Grace had warned Shirley and Jim that their next interview could be a tough one. The secret she said was “to get Steve comfortable with you”. That’s what they tried to do. They just had Steve talk about his job as a payroll clerk. It took some time but he began to open up and share with them the story that Grace wanted them to hear.
“As a payroll clerk, I am often viewed as the enemy. When a paycheck is screwed up, I’m at fault. When a boss doesn’t sign off on their hours, they blame me. In meetings, I’m the one who always brings up the downside of a compensation recommendation.”
“I started drinking, and I have to acknowledge that I’m an alcoholic. I’ve been sober for 183 days. I go to 12-step meetings, but my sobriety began with a why question. It was a simple one: Why aren’t we trusted?”
“I met with the asker of the question and she inspired me with her authenticity. Irene was a woman of faith, as are most of our employees. She made me believe that people will be honest about their hours. They won’t make up lies if they miss work. They just want to be treated as humans who live lives of integrity.”
“She really moved me and I began to change from saying no to thinking of our employees as persons wanting to do the right thing. And I stopped drinking.”
“What a wonderful transformation”, said Jim. “You’ve changed your mindset.”
“I think I have, but I’ve gone beyond my no attitude to one of support. Many of our employees aren’t up-to-date on tax law changes or healthcare plans or other things that impact their take home pay. I started reviewing every employee’s payroll choice. What a joy it was going home at night remembering joys rather than angry voices.”
“I have to ask”, said Shirley. “Why did you respond so positively to that why question? I would have expected a very negative response.”
“I’ve asked myself that same question. That morning before I left home, my wife told me that she loved me. I’ve been tough on her since I started abusing alcohol. But she had faith in me and trusted that I would conquer my weakness.”
“Grace has shown us that same faith and trust by allowing us to question the way things have always been. I just had to respond to that why question with the same faith and trust that my wife and Grace have demonstrated.”
“And that made all of the difference in my life.”
Both Shirley and Jim were struggling with their own emotions as they finished the interview. They hadn’t imagined the full impact of the Genesis Project until now.
* * *
Perspective Is Everything
Discomfort Growth
Problems Challenges
Rejection Redirection
Triggers Reveal Wounds
Darkness Reveals Light
Failure Lessons
Fears Teachers
Pain Power
Bruce H Lipton, PhD (TheMindsJournal.com)