Shaking Up the Work Day
Last time we focused on those times when we hit a rough patch at work. Everything's difficult, hard, daunting; it's tough to get through the day. This time we'll focus on those times when things are kind of blah, when we're more or less in a rut. At such times we might need to shake things up.
And let's face, we've got a lot of company here. Shaking things up seems to be the new thing. Jorge Bergoglio, aka Pope Francis, has been shaking things up since being elected Pope. Donald Trump ran his election on a platform that essentially wanted to shake things up. In France, the recent preliminary round of the Presidential election process produced two candidates who appear to be shaking up the French political establishment.
As things tend to run in cycles, it appears we're in a "Shake 'em up" world these days. With the seeming success of Bergoglio, Trump, et al, expect more people to jump on the bandwagon. Of course, whether all the shaking produces anything of worth remains to be seen. With all his shaking, Bergolglio has produced both elation and despair among Catholics. Trump seems to use shaking up as a tactic to get his way; sometimes he appears to be reversing himself on several key promises because that seems best for him getting what he wants (whatever that is!). Nevertheless, the shakers keep shaking.
In your work life, you may have encountered various "movers and shakers." I have and sometimes been subjected to their shaking, for better (sometimes) and for worse (more common). These people build a reputation as "change makers" and some are hired specifically for that purpose: re-set priorities, clean house, boost sales, energize the work force, etc. As you may suspect, my own experience over the course of my work life is decidedly mixed. Two examples:
The first involves a corporate takeover. The company I worked for had been a leader in its category for many years. It's founder a pioneer in that industry. But things had flagged a bit after the founder died. Since his irreplaceable flair for marketing couldn't be matched, the company's board turned to a brilliant financial guy to lead us into the future. It worked for a while. But without the unique and exciting marketing that had built the company's reputation, that didn't last. (Reminds me somewhat of Apple after Steve Jobs's death. Without Jobs's creative genius, you have wonder how well things will go over time under the leadership of an operations guy. So far, so good; but it's early in the game.)
In any case, our company just slipped into rut and despite the financial reforms, efficiencies and organization skills of the CEO, it's stock sunk to a level where it was ripe for takeover. To make a long story short, another financial "genius" led a leveraged buyout team that promised to restore the company to its former dominant role. As a result, even though my job was decidedly a "cog in the wheel" sort of position, I was booted out as part of their broad, thorough house-cleaning that brought in, besides their cronies, various experts and other fresh faces to do the bidding of the god-like gurus who now ran the show. I lost my job (never a fun experience), and ultimately the company continue to wallow in mediocrity. Movers and shakers to the rescue? Hardly.
The second examples found me in the unlikely position of, if not mover, then sort of shaker. Our little company was struggling with a marketing campaign. The company was small enough such that a cog like me could make his voice heard and, given the cramped quarters, management couldn't help but hear the idea that somehow bubbled to the top of my brain. Out of character, I put forth that idea and it was implemented (they must have been desperate). Lo and behold, our sales spiked enough - dramatically actually - to get our campaign back on track and then some. Being a bit shy and mousey, I never really got credit for the idea with the big bosses. While recognition eluded me, I did make what was then good money for me and my family. I couldn't (and didn't) complain. Mover and shaker to the rescue? I suppose.
But whether this or that sort of shaking adds up to much or not, the fact remains it's good sometimes to shake things up at work, especially when we're in a rut - which is how we started this post. But before we continue, we should take a moment, as we've been doing throughout the Easter Season, to connect our thoughts with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Indeed, we might consider Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection as a kind of "shaking up." For example, St. Matthew tells us that after Our Lord's death,
Please keep this idea of Our Lord as a kind of Supreme Mover and Shaker in mind when we continue our discussion next time. For now, we leave you with that glorious exhortation that our sisters and brother in the Eastern Rites and the Orthodox churches continue to acclaim throughout the entire Easter Season:
Or as we in the Latin Rite say,
And let's face, we've got a lot of company here. Shaking things up seems to be the new thing. Jorge Bergoglio, aka Pope Francis, has been shaking things up since being elected Pope. Donald Trump ran his election on a platform that essentially wanted to shake things up. In France, the recent preliminary round of the Presidential election process produced two candidates who appear to be shaking up the French political establishment.
