PROGRAM W-1788 – Part II
It’s Tuesday, one day after Fran and her department have been introduced to their new manager, Ben Mason. He has been transferred in from the Boston office and the first impression in the meeting yesterday was dreadfully bad. To begin with, he is very young and inexperienced to have such a position. In addition, his introductory remarks were abrasive, condescending, and intimidating. Everyone in the department came away with a very negative impression and there is a feeling of doom hanging over the entire group now.
Fran made a terrible mistake of entering into the badmouthing and complaining that was prevalent yesterday, and she was sorely rebuked of the Lord for it. She has determined by God’s grace to have a different attitude toward Ben. She knows from scripture that all authority comes from God and she is required to respect his authority—regardless of how she feels about his abilities. Furthermore, she is determined to see him as God sees him.
Ben has asked to meet with Fran at 2:00 this afternoon. It seems he is calling every account rep in one by one for a conference. So, Fran is taking this lunch hour to pray for the meeting. She goes to her car where she can have some privacy and begins to pray.
“Lord, there is a part of me that is frightened about my meeting today, but I want to release that fear to you and claim your victory over it. I know that my life is in your hands and Ben does not have control over me; you do. Help me to see Ben the way you see him. Remind me that you love him as much as you love me. And guard my words carefully, Lord. You know how I can talk before I think; please guard my words and give me discernment.”
Fran continues to pray, and then meditates a few minutes about the situation. Thinking of her own fears, the Lord seems to impress her with this thought: Ben is afraid, too.
“Of course,” Fran says to herself, “of course, Ben is afraid. So, he’s trying to cover up his fear with this bravado act and this tough attitude.” It’s as though a veil has been lifted from her eyes and she can see fear written all over Ben.
Then she recognizes that God is answering her prayer. She asked to see Ben the way God sees him, and now she can see beyond his tough act to the fear that is behind it. Several verses come to mind as she thinks about this meeting. “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”(Psalm 27:1). “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4).
“Lord,” Fran says, “it’s amazing how your Word always meets my need. Thank you for bringing these verses to my mind.” With that perspective and a calmness in her soul, she goes back into the office, ready for whatever this meeting with Ben brings.
At 2:00 she promptly arrives at his office, only to have to wait fifteen minutes. Another account rep, Laura, is still with Ben. Finally the door opens and Laura comes out. Fran notices that her face is red as a beet and her body language is angry. She looks at Fran and whispers “Get ready, Fran; you’re in for a fight.” Fran smiles and tries to shut her mind to Laura’s words but that gnawing fear climbs back into her mind. Quickly she silently prays, “Lord, help!”
Ben asks her to be seated and proceeds to explain that he is meeting individually with every rep to set new goals and explain what he expects from them. He looks at some reports for a few minutes, and then says, “I see that you have been a sales leader in the office several times, Fran. I guess you think you’re pretty good,” and he looks at her with a sarcastic grin.
“I enjoy the job, Ben, and hopefully I’ve gotten better at it as the years have gone by,” Fran replies, trying to avoid any defensiveness.
“Well, if you ask me, these numbers are pretty anemic for a sales leader. You ought to be doing twice this much business if you’re that good. What’s the matter? Don’t you like going after new business?” Ben asks with an accusatory tone.
Fran is a bit baffled, since she has led the office in new business for several years. What does she say? Another silent emergency prayer goes up, and she finds some words. “Well, obviously, Ben, finding new business is the hardest part of the job. I imagine that you must have been very good at new business, and I am looking forward to learning from you so I can do it better.”
Somehow she manages to say the words with true sincerity, and Fran quietly recognizes that both the words and the attitude came from the Holy Spirit working in her. Ben is somewhat taken back by her response, but he recovers quickly enough.
“You better believe I was good at new business, Fran, and I expect every account rep in this department to be equally good at it. There’s no secret to it, Fran; it’s just hard work and aggressiveness. You have to go after it. Can you do that, Fran?”
Everything in her wants to throw her sales record in Ben’s face and let him know how successful she has been with new business, but something within checks her spirit, and she knows that is the wrong approach to take. “If you will tell me exactly what you expect, I will certainly do my best to do it, Ben. I can assure you that I want to succeed as much as the next person.”
“Here’s what I expect,” Ben says, and he hands her a piece of paper where he has written how much revenue he expects from her in the next six months. The number is almost double her current quota, and Fran has to catch her breath before she can speak. Both anger and fear begin to grip her heart and mind.
