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Manage By Being a People Pusher

As Christian's we are charged to be people pushers. Now before anyone gets the wrong idea and sends the Church police after me, let's be clear. We aren't charged to push people around. Rather, we need to push them up.

We all know people that need a push up. Perhaps there was a time in your life when you were the person God called to give the push. Sometimes, even we need a push, and you can probably remember when God provided someone who gave your life a push up. God has a plan and a purpose for everyone; some could say that is their potential. God's plan is for us to reach our potential with whatever talents, skills, and experiences we have. Remember that all things are gifts from the Father, and to not use them would mean not being a good steward of those gifts.

My good friend and personal coach recently told me that your potential is a gift from God and you reaching that potential is your gift back to Him. I have never forgotten, nor will I ever forget those words.

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What keeps us from reaching or even trying to reach our potential? It is often self-doubt. Picture if you will a familiar cartoon: An angel on one shoulder with the little red devil with pitch fork in hand on the other. The angel whispers encouragement while the little red devil tells you that you'll never make it. "You're not smart enough, pretty enough, good enough to do that," he screams.

While the mental image might be funny and even cute, that little red devil is real (although whether or not he is red and little is questionable). This is our enemy, and his only goal is to keep you down; keep you from succeeding. He is, in effect, the saboteur.

A recent study indicated that over 75% of people incarcerated in the United States were told as a youngster that they would go to prison. Perhaps that kind of language might scare someone straight. Instead it planted a seed and became a self-fulfilling prophesy. If we are told something long and often enough, we tend to believe it.

Being a people pusher suggests that we are the little angle sitting on someone's shoulder giving encouragement and support. As our Lord works through us, we are able to help others see their potential and encourage them to develop themselves and exercise the gifts they have.

First Thessalonians 5: 14-16 reads, "And we urge you, brothers, warn those that are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but try to be kind to each other and to anyone else. Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

As a business coach, I encourage my clients to water what they want to grow. In other words, offer a word of praise to someone you see making strides – even baby steps – in reaching their potential. This is counter-intuitive to the way most of us might have been raised or even managed in the past. Many in management positions have been taught to believe that bringing up failures and weaknesses and how to correct them will make for positive changes. Of course, if people are performing poorly, those issues need to be addressed. But studies show there is little doubt that if you focus on the positive in others, it will grow in them.

Sometimes, we have to plant the seeds before we can even begin to water them. Speaking good thoughts into someone is how to plant good seeds. Look for potential and tell them what you see. Push them to stay focused on these gifts, tell them that you know they have more to contribute, water them, and then watch them grow.

The poet Goethe, said, "Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is; treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be"

Marcus Buckingham in his work, The One Thing You Need to Know, talks about four secrets to successful management.

• Attract good people
• Set clear expectations
• Give praise
• Care about them

Caring for someone means you want the best for them. You want them to grow and flourish in their life and work. Mangers that do not care for their people take this people-pushing idea the wrong way, and often do so out of their own fear.

Another coach I work with often says, "Graduate them or fire them." This may sound a bit harsh and if you knew him, you would understand that, even though he can be a bit in your face, his motives are always good. What my friend and fellow coach is talking about suggests that if you are not growing your people, if you do not plant the right seeds in them, you might as well fire them because the level of work they are giving is the best there is, and it will only go down from there. Nothing can stand still; change is inevitable. Make sure the change in those that you manage and lead is positive.

Manage by being a people pusher. Tell them that you know they have strong talents and the only thing stopping them is their own doubts. Samuel first planted a seed of faith in David when he met him at his father's ranch when he was just a boy and told him he would be King of Israel. With that planting, David believed and took that faith – and a sling shot – into battle and victory.

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