2 - Relationships are essential.
Developing relationships in the workplace is very important. I believe that women are mysterious to men. They don’t quite understand us or know how to act or what to do with us. I sat by a man on the airplane the other day and for no reason, he began to tell me about his boss (who was woman) and ask me questions about to how to work with her. I choose to listen because he really did need to talk about his situation. He said that his greatest frustration was that sometimes she acted like a man and sometimes she acted like a woman. He said that one minute she was all hard and tough and did not want to talk to him and the next minute, she was all weepy and talking in circles. He wondered what he was supposed to do with that. I feel quite sure that many men have wondered the same thing. He just wanted her to be “normal.” The conversation was a vivid reminder that as women, we need to develop normal relationships with the guys in the office. We need to learn to get to know them and work with them. We must be human and relational and be Godly women in all our dealings. I have found that briefly asking about their families lets them know that I respect their home life. Asking questions and allowing them to mentor me in some areas shows that I am teachable. We must not just talk to them when we need something but be genuinely interested in the things that they are interested in. Developing relationships with the men we work with is most helpful in ministry.
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| http://www.amazon.com/Women-Leading-Biblical-Model-Church/dp/0805447601/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316883171&sr=1-1 |
Excerpts from Women Leading Women: The Biblical Model for the Church, Chapter Six, Serving with Men, by Jaye Martin.
