Little Stewards

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Eric Kelly

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Series Code: WTD

Program Code: WTD000009A


00:01 You know, when you're working the dream,
00:03 the struggle is oh-so real.
00:07 You have to be determined,
00:09 you have to work hard,
00:13 you need to be compassionate,
00:15 set goals, and be timely,
00:19 stay focused, and reach high.
00:22 You need all this and the Lord to come together
00:25 to make you a better person
00:27 while you're working the dream.
00:30 Hello and welcome to Workin' the Dream.
00:34 I am your host Eric Kelly.
00:35 And today, we are going to share tips
00:37 on what can be some of the most challenging parts
00:40 of all of our jobs,
00:42 and that is dealing with bosses,
00:44 the one person at work that seems to have
00:46 the most impact on us
00:48 is the person we report directly to,
00:51 our supervisor.
00:52 Now how many people go home every day dreading returning
00:56 the next day simply because the relationship
00:58 that they have with their manager is so poor.
01:01 Well, today, we're gonna share proven techniques
01:04 on how you can deal with the power-mad boss,
01:07 the evil boss, and still enjoy your job.
01:11 Now if you've worked one day already in your career,
01:14 you've probably realize that the basic workplace
01:17 is based loosely on military hierarchy.
01:20 There are layers of leaders
01:21 with various ranks passing on directives
01:24 are the most senior leaders to those of less rank.
01:27 In a military system,
01:29 the general would give directives
01:30 to the colonel,
01:31 who would then give directives to the major,
01:33 who would direct the captain,
01:35 who would direct the lieutenant,
01:36 down through the sergeant to the private.
01:39 Now to follow the same structure
01:41 in our corporate model,
01:42 let's use the positions that are most common
01:44 in the business organization.
01:46 First, there is the chairman of the board
01:48 who will give leadership and directives to the CEO,
01:51 who will then do that to the company president,
01:54 who will then direct to vice presidents,
01:56 who then will tell the directors what to do,
01:58 who will then tell the senior managers what to do,
02:01 who will then direct the managers,
02:03 and they will direct the frontline supervisors
02:06 all the way down to the frontline employee.
02:09 Now you may be blessed to have a supervisor
02:11 that is a true Christian.
02:14 Now don't get that confused when somebody goes to church,
02:17 going to church doesn't make one a Christian
02:20 anymore than sitting in a garage
02:21 makes them a Ferrari.
02:22 A true Christian will strive to be fair
02:25 and above board in all their dealings.
02:28 They're going to be honest, they're going to be forthright,
02:30 they'll probability be able to correct you
02:32 and coach you
02:33 without making you feel like two cents
02:36 waiting on change.
02:38 You will be able to see their relationship to God
02:40 by the way they treat people.
02:41 That's how it works.
02:43 Some of the rest of us,
02:44 however, may report to someone
02:46 who demonstrates a lot more intimacy
02:48 with the dark side,
02:50 they may employ yelling
02:52 and belittling and rude put downs
02:53 as a tool for controlling their team.
02:56 Either way, you are going to need divine wisdom to deal
02:59 with everyone on your work team.
03:02 Now while you may think good bosses are a breeze,
03:05 the danger is sometimes when you have a good boss,
03:08 you may take things for granted.
03:11 For granted you ask, yes, for granted.
03:13 When you have a great boss,
03:14 you are not daily reminded of how bad a boss can treat you
03:17 so you may not stay motivated to strengthen your daily
03:20 devotional life,
03:22 you may be tempted to say to yourself that,
03:23 everything is gonna be good today,
03:25 its gonna be cool, so maybe it will never end.
03:29 Wrong, recess does not lasts all day.
03:33 Now for those of us whose boss
03:35 seems to have ingested large quantities
03:38 of Mini Beings,
03:40 we've got some help for you, so hang on.
03:42 I would like to introduce a word
03:44 that explains some behaviors that drive us nuts at work.
03:48 The word is ego.
03:52 The challenge with our egos is that sometimes our egos
03:55 are not supported in reality.
03:57 When this is the case,
04:00 it impacts negatively everyone that surrounds us,
04:03 it unleashes a destructive force,
04:05 in fact the most destructive force
04:07 to all relationships, that's pride.
