Nathan Tabor
Guest Contributor
What started out as a recovery program for alcoholics among twentieth-century multi-step programs has become effective and fashionable for other human endeavors in the twenty-first century as well.
The original 12-Step Program created by Bill Wilson and “Dr. Bob” to treat alcoholics has been modified to master numerous problems, including rage, overeating and other pathologies. If you are seeking success in the business world, you may find a step program abundantly helpful in the workplace. An organized approach can help you achieve not only financial gain and security, but it is also a prescription for healthy living – both in and out of the office.
Check your spam box, and you will find numerous emails that promise instant wealth (or most anything else) by following three easy steps! If I knew three easy steps to become instantly wealthy, I wouldn’t have time to share them with anyone!
My concept for a good and reliable step program for success in the workplace is only three steps, but they are comprehensive and far-reaching. Like any personality trait worth possessing, it will take personal work and dedication. But then, isn’t that what success is all about? Isn’t it about exerting hard work and commitment to achieving a singular goal or a set of goals?
Here’s what you can do to install a three-step program into your daily life.
The Workplace Three-Step Program
Step # 1 – Assume the role of leader in your work environment. That doesn’t mean for you to take control of your office and order people around, even if some co-workers are subordinates. Assuming a leadership role means to first adjust your attitude about yourself, then your attitude toward your co-workers and your supervisors. A Christian is called to lead others to righteousness. In the secular workplace, you can lead others to righteousness by setting an example for others so that they will wish to emulate you.
In our lives, we should be a constant and living example to others. Projecting a positive attitude, maintaining an ethical performance and displaying a conscientious and sympathetic demeanor are all keys to gaining the respect of our superiors and the confidence of our subordinates and co-workers. Leadership literal means to serve others.
Step # 2 –Pray for God’s wisdom and His guidance. While most step programs don’t mention God or the Holy Spirit, they do refer to a higher power. You must be willing to be obedient to God, your higher power. Pray not for material things, but instead pray for God to reveal His will for your life, including your life’s work. Ask Him where He would have you work and live. He may wish for you to remain in your current workplace despite a conflict with your manager. Or you may be called to pursue a new work position in a new location far from where you always believed you’d live. Even if it appears to be a risk to change careers, you should follow God’s lead. That’s showing fait – a true belief in things both seen and unseen.
Prayer should become part of your workday in the same way that coffee breaks and lunch times do. By prayer, I don’t mean reciting a “gimme list.” Instead, ask for direction, for wisdom and for knowledge. As with anything else, the more you practice, the better you become.
Step # 3 –In a number of step programs, there comes a time to make amends with those you may have harmed or with whom you are in conflict. In the workplace, this is usually someone who is your superior, usually an immediate supervisor. If you are in management, it may be a fellow manager or someone under you. The important thing is that you have achieved the goals in the first two steps. Once you’ve adjusted your attitude, then you’ll be ready to “bury the hatchet” and make peace.
Speak to this person privately and confidentially – meaning don’t blab to your fellow workers that you plan to meet. No matter what your gripe is, ask for his/her forgiveness. Don’t make excuses or try to explain your own behavior. Take responsibility for the conflict or misunderstanding. If he/she accepts your apology, he/she will know you are sincere and may even grow to like and respect you. Or he/she may refuse to accept your apology.
The important thing is that you take the initiative to address a workplace conflict. Whether he or she accepts your apology and shakes your hand, or refuses to address the subject is not your concern. Your concern should be to keep your side of the street clean, as they say in other step programs. In other words, you are responsible to God for your own actions not those of others. If you make amends, it is not your responsibility for another person to accept your attempt or not. It is only your responsibility to correct your previous wrongdoings.
Start implementing these three steps in your professional career today and see what happens in your life tomorrow!
