[[{“value”:”

By Rick Moore

At the time of his resignation, the outgoing manager gave the new manager a unique gift. He handed the new manager three envelopes. Each envelope had something written on it, and each contained something inside to help in the event of a crisis. The first envelope had the words “Open During Any Crisis Your First Six Months.” The next envelope had the words “Open During Any Crisis After Your First Year.” The third envelope had the words “Open During Any Crisis After Your Second Year.” The new manager thanked him and stuck the three envelopes in his desk drawer. During the new manager’s first six months, a major crisis arose. He figured this would be a good time to see what is in the first envelope. He opened it up and read these words: “Blame Your Predecessor In Order To Get Out of Your Current Mess.” He did it, and it worked. Shortly after the new manager’s first year, another major crisis arose. He opened up the second envelope and read these words: “Blame The Lack Of Budget And Human Resources For Your Current Mess.” He did it, and it worked. The following year he experienced his worst crisis yet. He opened the third envelope and read these words: “Here Are Three Envelopes For You To Give To The Next Manager Who Will Take Your Place.” He did it, and he was out of work. No matter if you are the new person coming in or the old person going out, there are always challenges.

Consider the following scenario that often plays out in the workforce: After you leave a position, people who care for you may say kind things such as “We like the new guy, but he doesn’t (FILL IN THE BLANK) as good as you did.” They may be innocent in their comments, and you may think you are innocent if you fail to show your support for the new person, but such interactions can prove costly for the person who took your place. The new employee, the new doctor, the new teacher, the new coach, the new pastor, etc., will usually have gifts and talents allowing them to do certain things better than their predecessor. But almost always, there will be things the “old person” did better than the “new person.” When those topics come up, we can choose to extinguish the fire or add fuel to it.

Young people moving their way up the ladder of success often complain they are not given opportunities. Older people who secure the best jobs with the best pay often say young people do not want to listen to experience. Compared to generations before us, the most successful type of mentorship has shifted from rigid apprenticeship, hierarchy, and lifelong paternalistic guidance to a model defined by flexibility, a willingness to accept new technology, and reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring is where junior or younger employees mentor senior leaders, reversing the traditional hierarchical, top-down mentoring model. It fosters cross-generational knowledge sharing, helps leaders understand new technologies and perspectives, and promotes inclusion. In other words, sometimes I have to ask a teenager how to work certain features on my iPhone. True mentoring is a two-way street. You get out of it what you put into it. The choice is yours. You can change with the times, or you can go buy three envelopes.

Rick Moore is Communication Pastor with Destiny Worship Center in Miramar Beach

The post Three Envelopes appeared first on South Walton Life | 30A News, Events and Community Information.

“}]] 

South Walton Life | 30A News, Events and Community Information