Passing the Buck

 

Inasmuch as it is fitting not to pass the buck, there are legitimate occasions when the buck must be passed for corporate good and whoever it is passed to must accept it in good faith in the spirit of collective responsibility and move on

Life Without God

Life Without God

In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favourite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honour. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson’s disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, ‘We don’t expect a major address. Just come and let us honour you.’ So Billy agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, “I’m reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honoured by Time magazine as the Man of the Century.

Einstein was once travelling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.

The conductor said, ‘Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.’

Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor then continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. The conductor rushed back and said, ‘Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.’

Einstein looked at him and said, ‘Young man, I too know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”

Having said that, Billy Graham continued: ‘See the suit I’m wearing? It’s a brand new suit. My children and my grandchildren are telling me I’ve gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I’ll be buried, but when you hear I’m dead, I don’t want you to remember the suit I’m wearing. What I want you to remember is this: I not only know who I am. I also know where I’m going.”

“Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil – it has no point.”

– Author Unknown

Meditation: And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. – 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NLT)

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Best Service You Can Do Yourself

It appears the best service anyone can do him/herself is to be aligned to the Almighty God. No matter the struggles to live up to His high ideals and in spite of the mistakes we make in the course of daily living, we are best served serving God.

 

Legacy of Success

There was a certain wealthy man who lived in a certain town. He had just a son; when the boy grew up, he wanted to take over the father’s estate.

His father gave him a condition he must fulfil before he can hand over his multibillion-dollar business to him. The condition: Earn 10,000 dollars and show me the money.

The son sought help from his mother and brought the money to his father claiming he worked for it. His father collected the cash and threw it into the oven. The two watched until the whole money was burnt to ashes.

He admonished his son to go on and work for the money and bring it to him. The mother again gave him another $10,000 and told the boy to wait for some time, disguise and look worn out before seeing his father.

When he eventually met his father with the money, the old man was at the same spot close to the oven. The man took the cash and again threw it into the oven. The two men again watched the $10,000 burnt to ashes. Again, the man said, “Son, go work to save $10000 and show me. Only then will my inheritance will be yours.”

The boy was furious knowing that his father was determined on the condition of working and saving up $10,000 before he could have access to his inheritance.

Again, he met his mother for advice, as she was thinking of another option they could use to outsmart the old man, he suddenly told his mother not to worry, that he would go out and work to save the money for his father.

The boy travelled to another town where he could get employment, as no one believed him enough to hire him in their locality, the only son of a wealthy man doing a commoner’s job! He spent years denying himself of food, pleasure, good accommodation, designer wears and every comfort he was accustomed to as a rich man’s child just to save up the money for his father.

When he eventually came back home his mother could hardly recognise him. He has emaciated and looked ragged. Without much ado, he quickly went to present the money to his father who incidentally was seating at the very place close to the dollar-burning oven.

He presented his father the money he has saved with pains and hunger. The old man took the money again and threw it into the oven. But immediately, the boy dived headlong into the fire and rescued the money. He exclaimed, “Father! You can’t burn my sweat!”

The father replied, “You absolutely worked for this very one, son. Nobody will stand looking to see his effort being burnt to ashes, as you have done at the previous times your mother helped you.”

The old man, now satisfied with his son, willed all his wealth to him.

Morals:

1. People put value on things that cost them most.
2. Wealth gotten through easy ways will soon end up in the oven.
3. Before handing over your business to your child, first hand wisdom to him or her.
4. Like most of us with poor background, sometimes we denied our children valuable experiences they need to succeed in life by too much pampering, saying ‘I don’t want them to experience what I experienced’ forgetting that such conditions added up to make you what you are. Sometimes create artificial scarcity.
5. Don’t forget to share your story with your family. Your children will need it someday to solve life challenges
6. Wisdom and good name are the best inheritance you can give to your children.
7. The billion dollar wealth handed over to your children without character and morals will end up in the hands of your servants and maids that possess them.
8. Success is not taught in schools, but through hard work, dedication, courage, focus, perseverance, character, etc.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase. – Proverbs 13:11

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Experience Grace

I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time right before the final in my Youth Issues class. When I got to class, everybody was doing their last-minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We went through the review, most of it right on the study guide, but there were some things he was reviewing that I had never heard of. When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn’t really argue with that.

