Faith at Work Exceeds Expectations of God’s Provision
by Stephen Dynako, IPS Student
It’s that time of year again at work where my annual performance plan and review is due. This year my boss asked me to self-evaluate on the quantitative portions of the review, then he would go back afterward to either agree with or adjust my self-imposed ratings before the document became official.
For example, say there was a category on the review called “Demonstrates Leadership.” The ratings might include: 1) exceeds expectations, 2) performs above average, 3) meets expectations, and 4) performs below expectations. Since my boss asked me to self-evaluate, let’s suppose I felt really good about my leadership performance this year and gave myself an “exceeds expectations.” Additionally, there were another six or seven quantitative categories to evaluate on this year’s review.
Because I consider myself to have good self-esteem but also because I exercise a healthy degree of humility, I rated myself a combination of “exceeds expectations” and “performs above average” on all categories. I felt it would be pompous to give myself “straight A’s” across the board, because I am aware that my job is challenging and though I am very, very good at it, I know I am not perfect.
To put it bluntly, I have never felt comfortable with self-evaluations. After all, who in one’s right mind would willingly self-evaluate on the low end of a scale in any category, especially on a document on which that person’s annual bonus and salary increase are based? Therefore, when my boss asked me to take the first crack at this document, I knew it was going to be subject to his subsequent modification. I preferred he cut out the middle man (that is, me) and just fill it out with what he knew would be the final ratings.
After I submitted the document and my boss reviewed it, he gave me a copy of what he modified, which, though commendable, was nevertheless a slightly tempered view of my self-evaluation. Years ago, playing this game would have annoyed me. However, I have a very different view of it today. In John 5:41, Jesus said, “I do not receive glory from people.” It doesn’t mean that people did not give Jesus praise for his work, but he did not seek to do his work to impress others. This is not to say that I am all together indifferent to others’ opinions of my work, but I have gained the wisdom to contemplate my performance from a higher perspective.
There are four key attributes I hold myself accountable for daily when I do my work. If I am honest with myself and feel satisfied that I have practiced these attributes with integrity, then I have made peace with my work and the “glory of people” becomes a distant secondary need. The four attributes are:
#1. Quality: Have I done the job to the best of my ability? Am I willing to improve where I sense the need to grow in my job? Do I provide the best quality work to everyone consistently, regardless who they are in the company or how I feel about certain people?
#2. Attitude: Do I approach my work with a positive attitude? Do I have the humility to admit my mistakes and use these productively as a learning opportunity? Am I acting in a professional manner in all situations with all people, even when certain people may not always reciprocate?
#3. Reputation: Am I doing my work in a way that enhances my reputation in the company? By demonstrating I care about my work and the company, do people actively seek me out to involve me in their projects and refer me to others? It is important to note this is not the same as seeking praise for its own sake. Rather, building a good reputation is a professional asset that maintains my employment and provides me visibility in the company as someone who does quality work and has a positive attitude. That is, reputation reinforces attributes #1 and #2.
#4. Thanksgiving: Am I grateful not only for my job but also for my abilities, without which I would not have this job? Being consciously grateful each day is what links the realization of my material provision to my faith in God as my ultimate provider.
From a higher perspective, I can balance my understanding of how things operate in the world with my faith in the truth that God is omnipresent, supporting me in every aspect of my work and my life. In the balance, I can appreciate the necessity of process without feeling limited by it.