Honoring your way to Career Success (February 27th Lesson 7)

Winter 2023 Table Talk

Smile and dazzle them! That was one of the training modules on my first job at Zenith International Bank PLC, Nigeria. Accept complaints as gift! That was another session on customer service training. Are new employees still exposed to these materials? Your success in life depends on a key pillar- relationship. What you become or are becoming in a relationship is a factor of your communication and engagement. However, the outcome of your engagement with a person or an organization depends on your carriage and your perception. Believe it or not, you are a brand.

Treating yourself as valuable individual depends on your self-responsibility. Knowing what you bring to the table is a function of your self-awareness. Every act of service- profitable or voluntary, is a dish, peppered with courage, served on a plate of humility, placed on a tablecloth of integrity, silverware with passion, placed on the table of confidence, in a room full of love. All these matter in community service. All these are key to career advancement.

Career success vary- some are good at the beginning but bad in the end. It all depends on how you got it. Some build others to reach the pinnacle, while some try to suppress others to shine. In the end, how you achieve your career success speaks. Good success is a combination of bringing your authenticity to the work place and knowing who invited you to the table. While your skill will get you through the door, it takes more than that to keep you in the game. That is exactly the purpose of this post- to draw lessons on key winning attitude for career success.

On the last week of the table talk, we uncovered the place of honor at every stage in your career using four examples- the two sons in Mathew 21:28-45, Rahab- the contractor in Joshua 2 and 6, Moses- the people's manager in Exodus, 2, 4, and 9, and Jesus- the servant leader in John 11:5-13. On a side note, the table talk meeting ended already, but the lingering effect continues. There are still many areas of honor to study.

In prior lessons, we identified some currencies of honor. Here are my top currencies:

• Time: Spending time with valuable individuals is honorable to them and to us too. When you call, visit, or check in on valuable individuals, you are spending the currency of honor. When you are intentional with whom you share your presence with, that is being honorable to yourself and others. You show honor by valuing other's time. Don't assume they have all day to spend unless you are told.

• Treasure: You can never go wrong with financial commitment (treasures) to valuable relationship. No one hates a giver. Even if you don’t like them, you pretend to like them anyway because of the gifts. Hope you are not like that. Be a contributor in every relationship.

• Tongue: Either in public or in the decision room, it is honorable to speak well of valuable individual. Your word of mouth or using your tongue to speak fondly of valuable individual is honorable. It is difficult to draw grace from a platform you disrespect. Tongues are currency of honor. Marketers and musicians know how to use this to their advantage. It is honorable to listen, it is honorable to lower voice when addressing adult, it is honorable to smile. It is honorable to be quiet. Being empathetic is honorable.

• Temperament: A temperament that lacks discernment is dishonorable. While you are trying to be yourself, you show honor by managing your temperament around valuable individual. Can you imagine a parent being physical in the public in the presence of the kids? That is so disrespectful to those young minds. Respect flows both ways.

Be sure, this is not the end on the topic of honor. Every currency of honor requires honor to remain honorable. How can a person who don’t value others time respect the investment of time? Can a person who doesn’t manage treasure have enough to share and spend in honor? How can someone who is not discipline in conversation understand the power and weight of words? How can an individual who has not fully embraced her individuality spend the currency of temperament? On the How Platform, these questions shall be answered.

What is career advancement? What is career progression. What do you need to be valuable at your workplace?

You interviewed for the job! The company liked your resume. The company gave you an offer. You had some negotiation around pay, start date, time off, development opportunities, and other perquisites. While you are just so excited about the job, while you are just so grateful to have landed this opportunity with your dream organization, let me be bold to say, honorable employee negotiates offer. Honorable employees are passionate about their job and the organization. Honorable employees ask questions to understand their responsibilities. Honorable employees seek guidance to provide excellent results. Honorable employees is a team player! Honorable employee are proactive. Honorable employees streamline process. Honorable employee is committed to self-development. Honorable employee understands what they bring to the table and areas for development. Honorable employee understands and keep up with industry trends. Honorable employees are professionals and build the brand of the organization. Honorable employees work towards their next move!!

Let’s start with consultant job similar to the case of a father and his two sons. Father called son A; I need you to run some errands. Son A, answered in the affirmative, only to return back to play his game. Father called son B , I need you to do something for me. Son B bluntly said No, I am not able to help but later changed his mind and granted the father’s request. Jesus asked, which one of this is a faithful servant?

How is the story related to growth and development?