Finally, it was time to take the test.

“Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one and I’ll tell you to start,” our professor instructed.

When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in! The bottom of the last page said the following:

“This is the end of the Final Exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an ‘A’ on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced…grAce.”

He then went around the room and asked each student individually, “What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?”

Now I am not a crier by any stretch of the imagination, but I had to fight back tears when answering those questions and thinking about how the Creator has passed the test for me.

Discussion afterwards went like this: “I have tried to teach you all semester that you are a recipient of grace. I’ve tried to communicate to you that you need to demonstrate this gift as you work with young people.

Don’t hammer them; they are not the enemy. Help them, for they will carry on your ministry if it is full of GRACE!”

Talking about how some of us had probably studied hours and some just a few minutes but had all received the same grade, he pointed to a story Jesus told in Matthew 20. The owner of a vineyard hired people to work in his field and agreed to pay them a certain amount. Several different times during the day, he hired more workers. When it was time to pay them, they all received the same amount. When the ones who had been hired first thing in the morning began complaining, the boss said, “Should you be angry because I am kind?” (Matthew 20:15).

The teacher said he had never done this kind of final before and probably would never do it again, but because of the content of many of our class discussions, he felt like we needed to experience grace.

Have you thanked your Creator today because of the grace you have experienced?

— Author Unknown

Meditation: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

How to Become a Better Professional

 

Professionalism is a desirable attribute that almost everybody would love to be labelled with. And for good reason – being professional has its perks.

In fact, it is almost crucial to your success as a businessperson.

If you work on yourself and exhibit professionalism, marketing becomes easy. People will look for you, not you looking for them. It’s as simple as that.

My organisation, TRW Consult, has done quite a lot of work in the past, and honestly, 95 per cent of our clients have come through referrals. Not by marketing, calls, et cetera, but by people who recognise that these people are professionals in their field.

That is why we prize professionalism dearly. It brings many favourable opportunities our way.

When people see you as a professional, they’ll come right to your doorstep.

Take the story of King Solomon for instance – a great, renowned man of wisdom who was visited by multiple dignitaries eager to learn from him, including fellow monarchs. Not less the Queen of Sheba. What is wisdom but the application of knowledge – knowledge of life views? If you have the wisdom to solve problems in life, then people will look for you.

But you have to work on yourself.

So in this article, we’ll look at exactly what you need to do to become a better professional.

 

Definition of Professionalism

What exactly is professionalism?

Oxford Reference defines it as

“the combination of qualities and conduct regarded as essential to professional practice. These include knowledge, skills, relevant competence, behavioural qualities, and values of honesty, integrity, ethical probity, and capability of working well with patients or clients, colleagues, and representatives of the public.”

The Oxford Learners’ Dictionary on its own part calls it

“the high standard that you expect from a person who is well trained in a particular job”

To the Cambridge Dictionary, it is

“the combination of all the qualities that are connected with trained and skilled people”

Your professionalism brings you prestige. It is a way to place yourself on a pedestal that makes you visible. Getting up there, however, actually requires conscious effort on your own part.

 

How to Be a Better Professional

I have grouped what you need to do into two, which I’ll call intrinsic and extrinsic factors (or to-dos).

 

Intrinsic Factors

Personal bearing

Your personal bearing includes your thoughtfulness. How much thought do you apply into what you do?

If you think things through, you make life easier both for yourself and others. If you don’t, you make life tougher. Thinking things through allows you to organise yourself better.

So, to start the journey towards becoming a better professional you must first ask yourself: How much thought do I put into my work and to myself?

You’re called a writer, an editor, a social media specialist, an accountant, et cetera. But how much thought do you apply to that calling? How often do you sit and plan yourself adequately? When you rush into things recklessly and without calculation, you leave a lot half-done – or end up wasting so much time without actually gaining meaningful ground.

