For such a time as this

 From the foundation of the earth, my bags were packed.  While that may seem to be weird metaphor, it is exactly what God did.  He equipped me, because He knew what He had planned for me.

Psalm 139 describes how He feels about me, in great detail.

1 

You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

2 

You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 

You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

4 

Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

5 

You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

6 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.

7 

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

8 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

11 

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

    and the light become night around me,”

12 

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

    the night will shine like the day,

    for darkness is as light to you.

13 

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

17 

How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

18 

Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand—

    when I awake, I am still with you.

Is your Company Self-Absorbed?

 

We have all known someone that is capable of making every conversation about themselves.  Even when they try to feign interest in you, it is still about them.

"Enough about me.  Tell me what you think of my accomplishments."

This kind of self-centered and self-absorbed behavior is not something that we seek out.  In fact, when given the choice, most of us would turn tail and run in the other direction.

Yet, our companies are often guilty of exactly the same thing.  

Looking in the Mirror

In our team meetings, it is generally all about us, or all about our product, or all about our productivity or profitability, or both.  In our client meetings it is often more of the same.  

While it is obvious why we don't like this behavior, we need to make sure that we are also looking in the mirror.  

When trying to convince others to agree with them, many people talk too much.  Is this you?

If in every encounter, whether with staff, prospects, clients or even family and friends, we are waiting for the other person to stop talking long enough to get in our point, that is a great indicator that you may be guilty as charged. 

The antidote?

On a personal level, here are some things that you can do to make sure that others don't want to run away from you.

Listen to other people speak first. 

Ask them questions.    

If you disagree with them, you may be tempted to interrupt. But don’t.

Listen patiently and with an open mind and encourage them to express their ideas fully.

Shifting the Atmosphere

On a corporate level, ask yourself if your meetings are normally your "show."  While that might seem efficient, you may be missing out on getting to really know your team.  You may even be decreasing productivity by not doing so.  

Imagine what would happen if you spend the first five minutes of your weekly meeting going around the table with each team member sharing the high points and low points of their week.  

No topic is off limits.  Give it more than one try.  The first time around, you may find people only focusing on the high points and being afraid to share the low ones.  Oh, and make sure that you set the tone by being transparent about yours as well.

As trust builds, you should feel a change in the atmosphere.  

The other amazing thing that can happen is that you will begin to see your team step up to help one another.  

I'll wait to hear about the other really incredible things that change for you and for your team.