Who has not seen a baby grow? Almost everyone! It is an interesting sight to see couples gaze on the beauty or semblance of the child to a particular relation over the stages: the breastfeeding period, the turning, the sitting, the crawling, walking etc. Each step is so beautifully admired by the parents and sometimes by the children themselves. There is no hast nor jumping of the steps involved. Our patience can accommodate all the stages until after the formative years. That is when you hear parents saying, “at your age I expect you to be able to do this in your stride”. Any rope that is stretched beyond its tensile strength, tears. The business experts say that the 1st five years of every business are the most trying times for the survival of the business. That is when you are putting into place the structures, personnel, equipment etc. You are likely to succeed if you can withstand all the vicissitudes during your formative years. Tolerating others need patience but tolerating other characters need patience and time. We lose opportunities in life because the bearers of such opportunities don’t get the time and space to express the news or resource they bare. I have learnt to ask why, no matter the form and shape in which I do it, as a way of wanting to hear the other side of the story. Several times in many offices including mine, staff have such a negative interpretation of a letter or note called a “query.” I believe it simply means – why? What is the meaning of this? Why the inaction? The tone and circumstances may make it frightful or sometimes irritating but there lies the test. You will agree with me that not all queries have ended in punishment. Sometimes you are called and advised, other times you are warned, some other times you provide such relevant information in your response to the extent that the issuer of the query rather learns in the process. That is what I believe all leaders need – allowing others the chance to explain themselves before concluding! I have asked questions in an angry manner severally and have ended up cooling down. Because by the time the other person is done talking, I notice the things, or reasoning I did not factor into my analyses, which made me wrong in my sense of judgement. Defending yourself because you asked the hash questions is a recipe that can lead to the rope tearing. Someone Nodding in your presence is not always a sign that you succeeded in convincing that person. Subsequent actions or decisions by the other party will tell whether you were right or wrong – especially if you are able to connect the dots of all incidences prior to your query and afterwards. However, responding to people’s questioning in anger and with languages that expose your weakness open you up for exploitation. An impatient response could lead to you loosing out, receiving a punishment or even a dismissal. If you handle the rope of life that binds you and others well with the intention that you do not want it to tear; 1. You will discover how different other people are 2. You seldom will come to the admission that you don’t know it all 3. You are likely to be “transformed by the renewal of your mind” Rom. 12:2b 4. You will be astonished to know how you have been used to develop others – family, friends and loved ones 5. You will get new witnesses who testify of your other side that people don’t know
