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If you are a Christian in the working world, working for someone else, you know that your manager or employer can have a lot of influence on your success in your job and in your career. So, it just makes sense that you would want to avoid any mistakes you can in that relationship.
Proverbs 16:16 says: How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!
Wisdom is more valuable than money. Getting wisdom on your job is better than getting a raise! And Proverbs 13:10b says that “wisdom is found in those who take advice.” I’m going to share a little wise advice that just might help you avoid some mistakes in dealing with your manager or employer—or the person in authority over you.
Mistake 1: Complaining about Your Manager.
I would say that it is inevitable that you won’t like everything your manager does. There is bound to be something in their style or skills that you don’t agree with or you feel is ineffective. I can tell you from experience that managers are easy targets for complaining and griping in most organizations.
A man I worked with in my first sales job gave me a good piece of advice, which was: It’s your job to get along with your manager, not your manager’s job to get along with you. That probably goes against our culture today, but let me tell you, that attitude will work very well for you. I know—not all managers are good at their job. I know—not all managers are good communicators. And some managers or employers are pretty close to impossible. I know! But as long as you report to that person, you will do yourself a favor to remember that it’s your job to get along with your manager, not your manager’s job to get along with you!
One of the favorite past-times of many employees is to bad-mouth the boss and the company. If you’re wise, you will avoid that like the plague. Ecclesiastes 10:20 says:
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
What wise Solomon is telling us is that talking behind the back of someone in authority, saying things you wouldn’t say to their face, will almost always backfire on you. Somehow those grumblings make their way back to that person, and they find out what you’ve said. Some little bird tells them! And that is a mistake you want to avoid.