04:11 The Bible has a lot to tell us
04:13 on how this disease ultimately ends.
04:16 In Galatians 6:3, it says,
04:18 "For if anyone thinks he is something,
04:20 when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
04:24 In proverbs 27:2, it says,
04:27 "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth.
04:30 A stranger, and not your own lips."
04:33 You know, for those who like bragging.
04:36 In Proverbs 16:05, it says,
04:38 "Everyone who is arrogant in his heart
04:41 is an abomination to the Lord.
04:44 Be assured, he will not go unpunished."
04:48 I don't want to get punished
04:50 by the almighty God for being arrogant.
04:53 It doesn't make sense how we can be arrogant
04:56 for some skill or talent or gift
04:59 that we have when it's God
05:01 who decides that we wake up every day
05:03 and use the abilities.
05:05 By the way,
05:06 He gave us the talent in the first place.
05:08 So here is the multimillion-dollar question,
05:11 how can you survive your boss's ego
05:15 when it needs an 18 wheeler to get it into the room?
05:18 And that's been said
05:20 that some people become dictators
05:21 after they get promoted.
05:24 Let me challenge that a little bit.
05:27 They were always dictators.
05:30 Yeah, nothing new,
05:31 they just got promoted and they were giving
05:34 an elevated platform from which to better display
05:38 their dictator-ish-ness.
05:43 Years ago, I ran a training division
05:45 in large company
05:47 and we were instituting a new process,
05:51 and this was smiled upon
05:53 and directed by our senior executive team.
05:57 So we went out to various locations
05:59 and we went to one particular plant manager
06:01 and we told him
06:02 the changes that were coming down,
06:04 and our group was to train it and bring his people along.
06:07 So as we're halfway going through this thing,
06:10 there's a part in it
06:11 where the senior managers wanted
06:13 to be apprised of every change
06:15 that was going on in all of the plants
06:17 because executives want to know
06:19 what's going on or else how can they lead.
06:21 When we got to this one part
06:22 and we said and the plant managers
06:25 will report this up through the lines
06:28 of the organization, and he sat back in his chair,
06:31 he says, "Excuse me, sir.
06:33 I'm god in this organization."
06:37 Well, we responded
06:38 that we were not challenging his exalted position,
06:43 but your bosses want your support
06:46 in rolling out this program.
06:48 Wow!
06:49 This person actually in their mind came up
06:52 with saying I am god?
06:56 When this guy comes back to reality,
06:58 his god complex just got knocked down a peg
07:01 by what his superiors were directing.
07:05 First of all, let's start with a couple of facts
07:07 about all bosses no matter
07:09 how they act and how they treat you,
07:11 they are not god.
07:13 Let's compare.
07:15 God has always been and will always be.
07:21 Your boss on the other hand,
07:22 they were born, and one day, they will die.
07:27 God is all knowing, everything.
07:32 Now your boss may know a lot
07:34 about a lot of different things
07:37 but ask him how many hairs are
07:40 on your head, God knows.
07:44 Your boss may have stock options
07:46 and a hefty bonus,
07:49 but God's got all the wealth of the universe.
07:52 Now let's look at a situation
07:55 where the boss absolutely has an exalted view of himself.
08:00 Let me simplify this for the simple.
08:03 In most areas of this company,
08:07 it is lead, follow, or get out of the way,
08:09 but not in this department, not in my department.
08:12 In my department,
08:13 it's follow or get out of the way.
08:17 And the reason why is because I am the king,
08:20 I am the king of this department
08:22 and all of the employees are like little ants
08:25 in my yard that bother me.
08:28 I am like Mufasa, the Lion King.
08:32 I am as sure as I'm standing here,
08:36 Michael Jermaine Jackson taken,
08:41 and I am the boss here,
08:43 and you will do what I tell you to do
08:47 because I am
08:50 the master of efficiency.
08:56 You got it?
08:57 Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,
09:00 I'm the master of efficiency.
09:03 You got a question? No, it's more like a statement.
09:07 Oh, good, because questions bother me,
09:09 questions question my authority.
