Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Many business organizations strive to hire the right people with the right attitude, skills, and talents that will benefit their businesses. Keeping employees engaged has become a retention strategy because the cost of employee turnover can be quite expensive when you factor in salary, benefits, and the cost of training. All of that goes to waste if a valued team member decides to find work elsewhere.

Now I don’t fault anyone who decides to leave an unhealthy work culture, or betters themselves by earning an advance degree to take on more responsibility and earn a higher salary. After all, a hard worker deserves the wages commensurate to the quality of their contributions and all the great outcomes they produce.

But there is a type of worker that gets overwhelmed and stressed by his current job. Instead of trying to figure out ways to solve problems, he shifts them back to his teammates or even his boss without making any attempt to be part of the solution. He blames his underperformance on leadership, culture, and/or non-compliance to rules and regulations.

To that team member, I would say the solution has to begin with him. Whatever his insecurities, he needs to face them by resolving to take ownership of his development and improve his personal performance. He must realize that the reason the company exists is because it solves problems to meet a service need in the community.

We live in a broken world where there is no such thing as a perfect stress-free job. Therefore, one must consider if the role that he was hired into will be something he wishes to do long-term. With many companies needing to cutback on labor costs, certain jobs get eliminated and the work just gets redistributed amongst the remaining team members. In my opinion, this really is not such a bad thing. I think of these scenarios as invitations to become more innovative. What is possible with what we have? There is more work to be done, which means better job security because our company is depending on us.

I am not sure when my mindset flipped towards this sense of optimism. Maybe it’s because I am just grateful to be working, or that I really enjoy what I do? Or perhaps it’s the satisfaction I gain by learning something new as we evolve through the waves of market forces. Whatever it is, there is probably an untapped joy that I have yet to discover in my work setting. It’s like a treasure hunt where God keeps unveiling clues that guide my next steps. His intent is to foster growth within me, and the best way to do that is to put me through an obstacle course made just for me.