Then she remembers what God showed her about Ben—he is frightened—so she says, “Well, to tell you the truth, Ben, this number is frightening. I’ve been working very hard to reach my current quota, and this almost doubles it. If you were trying to put fear into me, I guess you have succeeded,” and she looks at him with a faint smile.
“Well, maybe this whole place needs a dose of fear. That’s the new quota and I expect you to meet it,” Ben says, but he is obviously ill at ease and at a loss for words. He dismisses her and that is the end of their first meeting.
In the days ahead, the whole department is demoralized by Ben’s approach. Fran notices that she is praying more now and realizes that one of the good things to come from this new manager is a new realization of her need to pray more. She is determined that God will help her deal with this with a good attitude and a sense of joy, not fear. Her friend, Louise, is a great help, and together they often pray for the office and each other.
After a three-week period, it becomes obvious to Fran that Ben Mason is all bluff with little substance. His knowledge of the industry, the competition, and the art of selling is woefully weak. “How could he rise to such a position?” she wonders over and over. Some of the directions he gives her and others are absurd, yet he insists they be followed. Much precious time is lost jumping through his needless hoops as he tries to micro-manage the entire department.
But through all these difficult days, Fran continues to pray for the ability to see Ben the way God does. When she is so exasperated that she doesn’t think she can take another minute, she sees again that Ben is consumed with fear and he covers it up with bravado. Actually, it’s becoming clear to everyone, even those in upper management, that Ben is botching his new assignment, and Ben is the butt of many jokes. Seeing this happen, Fran begins to feel very sorry for him and determines again not to utter one word in criticism or gossip about him, but only to pray for him.
One day Louise says to Fran, “I just learned that Ben is married to the daughter of the CFO, Fran.”
“No kidding?” Fran replies. “So, there’s the connection.” Now she sees why he has been given this new position, even though he’s not ready or qualified. “He must be scared to death, Louise. Imagine the impact on his life if he fails to do well here.”
Instead of making her angry, this new information gives Fran a better understanding of Ben and how he got the job. In a meeting with him that very day, after reviewing a proposal for a new prospect, she says, “Ben, would you like to go with me for this presentation? I think it would be impressive for the prospect to meet the boss and I’d be glad to have you help me.”
He looks at her briefly then turns his eyes away, obviously nervous. “I. . . I, uh. . . I really don’t think I have time, Fran,” he says, and then looks at her almost like a child, “but thanks for asking me.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you, Ben?” Fran asks, trying to give him some word of encouragement. Somehow he senses her genuine care and he responds quietly, “Well, if you can tell me how to get these numbers up, that would help. Instead of improving, we’ve actually done worse since I got here. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Ben,” Fran says, “adjusting to a new place is always a challenge. You have to adjust to us and learn about all of us, and we have to adjust to a new management style. Don’t be discouraged about the numbers. They’ll improve, I’m sure.”
Before Fran realizes it, Ben is earnestly soliciting her advice. She spends the better part of an hour giving him some help, trying to do so without hurting his pride. She suggests a different approach to the account reps; she suggests some sales award ideas and other motivational things he might do. Finally he says, “I think you could do this job better than me,” and looks at her with a very humble smile.
“Ben, I know you want to do the job right and you want to succeed, but you need all of us on your team,” Fran says. “I just want you to know I’m on your team. I’ve been praying for you since they told me about the management change. And I believe you can succeed here.”
“Praying for me?” Ben is astonished.
“Well, yes,” Fran says, “I believe in prayer and I talk to the Lord about everything in my life. It really makes a difference.”
She leaves the conversation at that point, assuring Ben that she is available to help anytime he likes. He changes his mind and decides to go with her for the presentation on the next day. And with that beginning, there is a change in Ben Mason, as he recognizes his own inadequacies and begins to truly try to correct the mistakes he has made as the new manager.
I know—this is just a fictional story and you’re thinking it would never work out that nicely. Maybe not, but you never know what God is up to when you accept difficult people and let him control your attitude and your actions. The purpose of this story is that regardless of how that difficult person responds to you, you should always treat them with respect and kindness. Oh, for sure you may have to confront and take a firm stand in some situations, but even that must be done in a loving way and from loving motivations.
Two verses God brings to my mind come from 1 Corinthians:
“Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
“Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)
What else is guaranteed never to fail? Only love. More often than not, when we let God love others through us, it not only changes us, but it changes the other person, too.