December 19; Sometimes A Parasite Must Be Cut Off From The Host MANAGEMENT BY THE BOOK:365 Daily Bible Verse &One-Minute Management Lessons For The Busy Faithful
19 December
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Romans 7:24
Sometimes A Parasite Must Be Cut Off From The Host
Infection
“If you got me the signed letters two weeks ago, I wouldn’t be having this problem.” There was a corrective interview in progress.
But there was a problem.
Mary, the assistant was berating her boss. This was not the kind of candor the CEO was looking for in her staff.
And Mary was forever busy-busy-busy, actively making mistakes. The staffer was industrious, always moving but work never seemed to get done or get done right.
This is not new. “None are so busy as the fool and knave,” said the English poet, John Dryden, who died in 1700.
She could be described in much the same way as Winston Churchill once said of a US Secretary of State that, “Foster Dulles is the only case I know of a bull who carries his own china shop around with him.” (Kinze 2013)
She was a contagion who made for an unhealthy environment. Typhoid Mary was at first counseled then quarantined but even incidental contact made for a toxic atmosphere.
Ron Newton writes in No Jerks on the Job: Who They Are, The Harm They Do and Ridding Them From the Workplace that this childlike behavior is far too common. He calls them, “Adult Brats.” (Newton 2010)
And some call them “employees.”
***
We can’t pick our kin but we can pick our co-workers. Former Chairman and CEO Michael Hyatt quotes business philosopher Jim Rohn, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Hyatt continues,
If this is true—and I believe it is—we have to be more intentional about the people we choose to associate with.
If we are not intentional, then the Marys who remain in our offices will be like a ‘body of death.’ Bill Cooper of Logos Ministries writes about Romans 7:24,
The above verse was referring to one of the most severe punishments of Roman law. The dead body was literally chained to the murderer — face to face, hand to hand, toe to toe. The condemned man was sentenced to go through the remainder of his life chained to this decaying corpse.
There is no escape from the reminder of your crime.
Forgiven, chosen to follow Jesus, we want to be obedient; but no matter how hard we try, there is still sin in our lives…
If there is to be a change, it will have to be the result of what Jesus Christ does in us.
Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit can change men’s hearts. But the manager may have to make other atonements in separating out the ill-fitting incompetent.
***
Following are Do’s and Don’ts for the textbook termination interview,
Do give as much warning as possible for mass layoffs.
Do sit down one on one with the individual, in a private office.
Do complete a termination session within 15 minutes.
Do provide written explanations of severance benefits.
Do provide outplacement services away from company headquarters.
Do be sure the employee hears about his or her termination from a manager, not a colleague.
Do express appreciation for what the employee has contributed, if appropriate.
Don’t leave room for confusion when firing. Tell the individual in the first sentence that he or she is terminated.
Don’t allow time for debate during a termination session.
Don’t make personal comments when firing someone; keep the conversation professional.
Don’t rush a fired employee offsite unless security is an issue.
Don’t fire people on significant dates, like the 25th anniversary of their employment or the day their mother died.
Don’t fire employees when they are on vacation or have just returned. (Bateman 2012)
We cannot eliminate the sin in our lives but we can remove people from our company.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Romans 7:24
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The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War By Stephen Kinze
Michael Hyatt quoting Rohn accessed 20 March 2014
Management 3ed, Bateman, Snell, McGrawHill, page 189
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