Humiliated

Chester* and his team of five saw that their boss, Attila, was in trouble.  Without consulting his managers, Attila hastily overcommitted his company to fill an order of 1000 Demoplastique to a client with zero patience for lateness.  Attila’s company experienced 600% growth since COVID and shipped to over 120 countries. Lately, however, they had more orders than they could fill in time, and a missed deadline with BroadStar could result in a slew of lawsuits because their CEO was a cutthroat, unforgiving leader. ​

Chester, driven by his team's dedication and the urgency of the situation, arranged with a competitor to make up the difference of what they lacked so they could meet BroadStar’s deadline.  His plan worked. Or did it? When Attila found out what they had done, instead of being grateful for their quick-thinking solution, the volatile leader brought Kester and his team into his office and berated them for violating a minute regulation about partnering with competitors that could have been mitigated by their lawyers. Five days later, four of Chester’s team members quit. They were, done sacrificing time and effort for a self-absorbed Attila, the Gun.
 
Meditation
2 Samuel 19:5,6--Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.
 
Even the best leaders, like King David, can make monumental mistakes that humiliate their followers. In David’s case, he put his love for his traitorous son, Absalom, above the value of his army and friends, who sacrificed everything to save his kingship. David lacked emotional intelligence at a critical point in time, and had it not been for Joab’s intervention, he could have lost his throne.
           
In Nine Minutes on Monday, James Robbins noted, “The quintessential skill of leadership is awareness. Strong leaders don’t put their pride and emotions above the needs of their followers. They are alert to the actions of those who serve and look for opportunities to affirm, edify, and transform. 
 
Inspiration
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”―Maya Angelou
 
*Fictitious story
 
©2024 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.     
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)