09:14 Wow, went from one crazy boss to another.
09:17 I just got promoted,
09:18 so you're saying this is the norm
09:20 for bosses around here?
09:21 I hope not.
09:23 I don't know what's going on here,
09:24 but I don't like talking,
09:25 when I am doing a meeting, I don't like talking.
09:28 Where you talking about me?
09:29 If you were talking about me,
09:31 then you're in some kind of trouble.
09:34 What is your name? Maleek.
09:37 Are you new here?
09:39 Actually, we're all new to your group.
09:41 What happen to the rest of it,
09:42 what happened to the other guys?
09:44 I have taken few days off in...
09:46 Never mind.
09:48 You're all blessed to be able to be working under me
09:52 as me as the leader and you as the followers,
09:55 so what I suggest
09:57 that you to do is you start following
10:00 and I am gonna go to my office
10:02 and I am going to get some rest.
10:06 Chop-chop.
10:16 Well, there is only one problem with that.
10:19 If we push the schedule server maintenance up
10:21 by two days, that interferes
10:23 with our normal reporting cycle.
10:24 And at the moment,
10:26 we really can't afford to risk that.
10:28 Mm-hm.
10:31 Okay, so let's do this,
10:34 we can bump up reports one and two up by a day
10:36 and then if you guys can hold off
10:38 on the last server maintenance until 8pm,
10:41 then we can get our other reports done before then.
10:45 Sounds great, all right.
10:48 Bye-bye.
10:50 That is not the best way to do this.
10:52 That's not the best plan. Can you announce yourself?
10:55 I don't need to announce myself.
10:56 You should sense my presence when I come into this room.
10:59 I need a cologne.
11:01 Listen, I could not help,
11:02 but overhear what you were saying,
11:06 and I want you to know that that is not
11:09 the most efficient way to do it.
11:11 What do you suggest?
11:13 I suggest that you do it all, every bit of it in one day.
11:17 That's not even possible and feasible.
11:19 Why is not possible?
11:21 Because we have other tasks that are equally as important
11:24 and those reports take at least two days
11:26 to produce and analyze.
11:27 That's the way that I want you to do it.
11:29 It doesn't matter what programs we got,
11:31 what files we got, and everything,
11:34 I am the MOE.
11:38 MOE?
11:39 Master of efficiency.
11:43 I think I'll stick
11:44 to the original agreement, I'm...
11:46 No, I don't think you will.
11:47 I think you would do it the way that I tell you to do it.
11:50 Ah, I'm gonna stick with that.
11:52 No, you won't.
11:57 Yes, I will. Do you like your job?
12:00 Do you like working here?
12:02 Would you like to continue to work here?
12:05 All right.
12:06 Then do it the way that I say to do it.
12:07 Okay, all right.
12:36 Oh, I see this is how you're doing this.
12:39 Oh, my goodness, you got to be kidding me.
12:41 How can I help you Mr. Tiakor?
12:44 I was just observing what was taking place,
12:46 observing you work here, and I just have to say,
12:48 there is a much more efficient way of doing this.
12:51 But I am just putting numbers into a spreadsheet,
12:54 how much more efficient can that be?
12:55 Yes, but there is a more efficient way to do this.
13:00 How much more efficient can it be?
13:02 Who is that guy? What's his name over there?
13:05 Maleek. Maleek, come over here.
13:07 Come over here now.
13:14 We're wasting time, we're wasting money,
13:16 we're wasting energy.
13:18 This is almost like an old fashioned process
13:22 even though it is up to date equipment.
13:26 Let me explain to you what happens
13:28 when you do it this way.
13:30 Now pay attention,
13:31 you have to look at the spreadsheet,
13:34 you have to look at the computer,
13:35 your eyes go back,
13:37 your eyes go forth,
13:39 back and forth, back, and it takes up time.
13:41 I mean, it could be seconds, it could be minutes,
13:42 it could be hours,
13:44 but if we speed everything up,
13:46 we will make this department
13:48 working at the top of the line in this company.
13:51 Do you understand me? Do you have an adding machine?
13:55 You must not use it if you don't know where it is.
