A fairly new member with a civil engineering company in Group 6 had been experiencing losses for the last four years. The $5-6M Company had lost $800K, $400K, $200K, and $150K respectively. Morale was very low and seemed impossible to reverse. The member, being an engineer, is very analytical and was reluctant to act. The group had been advising him to right-size, but the pending work that could possibly come in was keeping him from cutting too deeply in manpower. Fear was ruling his decisions. It had come to the point where he would occasionally talk about going back to the farm in Tennessee and escape the whole problem. “I’m not cut out to be a leader…someone else should lead this company.” Finally, having a “father/son” talk with the member, I encouraged him to implement the advice of his group. A few critical moves would put him above the waterline on costs, and a little bit of profit would be a WORLD of difference from a bunch of red ink. After all, the employees had heard of nothing but bad news for so long, and they had lost hope of winning. Some of his employees had NEVER experienced a profitable year. He decided to make the moves.
The Wisdom of the Eagle
The eagle is the bird with the longest life span. It can live as long as 70 years, but to reach that age, the eagle must make a very serious and difficult decision. When the eagle is 40 years old, its nails become tight and weak, making it hard to pick up its prey, which is necessary for its nourishment. Its long, sharp beak becomes curved and points toward its chest. Its feathers by now are old, thick and heavy, making flying difficult. The eagle then has to decide between two choices: to die or to face a very painful process of renewal. This process will take 150 days. First, the eagle must fly to a high mountain and find a stone wall where there is a nest so it can stay without having to fly. After finding this place, the eagle begins to hit its beak against the wall until it falls off. Now it must wait for a new beak to grow.
Next, the eagle must use this new beak to remove every talon. When the new claws grow in, it begins to pull every feather off. At the end of these five painful months, the eagle lifts its wings and flies, renewed for 30 more years of life.
In our lives, many times we have to get away for a time of renewal so that we can continue to have victorious lives. We have to let go of customs, traditions, and memories that cause us pain. We need to free ourselves from the weight of the past and look forward to a valuable and enjoyable renewed life.
The Power of Questions
Questions…we all ask them, we all answer them: they are about discovering significant information. But so often we use them without the potential impact of the Power in a Question. Or, said better, The Power of a Well-Asked Question. Think about it.
First, questions can be asked with the potential to provide answers that are significant in both discovery and usefulness. As much as possible learn to ask open-ended questions. (That takes practice!) That is, avoid questions that can be answered by a simple yes/no or a number. The answer you receive will be equally simple and give you no further information or insight into the relevant context. Instead of asking, "Did you enjoy your vacation?", ask, "What was the most meaningful experience on your vacation?" Or, instead of "Have you finished the project yet?", ask, "Tell me where your progress is on the project," or "What have been the greatest challenges in the project?"
Second, there is a caution—and it is a behavior that when ignored greatly depletes the value of the open-ended question's power. The behavior: ask and then STOP and WAIT for an answer. You see, open-ended questions usually force people to think deeper before they answer—and you need to permit them the time to think. If you do not, instead getting antsy and trying to help them answer, they will let you answer for them. You will have learned nothing significant (and you may have proven to them that you really were not interested in them or their answer but only in one that fits your needs).
And that reminds me of a third dimension: how deeply and significantly people respond to your open-ended questions will be directly related to how much they trust you. The things they will wonder about might influence their answers: Why are you asking? Do you really care about them or the situation you are asking about? How will you use the information—for or against them? Will you respond and follow-up with your care and concern?
So the best behavior after asking a good open-ended question is "Let silence do the heavy lifting." That, too, takes practice—and patience!
Living Out Who God Made You to Be
How much of your time do you spend doing things that you both love and excel in? Things that produce outstanding results and rejuvenate your soul—things that others look at and say to you, “How in the world do you do that?” To which your reply is, “I don’t know, it’s easy.” The majority of people spend their days doing things they’re reasonably good at—but not passionate about. It’s not that they’re incompetent. They’re good—they’re just not “Wow!” They don’t hate what they do, a lot of it gives them some satisfaction, they just don’t love it—it isn’t a passion for them.
Most people never take time to discover who God made them to be and what He made them to do—so they live ordinary lives, devoid of the joy and purpose God has waiting for them. They work hard and have moments where they feel God’s pleasure in their work, but there’s no real passion, and work feels more like a hamster wheel than the exciting, abundant adventure Scripture promises. Does this sound like you or anyone on your team?
If you’re like most people, you spend far too little time working in your God-given gifts, strengths and passions—yet that’s what you were created to do! That’s what will bring about God’s best for your life. That’s what God will hold you accountable for.
If you’re tired of doing things which don’t seem to fit you, it’s time for a change. Discover the way God wired you—your gifts, passions, strengths and abilities. Then combine those with your life experiences to gain a better understanding of who God created you to be and what He wants you to do. The payoff will be amazing!
You do best what you love and were created to do—and so does everyone else!
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT).