I agree if you think springing forward is hard. This morning, I witnessed the sun coming up one hour later. Everything was dark until 8:00 AM. This shouldn’t happen on a Sunday! It’s hard enough for children’s ministry workers to make it out the door on a regular day, let alone one that has had an hour stolen from it. Daylight Savings Time and children’s ministry do not mix well.
Mentoring is quite the buzzword these days. It seems everyone has a mentor and isn’t limited to an office setting. Since it is so pervasive today, we need to discern between good and bad mentoring.
This cartoon shows what happens when it turns into a bad excuse for a gopher role.
What does an open-door policy do, exactly? I do have one at my work. There are times when I need to close the door for a meeting or to avoid interruptions. And I would say, for the most part, it has been good. But is it always the best policy?
“An open-door policy doesn’t do much for a closed mind.”
Bob Nelson
When I drew this cartoon, My office was a cubicle. Every cubicle worker knows the door is always open when there is no door. Interruptions are the norm. And it has changed the workplace dramatically. If a manager keeps the door closed, they are seen as aloof and unapproachable.
Like most English words, pride is a nuanced word that can have both good and bad meanings. I like what John Maxwell says about pride and humility.
“There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.”
John C. Maxwell
Just when we think we have humility figured out, it causes us to experience pride. The poor guy in the cartoon hasn’t figured this dilemma out yet.
It might not work. Some will like your style while others don’t. There are those who will get what you are conveying while others have no clue. Let’s face it. Matisse knew what he was talking about!
“Creativity takes courage.”
Henri Matisse
Whenever we do something new, we are going to welcome critics. Let’s face it, we don’t get what others are creatively doing either. We have our tastes and preferences. An artist could spend years working on a technique that appears effortless. And that appearance of effortlessness will make others dislike it.
Creativity is messy. It is also noisy. After all, one person’s musical symphony is another person’s rude noises!
Not every creative endeavor is meant to make money or be popular. Who can really predict what is popular next week anyway? If we make those our goals, we may be in for a disappointment.
The pursuit of perfection can kill creativity. If we are searching for the perfect pitch, technique, or approach that will knock everyone’s socks off, good luck! That pressure will squelch creativity.
Besides, my view of what is perfect can be very different from yours. How can perfection be defined in artistic endeavors? Is it the reaction of the public? Or the guarantee of an award-winning project? Perhaps it’s the approval of a client. What if they had a bad day and you didn’t know they hate that shade of purple?
If we are working with businesses, creativity takes courage. Very few business leaders have that chutzpah. Editors will turn down books that become bestsellers. Movie producers will reject movie concepts until they become popular and demands sequels. That song that a producer was convinced was a flop is suddenly his favorite when it becomes viral on TikTok.
Creativity takes courage. It isn’t easy to put our ideas out there. But it is worth it. It is far better to try something and see whether it works than to stay safe and churn out the same old concept.