How to Endure Difficult Changes in the Workplace

Have you ever been in a position where you felt that you were unproductive? Has this same position caused you to be unhappy about coming to work? Have you ever been in a position in your career where you found yourself always complaining about the job, the environment or even your boss? Then, all of a sudden your immediate supervisor calls you into his office and informs you that you were being moved into a different department within the company and that your job responsibilities were changing drastically?

In life, these types of sudden, unforeseen changes do occur.   However too often, when it occurs we only see the end result – the actual change. It’s important that we always look beyond the surface and examine the real reason for the change.

In Luke Chapter 13 the parable of the barren fig tree provides us with a good example of how the final change happened. The owner of a particular garden/vineyard had a fig tree that wasn’t producing any figs. For three years, he had come by to partake of the fruit of his labor, the benefit of owning a fig tree.  But each year this particular fig tree was barren. The owner was very disappointed, and immediately, went to the gardener and told him to cut it down. He felt that since it wasn’t producing fruit, then get rid of it.

You see the owner approached the gardener about this unproductive fig tree because he felt it was wasting valuable soil. Behind the scenes the owner and the gardener had a conversation where they evaluated the performance or the lack thereof, of this particular fig tree. And the owner had concluded that this fig tree was not doing its job of producing fruit, so it deserved the axe. On the other hand, the gardener, saw potential in the barren fig tree and he told the owner, “I understand but let me work with it. “Give me some time, allow me to dig around the tree and spread some fertilizer. I believe I can help it to produces some figs”. He continued, “After about a year, if it produces figs, well, we’ll keep it. However, if after a year of working with it and I’ve done all I know to do to help it and it still doesn’t produce, I’ll eliminate it”.

This parable gives us all so much to keep in mind. First of all, we understand the evaluation process is happening whether we are a part of the conversation or not. Within our careers, we must realize that there is always someone evaluating and discussing our performance. I’m also inclined to believe that at some point in our career whether past or present, someone has viewed our performance and decided that we were falling below the radar. Somewhere in our career, unbeknown to us, two people have sat down and reviewed our performance, attendance, work ethic, and tardiness and discussed giving us the axe. Though we may me fail to see it, the conversation took place and someone had mercy on us. One of the two was willing to eliminate us while the other was willing to cultivate and invest in us a little bit more. One sees us as a complete failure while the other sees us as having potential. Thank God for intercessors.

Thank God that along the way someone had mercy on us when we may not have deserved it. Thank God for someone preventing the axe from falling on our roots, especially when we are employed in a company and not producing!

The parable now raises yet another question, why was there no fruit? Why was the fig tree barren for three years? It’s not stated exactly why in the parable, but maybe, just maybe, the fig tree lacked nourishment. Maybe this particular fig tree needed love and attention. Maybe this particular fig tree desperately needed more one-on-one attention. Because of the lack of attention, the fig tree refused to grow up or bear fruit. Many times in our own lives, we fail to produce on our jobs for reasons including but not limited to: the lack of love in our personal lives, financial problems, heartache, hurts, pains etc. As a result, we report for work, but are unproductive with no fruit. Hurting at the roots, we fail to produce on a job that is expecting us to produce no matter what. We’re hired to do a job, being paid to do a job; therefore, we’re expected to produce, regardless of other circumstances.  And in most cases, the manager or supervisor could care less. The bottom line for most employers is simply meeting production on the job.

Another reason why one may be unproductive on the job is because of our negative attitude about the job and life in general. A negative attitude will rear its ugly head in many different forms on the job such things as indifference about the tasks, tardiness, absenteeism, and quite simply insubordination. Again, we always have to be mindful that your manager and your manager’s manager (supervisor) are required to observe your production numbers and are ready to make a decision accordingly. They review the number of days you’re absent, the number of customer complaints on you, the number of times you’re late and number of incomplete files on your desk. For upper management, more often than not, they’re decisions are based solely on numbers. Their philosophy is numbers don’t lie! When they review numbers and the numbers are unfavorable, their decision to reprimand or let you go is a no brainer. However, behind the scenes, your immediate supervisor, the one who works with you daily, like the gardener wants to keep you around. Your immediate supervisor intercedes on your behalf and assumes the responsibility of working with you personally, despite the obvious unproductive numbers.

This new assignment and responsibility given to you by your immediate supervisor raises several questions.  Will you accept the help? Can you allow yourself to be open-minded about change?  Will you allow someone to cultivate your skills and talents to a more productive end result?  Will you endure an uncomfortable season of digging and fertilizing to help you produce, therefore keeping your employed? The gardener’s decision to provide special attention to help the almost axed fig tree to produce some figs was not mandatory, but was simply an act of mercy to help an unfruitful fig tree. The gardener’s efforts of digging around the fig tree and adding stinking fertilizer to the fig tree is to help the tree to grow. The barren fig tree in the parable unlike a human being had no choice. Once the gardener started digging and dropping the manure, the tree couldn’t make statements like, “What are you doing? Get that mess(and we wouldn’t be thinking the word “mess”)away from me. Why are you digging around me?”  Oh no we as humans fail to realize that fertilizer, though it has a very unpleasant odor, it is used to help produce fruit.

Too often when we are given a new assignment or our job description is slightly adjusted for our betterment, we fail to see the big picture involved in the process. Many times we fail to see that the changes are a part of attempts to keep us employed. Many of us fail to realize that a very serious conversation has taken place and that our supervisor, whom we think hates us, can really be trying to help us and salvage our career.

Again, the big question remains, will we endure a difficult season of change? When we find ourselves facing an uncomfortable season full of changes, we should apply the following principles.

1.      Embrace change rather than resisting it.

2.      Embrace change with a positive attitude.

3.      Embrace change silently. Keep your opinions to yourself.

4.      Remember you’re not privy to every conversation. You won’t always know the particulars of a behind the scenes conversation or even that one took place.

5.      Remember it’s not all about you, but about the team. On the job it’s about the betterment of the company. It’s about the team. Not all about you.

6.      Check your attitude. You may be about to get an axe in your career and don’t even know it.

7.      Be willing to grow. A part of growing may require restructuring and a little bit of fertilizer. Fertilizer can come in the form of uncomfortable new responsibilities in a new department

8.      You count! You count the number of times you’re absent, you count the number of times you’re late, and you count the number of complaints that have been brought to your attention. You count the number of times you’re late from lunch. You count the number of outstanding tasks remaining on your desk. Examine yourself!

9.      Remember, everyone is accountable to someone.  Your manager or supervisor is being held accountable for your performance.

Keep in mind that when drastic changes occur, there is more to the plan than meets the eye.  The temporary upheaval may be for your betterment.  However, you must be willing to endure the cultivating, until the fruit begins to grow.

Written by:

Fred Atkins and Bob Arba

May 2008