13:59 Surely, there is...
14:01 Aha!
14:06 Now here's what's gonna happen.
14:11 You're going to take the calculator
14:16 and you are gonna call out the numbers
14:19 and you are gonna put them in the adding machine,
14:21 and this is going to save cutting eyes back and forth,
14:25 taking up too much time.
14:26 Two people can do this.
14:29 Are you serious? I am serious, I'm serious.
14:31 It's a heart attack. Okay, now here is the deal.
14:36 My way is the only way.
14:41 My way or the highway
14:44 because I am the genius and the genius teaches those
14:48 that are not-so genius, that's why I am the MOE.
14:53 Read my lips.
14:57 MOE?
14:58 Once again, the master of efficiency.
15:04 Right. My work's done here.
15:06 Chop-chop.
15:07 Do it the way I told you to do it.
15:09 Didn't ask you, I told you.
15:11 No questions.
15:20 Five thousand three hundred.
15:22 Five thousand...
15:25 This key keeps getting stuck.
15:31 Okay, five thousand...
15:33 This is so dumb.
15:37 What are you guys doing? Who uses calculators anymore?
15:39 Wouldn't it be easier to just enter
15:41 into a spreadsheet?
15:42 Yeah, that would make
15:44 all the sense in the world, right?
15:45 Tell that to the master of efficiency.
15:47 Oh, he hit you with that one, too, huh?
15:50 It's only been a week and he's already starting
15:52 to get on my nerves.
15:54 We got to do something,
15:55 maybe we can just go to his boss.
15:57 No, no, no, no, man,
15:59 that's not a how a corporate game works.
16:01 We do that, we might all end up in the unemployment line.
16:03 But we got to do something.
16:05 I say we get a bag of pepper powder
16:08 and put it in his drawer,
16:10 then it will explode all over him,
16:11 and then cause him to sneeze
16:13 and then we don't have to hear his mouth anymore.
16:16 Any other ideas?
16:19 Well, why don't we go to his house
16:20 and put sugar in his gas tank?
16:23 From that point on, he can't come to work anymore.
16:25 Haven't you ever heard of Uber? Oh, yeah.
16:31 I got an idea. Come with me.
16:44 Now our view of our boss can give them too much power
16:48 over our lives if we fail to recognize
16:50 who it is that gave us the job in the first place.
16:53 Who do you give credit for your job?
16:56 Is it you or is it the divine hand
16:59 that allowed you to get that job?
17:01 I'm gonna ask for a couple of my friends
17:03 to help me out and illustrate this point.
17:08 We're going to say that my friend Brian here,
17:10 we're going to call him the source.
17:12 This is the divine hand that makes everything work.
17:16 We're going to have my friend Jason
17:18 be the resource.
17:19 That's my supervisor.
17:21 Now I need to recognize who is really in control here.
17:26 However, here is where things get to be a bit muddy.
17:29 You see, I get paid maybe once a week
17:32 or once a month or twice a month or whatever,
17:35 I get paid from my boss.
17:41 That's a really cool thing.
17:43 I now go pay bills, buy gas,
17:45 keep the lights on, and all that good stuff.
17:48 Now this happens every week or every month.
17:54 I get paid again.
17:56 Now the interesting thing here is I cannot see the source
18:01 unless I'm spiritually connected
18:03 but I can definitely see the resource.
18:05 So I'm ready for my pay again, and at this point,
18:10 I give credit to my resource for everything good
18:14 that's happening.
18:16 In fact, I work harder
18:17 and my resource decides I'm due for a raise.
18:23 Whoa! I am getting more money.
18:26 But I see my resource.
18:30 And if I have not talked to my source,
18:34 then I have a problem.
18:36 Now here's sometimes what God allows to happen.
18:39 Sometimes, the divine hand,
18:43 God's divine hand is in control of my blessing.
18:47 And sometimes He lets my resource
18:49 get moved out of the way.
18:51 And I am so used to dealing with my resource,
18:54 well, is my life over?
18:56 Maybe you lose a job,
18:58 maybe you get transferred,
19:00 maybe whatever is going on in your life goes bad
19:03 and there's a change here.
