Who’s the real manager?

Kelly Michaels | from The Christian Science Journal

My decision was expected within 24 hours. I had just been offered the position of regional president of the commercial real estate management company I worked for. While flattered by the offer, I also felt overwhelmed—and a bit scared.

This job offer came to me after the two previous presidents had left the company, each after less than a year. I had worked as a senior manager for both of these people, but as president I would be responsible for overseeing a staff of 25 (most of whom were older and more experienced than I), and I would be managing two commercial buildings with over 200 tenants—companies ranging from small businesses to international corporations. Ultimately, it would be my responsibility to keep everyone happy.

We always have ‘the room’ or the time we need to see what God’s will includes.

I had a big decision to make. I’ve always trusted my prayers, but because the offer weighed heavily on me, I called a Christian Science practitioner for support. I was grateful that he immediately addressed my fears by pointing out that in reality I had, as the phrase from a favorite hymn says, “radiant room” in which to make this decision (see Christian Science Hymnal, No. 298). The practitioner wasn’t actually suggesting I ignore the 24-hour deadline, but his point was that God’s will for us is good and that we always have “the room” or the time we need to see what God’s will includes. That spiritual truth gave me instant relief.

Then a friend mentioned that this new job would be an opportunity for me to move beyond my comfort level. When she said that, it reminded me of what the Bible says about comfort, specifically the Comforter. For example, Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). I realized that the Comforter is here today, comforting me, giving me the courage and strength to take whatever progressive step I needed.

The next day I accepted the job. I set my goal to make it past the one-year mark. The company had a lot of problems. In one building, the tenants were very unhappy and causing unrest. The whole staff had low morale and were frustrated, and many were not supportive of my new role. They made subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to undermine my efforts.

It soon became clear that it was critical to start out on the right foot. I felt that my job description included not only the task of running the company but, more importantly to me, I knew that before I did anything else, I had to put God first. The thought came to me to lay the foundation for this new role by understanding that God is Principle, and to pray for myself and for my job performance from that standpoint. I began by recognizing that divine Principle was the motivating and supporting force in my company and with everyone associated with it. God was both governor and manager, the ultimate authority in every aspect of life.

I could rely on Principle for the intelligence to create wise policies and then let Principle enforce these ideas through its compassionate law.

I also went back to my notes from Christian Science class instruction and looked up the many references to divine Principle. I considered two ways Principle was operating in relation to my company: First, I considered what God was doing as Principle, and second, what God’s image—including me and everyone—was doing as the reflection of Principle. Since Principle is the only cause, then it is constantly originating and creating and is the source of every thought and action. I then saw that I could rely on Principle for the intelligence to create wise policies and then let Principle enforce these ideas through its compassionate law. I could let Principle coordinate every plan, focus every thought, maintain order in every meeting, and thereby best direct the course of the company. Principle mentors us and gently corrects us, never allowing harsh or unfair measures. Principle unites everyone in a common cause and links us to the right resources. Principle correlates, relating one idea to another in perfect harmony. Principle stabilizes, providing a sure foundation for every aspect of our lives.

As I prayed with these ideas, it became obvious to me that divine Principle, not I, was doing all the work. My only job was to be a witness to this holy fact. These and many more ideas helped me as I began new tasks to restructure the company, such as writing an employee handbook. I had never done such a thing before, but found all of the resources I needed to do it successfully.

While supervising my peers, I attended meetings where discussions went on concerning areas of the company I’d had little to do with before, such as accounting and finance. In one meeting, an attendee carelessly passed out the accounting reports as though he were dealing a stack of cards. After quickly presenting the oral reports, almost everyone left the room before I could gather my wits to ask a question. Although I was tempted to commiserate with a couple of my staff who were “on my side,” I thought about what I could do to better manage all of my co-workers.

All of us, as the reflection of Principle, had unity of purpose and a desire to work together in harmony for a common purpose.

Again, I went back to divine Principle. I affirmed to myself that Principle equalizes, providing balance and equity in relationships, giving all people and positions equal importance and mutual respect. I saw that all of us, as the reflection of Principle, had unity of purpose and a desire to work together in harmony for a common purpose. I knew that innately we desired cooperation rather than competition and would naturally want to follow the highest standards of ethics. I realized that we didn’t have to be reduced to political wrangling, pitting those in support of me against those who weren’t supportive. I affirmed that as the individual ideas of divine Principle, we all expressed freedom from favoritism. And because we all shared equally in our divine Parent’s love and care, we could rise to see only the best—the expression of the Christ—in everyone. We could expect to be loyal to each other, since, as the reflection of Principle, we were all trusting, humble, and dignified.

Gradually my co-workers’ cynicism of my role faded, and simultaneously my confidence grew. I was no longer hesitant to ask questions when I needed clarification, and my co-workers became eager to explain what I didn’t understand. Good humor and a more relaxed tone became the norm in our office. And exactly one year after I accepted the job, I received a lovely gift of recognition at the Christmas party. I was thrilled to pass the one-year mark!

During what turned out to be 16 years in this job, I returned to the study of Principle many times. As a result, I witnessed many wonderful examples of growth and harmony, including national recognition of one of our buildings for its groundbreaking marketing programs, and achievement of the real estate industry’s highest recognition of success: full building occupancy and significantly increased value.

Although a lot of advice on how to be a successful leader and manager fills the business section of bookstores, what led to my successful and rewarding career were the lessons that came from prayer and from leaning unreservedly on divine Principle.

Kelly Michaels lives in Bellevue, Washington.