Workplace Wisdom – Representing Christ In Our Response To Others
For those of you who may not know, I am an operations manager for a company that designs and installs building automation systems into new and renovated facilities throughout the Philadelphia area. I’ve been working for the same company for 17 1/2 years, and I’ve been in the industry for 19 years. Honestly, I like what I do … most days. I have the opportunity to help people succeed in reaching their career goals, and I have the opportunity to help customers as they seek to find energy-saving and money-saving solutions for their buildings.
People have asked me repeatedly about my career choice. They ask why I didn’t go into full-time missions. They ask me if I’ve ever considered becoming a pastor.
Being a Christian leader in the workplace has its challenges.
Being a Christian in the construction industry can really be tough.
But I’m convinced that God has called me to full-time missions right where I am. I work in an industry where many people are far from God. Coarse language and vulgar conversation is unfortunately not uncommon. There are a ton of people in this industry who need to find Christ and need examples to follow.
Most people at my office know that I’m a Christian, and they know that I’m a pastor’s son. I haven’t tried to hide this fact. But sometimes this puts me in a spotlight where I’m not always comfortable.
The other day, a coworker laid into me for a good ten to fifteen minutes about something that wasn’t my fault. The verbal lashing was completely uncalled for, and I honestly felt like lashing back at this employee. My natural response was to be defensive and to scream back at him. After taking the verbal abuse, I quietly left the room and proceeded to my next meeting. I was frustrated. I was worn out. And I was somewhat perplexed on how to move forward with this employee.
Several years ago, a couple of people in my office started calling me the Raging Reverend. For me, this wasn’t the most flattering nickname. I don’t want to be known as someone who acts with rage in the workplace. I want to be someone who sets the tone for a more positive working environment. I want to show people it’s okay to follow Christ and to work in this tough industry. I want to point people to a better way.
After my meeting and attending to a few other tasks, I knew it was time to approach this employee. While this employee doesn’t directly report to me, I have a responsibility to lead him and to work with him so he can best support other employees in the office. I returned to him with an update on a different topic. The conversation on this topic was brief, but it gave me a chance to break the ice. From there, we got back to the issue which caused the verbal outbreak. As we got back into the issue, he quietly apologized to me confessing to me his need to learn to control his mouth – to think before he speaks. We dealt with the issue and moved on. I was able to empathize with his own frustrations which led to his outburst, but I was able to let him know that it wasn’t acceptable to respond the way he did – to me, to other managers, to fellow employees, or to customers.
I don’t always get it right. I say things I shouldn’t, and I don’t get it right 100% of the time. But people are watching. They want to see how I respond to my own mistakes and to the mistakes of others. How we respond to our own missteps and to the missteps of others matters. We must learn to respond with grace, gentleness, patience, and truth.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6
How can you better represent Christ in your workplace today? What suggestions do you have for responding to situations like the one I encountered this week?
I look forward to reading your response in the comments!