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As an entrepreneur or team leader, one can face many of the same challenges that we see from organization to organization. One of the most rewarding and challenging resources of any team is, well, the people. Of the forty or so challenges that I have identified, most organizations will list challenges with their team somewhere in the top three when prioritized for importance.
What is it that you are doing to lift your people to new heights? New heights of attitude, education, and skill to the benefit of the synergy of the team may just be the most exponential effort we can have. Our accounting systems record the pay and benefits to our teams as an expense.
I think that they are better viewed as investments. Are you investing additional dollars to help grow the team? We constantly must reinvest in our facilities and equipment because they wear out. Friction of wind and rain wear on the exterior of buildings. Internal parts of equipment grind on one another which require oil, grease, and adjustments to keep them going.
Giving oil to moving machinery is like giving forgiveness to those we are in relationship with. It is a requirement to extend the relationship. Do you view your team as something to reinvest in as well? Is there a line item in your budget for that?
It might be that one of the best returns on capital in a company could be accomplished by investing in its people. If there is no focus on a maintenance and investment system an organization will likely not have one that is effective. What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?
Forgiveness, it is one of the four subjects that I like to include under the area of giving. One difficult situation to forgive is when someone has a display of an emotional tantrum towards you. This type of tantrum, when directed at you, can be downright scary. It makes some cower, others start to boil themselves, while others might even react back.
None of these reactions honor Christ but neither did the tantrum itself. “Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.” Proverbs 1:1 NLT. This Proverb does not give much assistance to us at first glance, or does it?
Maybe it is telling us that our focus should be on being in a relationship with people so that tantrums might be avoided entirely. When was the last time you had a tantrum directed towards God? I expect that many who read this will acknowledge that they have had an experience like this.
Many however, will not see it as a common event. I can imagine myself throwing a tantrum towards God and imagine lightning bolts coming from the skies. I do not generally risk those lightning bolts. Even if we are just tempted towards a tantrum the thought of the lighting bolts is enough to stop most.
Forgiveness is at the core of our deepest personal relationships as it is with our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Who might you need to forgive for a tantrum that you experienced? Who might you want to ask forgiveness from for the tantrum that you gave?
If God can have a focus on grace, I suspect we might want to consider it as well and place a focus on forgiveness. What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?
Let us pray, Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for forgiveness. The restorative power that you give us through forgiveness provides the opportunity for joy. It is like a generator to our relationships.
Bring our hearts and minds to a place today that might allow us to seek and ask for forgiveness where our tantrums of the past are keeping our relationships from growing. Guide us Lord and hold us in the palm of your hand as you restore our hearts and draw us closer to you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,
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