This weekend I read a book entitled, Bringing Out The Best In Others! It was written by Thomas K. Connellan, Ph.D. It focused on 5 different situations in particular but alluded to many other areas of life as well.
1. Business (specifically dealing with sales representatives)
2. Business (specifically dealing with production work)
3. Healthcare (specifically looking at departmental needs in a hospital)
4. Education (specifically dealing with teacher effectiveness)
5. Parenting (specifically dealing with motivating children)
It was an interesting and easy to read book. A lot of what it mentioned seemed like common sense, but when looking at the details it became clear that some principles may appear to be easy to understand but a little more difficult to implement. In our day-to-day interactions at home, school, work, or anywhere in the community, are we bringing out the best in others? Do the words we use, the gestures we make, and our overall body language communicate what we are hoping to communicate?
Although the book never addressed the Church community in particular, I started to think about areas in which we as Church could improve upon our skills in bringing out the best in others. Why is it that church congregations often struggle with the dynamics of human interaction as much as secular entities? Why are the Gospel values and principles that we focus on each week not more effectively guiding our behavior towards one another?
There are probably a multitude of answers to that question, but I think this book reminded me that we always have room to improve upon our skills in how we interact with one another. This doesn't just apply to the supervisor/employee relationship or the parent/child relationship. It can apply to all of our relationships. When someone interacts with us, do they walk away at the end of the exchange having been enriched because they encountered the living Christ through us and in us? If we desire the highest and greatest good for others we want them to spend eternity with God in heaven. Do our thoughts, words, and actions lead them in the right direction? What is the message we consistently communicate to others? What are some specific skills that I can work on to improve myself so that I can more effectively bring out the best in others?
1. Business (specifically dealing with sales representatives)
2. Business (specifically dealing with production work)
3. Healthcare (specifically looking at departmental needs in a hospital)
4. Education (specifically dealing with teacher effectiveness)
5. Parenting (specifically dealing with motivating children)
It was an interesting and easy to read book. A lot of what it mentioned seemed like common sense, but when looking at the details it became clear that some principles may appear to be easy to understand but a little more difficult to implement. In our day-to-day interactions at home, school, work, or anywhere in the community, are we bringing out the best in others? Do the words we use, the gestures we make, and our overall body language communicate what we are hoping to communicate?
Although the book never addressed the Church community in particular, I started to think about areas in which we as Church could improve upon our skills in bringing out the best in others. Why is it that church congregations often struggle with the dynamics of human interaction as much as secular entities? Why are the Gospel values and principles that we focus on each week not more effectively guiding our behavior towards one another?
There are probably a multitude of answers to that question, but I think this book reminded me that we always have room to improve upon our skills in how we interact with one another. This doesn't just apply to the supervisor/employee relationship or the parent/child relationship. It can apply to all of our relationships. When someone interacts with us, do they walk away at the end of the exchange having been enriched because they encountered the living Christ through us and in us? If we desire the highest and greatest good for others we want them to spend eternity with God in heaven. Do our thoughts, words, and actions lead them in the right direction? What is the message we consistently communicate to others? What are some specific skills that I can work on to improve myself so that I can more effectively bring out the best in others?
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