by Anne Dowless, HR Consultant
Ever been on an amazing adventure trip, like a canyon hike in unfamiliar territory or a white-water rafting trip down a rushing river? Picture this type of trip in your mind using one of two options: utilizing a trained guide or attempting it without assistance. Which trip would you feel safer taking – the guided trip or the unguided one? The guided trip would likely involve some rules that you would need to follow. Is our initial reaction to view these rules as helpful or restricting? The guide on your journey would tell you that the rules are there to keep you safe and allow you to enjoy your adventure to the full.
We view our life and work as an amazing adventure, and we can try to go it alone, or we can operate within the safety of our Guide….our Good Shepherd. The Ministry HR team recently dug into John 10:1-18 with the purpose of trying to uncover the ways that that we can bring HR guidance to our clients and model the example of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Here’s what we came up with:
Enter By the Gate (John 10:1-2) – Just as the Good Shepherd leads his sheep into the large sheep pen through the gate, we work hard to help guide our clients to the best approach for their HR processes and provide our clients with the safe boundaries that will help them stay compliant. It may seem easier for businesses to take shortcuts and ‘climb over the wall’, but entering by the gate of compliance is always the best route.
Build Relationships and Instill Trust (John 10:3-4) – We desire to reflect Christ in the workplace and instill trust in our clients. Just as the sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd because of His care and His relationship with them, we desire to build relationships and lead in a way that honors God and allows our clients to know that we have their best in mind.
Provide Protection (John 10:11-15) - The Good Shepherd takes very seriously the protection of the sheep under His care and is always vigilant about anything that might bring them harm. Similarly, we consistently monitor for threats and are serious about providing guidance that will allow our clients to operate safely.
We hope that you will join us in this adventure! Please share your comments and insights on this topic with us below.
Image by David Mark from Pixabay