It's Labor Day! I'm getting ready for a presentation on my trip to Vietnam this Wednesday so that has dominated my mind this weekend. I actually gave it to our faculty and staff at WCS but that was three weeks ago and I need to touch it up a bit. Over the past three days, I've erased a lot of things on my to do list; cleaning my classroom, grading tests, laundry, working out, etc. Even though the year has just begun for us, it's still nice to have an extra day and a four day week. I lifted early this morning, enjoyed a phone call with my good friend, Greg Glenn, and decided to do a little shopping. I had seen an ad for a nearby store and I was interested in what they were offering. When I walked in, I noticed I was the only customer. By the cash register counter, though, there was a conference going on. Three employees were involved with one doing most of the speaking. It was loud enough for me to follow along with as I meandered. The gist of the discussion was the policy for closing up at night and the order in which the procedures took place. The person in charge seemed to be angry and chewing out one if not both of the other workers. I decided I had had enough and left within and a minute or two. As I walked out the door, I heard the typical have a nice day or thanks for coming in or something along those lines. The words rang pretty hollow. You know, I went in with the intention of buying something this morning and might have found what I was looking for in a few more minutes. I like this store and I've had good experiences there but it will be a long time till I darken their doors again. One of their franchises is within a two minute drive of my brother Dave's house and since I'll be in Wichita at times for three consecutive months, I'll think I'll just wait until then.
There are always going to be differences in families and businesses, teams and organizations. Policies need to be hammered out and clearly defined..... but not in a heated way in front of those you hope to be your clients or customers or members. The same goes for churches. Jesus said others would know His disciples by their love, not by their disagreements. Differing opinions are part of life but handling them in private with kindness and respect is the proper way to handle them. Otherwise, you might drive away those you are trying to win. Like me. I wonder if they'll miss me.
Applicable quote of the day:
The only part of an argument that really matters is what we think of the people arguing.
Kim Stanley Robinson
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
Very good advise. Yes differences have to be taken care of in a polite way. Thanks for the reminder.
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