As things tend to run in cycles, it appears we're in a "Shake 'em up" world these days. With the seeming success of Bergoglio, Trump, et al, expect more people to jump on the bandwagon. Of course, whether all the shaking produces anything of worth remains to be seen. With all his shaking, Bergolglio has produced both elation and despair among Catholics. Trump seems to use shaking up as a tactic to get his way; sometimes he appears to be reversing himself on several key promises because that seems best for him getting what he wants (whatever that is!). Nevertheless, the shakers keep shaking.
In your work life, you may have encountered various "movers and shakers." I have and sometimes been subjected to their shaking, for better (sometimes) and for worse (more common). These people build a reputation as "change makers" and some are hired specifically for that purpose: re-set priorities, clean house, boost sales, energize the work force, etc. As you may suspect, my own experience over the course of my work life is decidedly mixed. Two examples:
The first involves a corporate takeover. The company I worked for had been a leader in its category for many years. It's founder a pioneer in that industry. But things had flagged a bit after the founder died. Since his irreplaceable flair for marketing couldn't be matched, the company's board turned to a brilliant financial guy to lead us into the future. It worked for a while. But without the unique and exciting marketing that had built the company's reputation, that didn't last. (Reminds me somewhat of Apple after Steve Jobs's death. Without Jobs's creative genius, you have wonder how well things will go over time under the leadership of an operations guy. So far, so good; but it's early in the game.)
In any case, our company just slipped into rut and despite the financial reforms, efficiencies and organization skills of the CEO, it's stock sunk to a level where it was ripe for takeover. To make a long story short, another financial "genius" led a leveraged buyout team that promised to restore the company to its former dominant role. As a result, even though my job was decidedly a "cog in the wheel" sort of position, I was booted out as part of their broad, thorough house-cleaning that brought in, besides their cronies, various experts and other fresh faces to do the bidding of the god-like gurus who now ran the show. I lost my job (never a fun experience), and ultimately the company continue to wallow in mediocrity. Movers and shakers to the rescue? Hardly.
The second examples found me in the unlikely position of, if not mover, then sort of shaker. Our little company was struggling with a marketing campaign. The company was small enough such that a cog like me could make his voice heard and, given the cramped quarters, management couldn't help but hear the idea that somehow bubbled to the top of my brain. Out of character, I put forth that idea and it was implemented (they must have been desperate). Lo and behold, our sales spiked enough - dramatically actually - to get our campaign back on track and then some. Being a bit shy and mousey, I never really got credit for the idea with the big bosses. While recognition eluded me, I did make what was then good money for me and my family. I couldn't (and didn't) complain. Mover and shaker to the rescue? I suppose.
But whether this or that sort of shaking adds up to much or not, the fact remains it's good sometimes to shake things up at work, especially when we're in a rut - which is how we started this post. But before we continue, we should take a moment, as we've been doing throughout the Easter Season, to connect our thoughts with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Indeed, we might consider Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection as a kind of "shaking up." For example, St. Matthew tells us that after Our Lord's death,
...graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the Holy City and appeared to many. (Mat 27: 52-53)Talk about shaking things up! Imagine being in Jerusalem and being one of those witnesses. On an even grander scale, the gates of Heaven, closed after Adam and Eve were expelled for eating the apple were opened forever to all saints worthy of entry. Satan's reign as Prince of this world ended. The Prince of Peace triumphed. Yes, Our Lord shook up the world such as no shaking before or since. Such momentous events should shake us up when we think about them. Such thoughts should change our lives. If our own lives haven't been shaken up sufficiently yet, if we're still stuck in "business as usual," perhaps we can spend a few minutes today thinking about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in this light
Please keep this idea of Our Lord as a kind of Supreme Mover and Shaker in mind when we continue our discussion next time. For now, we leave you with that glorious exhortation that our sisters and brother in the Eastern Rites and the Orthodox churches continue to acclaim throughout the entire Easter Season:
Christ is Risen!
Or as we in the Latin Rite say,
Happy Easter!
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