19:06 Now I'll tell you personally what happens, at that point,
19:08 I generally get on my knees
19:10 and I get really, really connected
19:13 to my source.
19:15 And here is what God does,
19:16 once we know where the power comes from,
19:20 He says, "Okay, I think I can bless you again."
19:23 He'll let another resource come back
19:25 into your life and the blessings flow.
19:30 And that's how we're blessed.
19:32 That's really where the power comes from.
19:34 Now here is an issue.
19:36 As my source uses my resource to bless me,
19:42 God wants to make sure that my relationship
19:45 with my resource is kosher, something that he can bless.
19:50 I cannot worship my resource. I can only worship my source.
19:55 So this flow,
19:57 this is how our careers go when they're blessed,
20:00 this is how our lives go when they're blessed,
20:03 when we understand the power of God
20:05 to use channels to bless us,
20:09 and it all begins with understanding
20:12 who our source is, and that's God.
20:14 Thank you guys very much.
20:15 Can I have my money back, please?
20:18 Thank you.
20:19 I love the things that the source does for us.
20:22 Now sometimes our problems with our boss
20:24 is based on a age old ailment,
20:28 a disease, if you will, an itis,
20:31 it's called the I disease or I-itis.
20:34 And the issue is that may be our egos are at war.
20:40 Am I letting their I be bigger than my I?
20:43 Let me give you a secret.
20:45 Any time there is a conflict between the boss
20:48 and the direct report,
20:50 and the issue is one of I and ego,
20:53 almost every time the direct report loses.
20:57 Sometimes I'm just gonna have to let my boss be the boss,
21:01 it's the way it is.
21:02 And by the way, I have a divine comforter
21:04 that can keep me at peace while I'm doing that.
21:07 So how do you handle a challenging boss?
21:10 Well, first of all, find out who they really are.
21:14 We all come to work, we fight traffic,
21:16 we go through whatever,
21:17 you need to know who your boss is.
21:19 So the better that you understand
21:22 how your boss thinks and what your boss does
21:24 and why, the better situated
21:27 you're going to be to deliver the results that they want.
21:29 You're going to be better able to manage their expectations
21:32 and avoid those no-win positions.
21:35 Now this might be difficult especially
21:38 if your boss gets on your last nerve.
21:42 But if you're able to put yourself
21:43 in their shoes and see the world
21:45 and your work place as they do,
21:47 the leverage that you will have in dealing
21:49 with them will be immeasurable.
21:53 Here's what you need to know, what do they care about?
21:56 I mean, really, at the gut level,
21:58 what keeps them up at night?
22:00 What frightens them?
22:02 No matter how they try to convince you,
22:03 they are superhuman, things do bother them.
22:06 How much importance do they place
22:09 on impressing others?
22:11 Every boss has a boss and they have a boss,
22:14 are they trying to work
22:16 the corporate ladder themselves?
22:17 How do they measure success?
22:20 And what do they think about failure?
22:23 When you know what drives your boss,
22:25 even if your boss
22:27 may not be fully conscious of what it is,
22:29 you can speak to their listening,
22:31 you can speak to their insides when you're talking to them,
22:34 you can frame opinions and use language in ways
22:37 that line up with their values,
22:40 mellows out their fears, and helps them know
22:43 that you understand their priorities.
22:46 In other words, you'll be able to know
22:48 what's really going on in their heads.
22:51 You also want to support their successes
22:54 and you want to work around their weaknesses.
22:57 Yes, everybody has got weaknesses,
22:59 and this boss that may bug you has weaknesses.
23:02 Now it might sound a bit counterintuitive
23:05 to support a bad boss in becoming more successful.
23:09 But there's absolutely nothing to be gained by making them
23:12 look bad or going to war
23:14 or attempting to facilitate their failure.
23:19 If they are as bad as you think and you say,
23:22 they will likely do a pretty good job
23:24 of messing things up all by themselves.
23:27 Now exposing your boss's incompetence
23:30 will only compound your misery,
23:33 and it might damage your reputation,
23:35 it might even damage good job.
23:39 One way to help your boss focus on their natural strengths
23:43 is to be proactive about how you help them
23:46 deal with their weaknesses.
