Your
Company Just Lost $8 Billion
This is always a great way to
start your day when you work for a company like
I did for 34 years and the news comes out that
the people who are running the firm you worked for were able to perform
at such a high level that they lost 8 billion dollars. Even
in a large firm such as Merrill Lynch, 8 billion
is a big enough number to get a lot of people's attention. The
first reaction is almost always amazement and shock
that anyone could allow such incompetence and ineptitude
to exist while being in charge. The second
shock is that there could be more to come and
this is just the first shoe to drop in a situation
that could worsen as more information comes to light. How
do you react when your company or the institution
you work for makes a major mistake?
The rational way to approach
this is to go back and gather all the facts surrounding
the events that caused mistakes to be made. Sometimes
you will find that there were circumstances that
explain why the losses or the errors were made
and you become the apologist for your employer. Other
times you find that there is no feasible explanation
and you must humbly explain to your clients and
fellow workers that your company was in error in
their actions and trying to defend them is not
appropriate unless there is corrective action to
avoid similar problems going forward. But
this is also a gut check on several counts for
how we deal with unpleasant and difficult situations.
The first issue is always a reminder
of why are you working there or how did you find
yourself in this situation? Is this really
your calling
and your ministry or is this just your job? You
might react the same way no matter how you answer
this question, but for sure if this is your calling
and your ministry, then it is more important than
ever to make sure that no matter what is going on
around you, you must take care of business by
being the BEST possible employee that you can be! Clients
and co-workers will see Jesus thru your witness if
you take the high road and show that you are above
the easy criticism and sarcastic diatribes against
those who may have errored. By the way, I did
not always excell in this as I would clearly admit!
Just as Jesus taught in his parable
of building your house on the rock, if you build
your business on the Rock of Jesus and his teaching,
your company can never undercut you or cause you
embarrassment. There
is a reason why God has called you to be where you
are to be an example of contentment and confidence
when all about you wonder about their future. Your
company may not have lost $8 billion this past week
but sooner or later, every company experiences down
periods. What you do under these conditions
will help you teach others more than all the Bible
verses you can spout. Stand on the ROCK! Matthew
7: 24-28 and Luke 6: 47-49.
Sent October 29 ,
2007
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