I manage a number of attorneys at my law firm. They are all different, but it’s amazing how who they are as people is reflected in their work.
As a friend of mine once said, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.” A person who is fastidious in their work is so in their private life. The person who is cautious in their private life is cautious in their work. If you have ever managed people, you know what I am telling you is true.
I think we all know instinctively that our work product is an extension of who we are. That is why poor performance reviews and job terminations are so devastating. Sure, they can lead to adverse financial situations, but so can a bad turn of the stock market, but that doesn’t devastate people like getting fired.
We don’t see a termination as a business decision but an indictment on our person, regardless of whether it is called a reduction-in-force, right-sizing, dehiring, or whatever other euphemism is used to soften the blow.
The reverse is also true. When we do well in our work, and it is recognized, we take it personally, in a good way. People become workaholics not only because they are driven by money but because their good work affirms what they want to believe about themselves.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes,
Romans 1:20
His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
seen, being understood through what has been made,
so that they are without excuse.