23:48 If you know for instance that you have a boss
23:50 who is disorganized,
23:52 I mean, he can't find papers on their desk,
23:54 doesn't know where the next project is,
23:56 then help them be on top of things
23:58 rather than whining
23:59 about their lack of organizational skills.
24:02 I mean, if they've got a problem, be a helper.
24:06 If you know your boss is often late to meetings,
24:09 offer to kickoff the next meeting for them.
24:12 If he tends to change his mind frequently
24:14 or is outright forgetful,
24:15 be sure to document all communication
24:17 so you can refer it back to them
24:19 if he ever contradicts himself.
24:21 If you know your boss is slow to respond
24:23 to continue working on a project
24:25 while you wait to hear back from him,
24:27 be proactive and contact him.
24:29 Making yourself indispensable and someone your boss
24:32 can really rely on to do their job
24:34 is a valuable asset when you start to look
24:37 at what's the next thing on your plate
24:39 for your career.
24:41 By doing what you can to help your boss succeed,
24:43 you lay a solid foundation
24:45 for greater successes for yourself.
24:47 Now it may not be an immediate reward.
24:49 But in the long run,
24:50 you can never lose by helping others.
24:52 Do better than they would otherwise.
24:55 Take the high road.
24:57 Your personal brand is riding on it.
24:59 Never let your boss's bad behavior
25:01 be an excuse for your own.
25:04 All too often, people start to feel entitled to slack off
25:07 or take longer lunches
25:09 or lose interest in performing well
25:11 because they have a bad boss.
25:13 Don't do it.
25:14 Keep your mind focused on top performance.
25:18 Complaining to your spouse or your friends,
25:20 do that all you want,
25:22 but when you're in the office or the workplace,
25:24 stay upbeat, stay engaged,
25:27 and actually handling a difficult boss
25:29 can really set you apart if you do it well.
25:32 You never know who is watching or listening.
25:34 But be assured people can open up
25:37 or close future opportunities
25:39 based on what you're doing.
25:41 They are watching.
25:42 While it may be easy to succumb to resentment or resignation
25:45 and mentally checked out of doing your job,
25:47 don't do that.
25:48 That undermines your integrity,
25:50 but it can also put you at risk of being branded as a whiner,
25:53 a slacker, or both.
25:55 So if your boss is a shouter, don't react by shouting back.
25:59 If they're petty or small minded,
26:01 don't descend to smallness yourself
26:03 however tempting it may be, rather with God's help,
26:07 maintain a calm professional demeanor
26:09 in dealing with your boss.
26:11 Gandhi wrote,
26:12 "Be the change you want to see in the world."
26:14 In this case, act like the leader
26:17 you wish your boss was.
26:19 If you feel you've run out of options,
26:20 don't go rumor-mongering
26:22 or bad mouthing them to everybody,
26:24 rather follow proper procedures
26:25 for registering complaints with HR
26:27 or with higher level superiors,
26:29 documenting each step of the way.
26:32 Speak up.
26:34 Give your boss a chance to respond,
26:35 have the courage to speak up
26:37 rather than cower in silence with fear.
26:39 So just because it may be easier to say nothing
26:42 don't suffer quietly or complain.
26:45 Pray for them and trust God
26:46 to take care of you in all work situations.
26:48 Proverbs 3:5 says,
26:51 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
26:52 and do not lean on your own understanding."
26:55 Show Christ living in you by interacting pleasantly,
27:00 yeah, even with a rough boss.
27:02 Don't forget your daily spiritual routine, every day,
27:05 wake up, spend time in God's Word, pray,
27:07 listen for His voice.
27:09 My scripture for this is Deuteronomy 1:30,
27:12 "The Lord your God, who is going before you,
27:14 will fight for you, even as He did in Egypt,
27:17 before your very eyes."
27:19 Remember, no matter what,
27:21 you may be powerless over what they,
27:24 even a bad boss, can do to you.
27:27 But they are absolutely powerless
27:29 over what God will do for you.
27:32 So until next time, this is Eric Kelly.
27:36 Keep Workin' the Dream.


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Revised 2017-08-03