Blueprint

When I was working on my masters in Clinical Psychology, I did my internship at the Department of Psychiatry of the local medical school. As part of my training, I worked under the supervision of several Ph.D. level psychologists and saw patients in the clinic under the guidance of the M.Ds in our department. The clinical staff took their roles as mentors earnestly. Their primary goal was to train quality psychologists and medical doctors. I was esteemed as one of these future generation professionals. It was a very nurturing environment. I treasure the memory of that time in my career. That feeling of worth--of being invested in--created a joy during my work hours that I have not since been able to achieve. John Beckett would not be surprised by my experience. This week we start Part Three of Beckett’s Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul. It’s called Applications, and that was just what I was looking for as I read chapters 12-14. We are on a quest for specific tools to help us find joy in the work of our hands. In chapter twelve, Infinite Worth, Beckett shares one secret that sets his company apart from others in the business world.

I think the important thing is to view people the way God does…there’s something sacred about every individual. Since God attributes unique and infinite worth to the individual, each one deserves our profound respect…They must be viewed as valued, important, worthy. They bear God’s image. If they are of infinite worth in his eyes, they certainly deserve nothing less from us than our profound respect.

Beckett elaborates on how his company carries out this concept by sharing some of their programs to support parenting and education. But how does this help me? The company that I work for is less concerned about the individual than about the number of units the individual is billing. This is great advice for a company, but how about the individual who wants to start Loving Monday? Such things as programs and policies are out of her hands. But respecting others is not. Certainly, seeing my colleagues as image-bearers of the One True God can impact my relationship with them--and as a by-product my job satisfaction. When I look back on my time at the Department of Psychiatry, I see that it was more than program effectiveness that gave me pleasure in my work. It was the way my fellow-workers regarded me: with respect and value. The quality of our interactions with one another can change how we feel about our place of work.

In the next chapter, Beckett goes on to discuss how important it is to find a person’s gifts and help him use them in his life work. He calls it God’s Blueprint, and he believes we are much happier when we follow the Master’s plan.

I feel we are at our highest and best as his employer if we can provide a context for his growth and enable him to find and fit in with God’s blueprint for his life.

Makes sense to me. The last application we explore this week is a doozy.

We spend a lot of time planning and taking preventive measures to avoid trouble…Despite our best plans, however, trouble finds us. There is a reason for trouble, for pressure, for difficulties, for the hassles of life. The uncomfortable truth is they are part of God’s design.

Seems like a flaw in the blueprint to me. Nevertheless, Beckett speaks truth in this. The way we respond to troubles can change the way we respond to our world. We can let them defeat us or grow us. The choice is our own. So, our first three applications in our quest toward loving Monday:

1. Regard every individual in our work environment with respect.
2. Find work that compliments or utilizes our gifts.
3. View trouble as a growth opportunity.

It's all part of the Blueprint. We’ll learn more next week in chapters 15-17. Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think these applications generalize well from a company administration perspective to an individual perspective? Are they as powerful when implemented by the worker as opposed to the CEO?
2. What do you believe to be your main calling/gifting? Does your work fall within that sphere? If not, how can you better use your gifts in your life work?
3. How do you view trouble or conflict in your work environment? Can you think of a way to better view these troubles as God’s instrument?

Photo by h-e-d, flickr creative commons