Thoughtfulness also helps you prioritise your activities. You are able to plan yourself and have a schedule - perhaps on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, or even for the year.

When you do so, you are able to achieve more.

Once you can prioritise and adhere strictly to it, that’s time management. Time management and optimisation is a useful tool for any professional.

Personal carriage

How do you dress? When people see you, will they think you are dressed like a professional?

There’s a way accountants look, for instance. You are often able to see them and say, “This is an accountant.”

Your personal carriage matters because people tend to profile you with a single glance, particularly when they are meeting you for the first time. And that profiling often influences the rest of their relationship with you.

Besides your dressing, how do you comport yourself?

What can people observe from the way you speak - both in public and privately?

These are things that define you, that allow people to categorise you.

Additionally, you must be self-aware if you are to be termed a professional. You need to ask yourself key questions about your own behaviour. If you are a writer, do you speak or act like a writer? What are the things you do or don’t do that writers should or shouldn’t be doing? If you are an accountant, do you talk and think like an accountant?

Personal grooming also comes in. Do you have body odour, for instance? Are you aware of whether you have body odour or not? Some, due to the nature of their work, end up wearing the same set of clothes for days. It would be awful if you were meeting a client, and then the first thing they’d perceive is the unpleasant smell oozing from your clothes.

Personal conduct at work

What is your conduct like at your workplace? How do you relate with your clients or colleagues? When people see you, does it tally with what you claim to be?

You need to be able to answer these questions positively. And if you cannot, then you know what to start working on.

Moreover, what kinds of things do you post on social media? Does your posting emphasise your professionalism or water it down?

Your personal conduct at work also relates to how you approach tasks. To be a better professional, you must be resourceful.

When faced with a task, you need to examine and study all possible options rather than just pick one and not give a thought to the others. That certainly doesn’t help you grow – as an individual or as a professional.

When you consider other options you are able to gain knowledge from various aspects, and when you speak, people consider you experienced and capable at what you do.

You equally need to structure yourself, so that you will not work based on feelings. As humans, we are feeling beings, and at some point some people take a look at a piece of work, put it down and say “No, I don’t feel like doing this.”

You need to be able to perform that task despite your feelings to the contrary, by virtue of it having been fitted into your timetable. You need to structure it into your own psyche that tasks of that nature need to be accomplished, and that there is no point in pushing them away simply because you do not feel like doing them.

You will not always feel like working, but understanding that work is meant to be done and structuring yourself accordingly will make you come across as a professional.

If you are a feeling worker, you are not a professional. But if you are structured in the way you work, then that is tilting towards professionalism.

So, ask yourself: Do you stop working at times simply because you don’t feel like it? Or do you approach work in a structured manner?

If you have superiors at your workplace, what do they think about how you work? Are you a superior’s delight or a superior’s nightmare?

Are you the type who often sees work and prays it doesn’t come to your table? Or are you the type who understands that work is necessary and so rises up to the challenge?

Extrinsic Factors

The extrinsic factors include the values that stem from the people around you or from your workplace environment.

What is the ethos of your workplace? Every workplace, office or organisation has its own values, philosophies and ideals. How much do you know of these values of your existing organisation? And what are your own values as a person in business?

How much do you comply with them and what is the level of your compliance?

As a professional in your field, you need to be identifiable as a person of proper conduct as well as capacity.

The Journey is Yours to Make

These are steps you have to take by yourself. You are not forced to become nor are you made a professional. It is a process you have to undergo by yourself with your eagerness to thrive as your only motivator.

You go through the process by structuring yourself accordingly. No one will take you by the hand and walk you there.

Plus, it is a ladder and you have to take it rung by rung. Like a school exam, you have to do well in a particular stage before you are certified to advance to the next.

And of course the higher you go the greater the challenges.

You are your own manager.

Distractions Take You Further From Your Goals

 

Whatever is not taking you closer to your goal, but only takes you away or farther from it, is a distraction.