As a young professional or early career professional or early business owner, there are several lessons in this story. In this era of social media, your product's reviews matter. Your service to a customer determines whether you get a call back or a referral from the customer. As a consultant or contractor in a short-term employment type of work, be like son B. Under promise but overdeliver on your assigned project. Let the customer be clear on your deliverables and if they ask for more, be clear on your service and add an extra touch. Go extra mile to make an impression on your customer. For instance, if customer purchase a leather purse, add a small size of your recently launched perfume product to the package. Under promise with time, and work towards a delivery ahead of expected turn around.

Now let’s draw some lessons from a prostitute that became a woman of faith- Rahab. She lived on the city wall. Men visit her for information, intelligence, and for her body. However, her act of confidence, mixed with bravery made her side with God’s people. Faith is confidence in action. Rahab was listed on the hall of faith in Hebrew 11. How did that happen? Joshua 1-3 told of a woman from Jericho, a town God was going to give to the Israelites as inheritance. Two men were sent to check out the land. Rahab chose not only to hide these men in her roof, but also lied to the king's eunuchs when asked if she had seen them. She sent the king's messenger on a goose chase, negotiated a good deal with the spies, and then send them safely home. Not afraid of losing her life, she trusted these strange spies against her own people. When Israelites conquered, the two spies made sure Rahab and her household were safe. Bravo, you say, chattering the glass ceiling you call it, there are notable lessons here:

• Rahab resume and skill made her well suited for the job. She has intelligence on the migration into and out of the city of Jericho. She also has understanding. You are hired because of what your value. Leverage your competitive edge. No one is doing you a favor. Know what you bring, know your job, and deliver your worth excellently.

• Rahab lived on the wall and understand Jericho's terrain, and the people of Jericho. Know your business, know your consumer and know how and where to ask questions about the current direction and vision of your organization.

• Rahab was trusted- She knows it is honorable to know how to handle classified information. At your workplace, know what to share, know what to hide, and know when to mind your business

• Engage the power of negotiation- Rahab asked what was in this for her. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. She valued her worth. There is no humility in lack of self worth.

• Rahab was specific in her request. Be very specific in your communication on what and where you like to be within your organization.

• Rahab is well respected by all including the king. Joshua 2:3 tells us the king sent her message to bring out the men who came to her house - be good at your stuff so well that no one doubt your delivery.

• Be bold and confident. Get others to be committed to your career development. Joshua 2:14

• Self-care is your number one goal. Rahab honored herself by following the contract. Understand your workplace policy and guidance, then follow it strictly Joshua 2:17

There is a staggering difference between a boss, a manager, and a leader. Young Moses saw an Egyptian mistreated an Israelites and mediated to the point of killing an Egyptians. That incident led to Moses exit out of Egypt. When you engage your superiority to crush the confidence of your subordinates, you are a boss. A boss micro-manages. A boss over-kill with demands. While a manager, panders subordinate ego to get the job done, there is no path for a manager subordinate to become a leader.

Leadership is influence. A leader helps other become a better version while mentoring subordinate to be better individuals and not only to do the job. Moses' hiring process was fiery, I mean who gets an offer from a strange voice out of a burning bush? Out of a burning bush a voice came to inform Moses of an assignment he unintentional prepared for 40 years. Who do I say called me? What do I tell Pharaoh, Moses asked. I am that I am sent you. Moses recognizing he was a stammered rejected the obligation of being the spoke person of the Israelites- a group of people that are highly complicated to lead. Oh, I can’t speak well. And God, whom you can think of as the hiring manager told him, there will be support for these identified weaknesses. Think of Moses as a mid career person- having people report to him while he himself report directly to God. What are the honorable traits for his career growth and development?

By purpose, Moses has been called to lead the Israelites. He was so passionate about the job that he killed. He was committed to his assignment that he was found watching Jethro- his father sheep. What he was doing was a pointer to what he would be doing. What he had in his hand was enough to navigate the new terrain of being the leader of God’s people. What are you doing? How are you doing it? What are your current skill sets? Your answer to these questions is a gleam to your future. Honorable managers:

• Understands the assignment.

• Have a good broad understanding of the industry or business.

• Recognizes missing skills and find a way to complement it.

• Know who was interested in your skills- Moses who are you Lord and what do I tell the people

• Value what you bring to the table, sometimes as a leader it may just be your organizational skills

• Know how to introduce yourself to the new position and to your colleagues.

• Identify area of weaknesses during interview and find a way to overcome it- I am a stammerer Moses said.

• Know the resources/ training that are available.

Personal leadership is a discipline, dedicated, and purposeful living. While becoming a leader may not be your current status or a future desire, the lessons from Jesus' washing disciples' feet highlight lessons on honorable leadership. Our next blog will focus on leadership.

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This material is created freely for small and large group study. All opinions are mine.