We face conflict from every direction with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.
Some of the most talented teams are plagued with obstacles, steep competition, poor management and crazy circumstances no one could predict. To make matters worse, as the arrows keep coming from the outside, self-doubt and deprecation creeps inside. We get flustered, discouraged and fumble that task at hand.
Step back a moment and look at things at 50,000 feet. Adequate resources, structure, culture of trust, evaluation/reward systems, the ability & personality of each team member, affects that way they do they contribute to the team. (Robbins & Judge, 2015, p. 281) Work teams must contend with time zones, short evaluation & processing time, different language, cultural accents offer even more challenges to modern workers. (Robbins & Judge, 2015, p. 274.
Virtual teams aren’t just for big business anymore; they are made up of condo boards and neighborhood watches, exercise groups, church groups and charities. It’s hard enough to get along in person, it’s even harder to get along across. Workers are stressed out with rising prices, extra demands on their time, trying to balance work and family all take their toll.
How often have you walked into a room and expected a conversation to go one way…and with a look or simple comment the path and purpose of the meeting flew out the window. The pressures to manage faith, family and maintain professional excellence grow more difficult by the day. New challenges face workers each month with technology changing at lightening speed. The world, culture and our modern society grows at odds with our Christian values and ethics.
Does unethical behavior get worse in groups? A study of 126 three member teams of undergraduates tasked with teams that were assigned team projects in a Finance class. Several teams got a late start and decided to find papers from previous classmates. How many of these teams decided to cheat? About 37% used old papers to copy from to ensure they hit their deadline. Does being in a group promote bad decisions or groupthink? (Robbins & Judge, p. 293)
In 1786, Thomas Reid published a book called, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man in which he said, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
The thing is…we are all that weak link. We mess up. We complain, take the wrong road and criticize our fellow mate without cause.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:5-6, We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us.
Which comes first, the adversity or fear? We make the wrong move when we focus on anxiety. Then when bad stuff happens, we worry that the other shoe will drop and the rain will continue to fall.
Through all of this, God sees us as a wonderful child. He no longer sees us as that broken soul, with our sins piled high. He washes them away. He loves us so much He knows the number of hairs on our head, He knows our routine, when we come and when we go. He sends us encouragement and good cheer just when we need it most. God knows us and believes in us.
How many times have you attended a meeting like the picture listed above? Skirmishes, battles and disagreements leave us a bit tired and weary. Why not take the high road and choose to walk in the ways of the Father? He wants us to look out for our brothers and sisters in Christ, help them and not harm them. He wants us to seek their highest good.
The next time you are in a meeting: Take the high road, say something kind, defend a coworker and make the ethical choice. Let there be no room for groupthink. Seek grace and gratitude, not criticism and contempt. It may be a tough uphill battle and yet… it will be worth every step. God will give you the wisdom and courage.

Blessings,
Casey
Casey Salminen
Founder, Blessed & Inspired