Esther 4: Wide Awake in the Second Chair

If being "deep" in your position means excelling, then "wide" means collaborating. Not content to focus on the narrow confines of your job description, the "wide" worker is looking out for what is best for the entire organization. Your competence (or depth) is what gives you credibility to speak into others.

The show Undercover Boss shows what happens when the CEO of a corporation steps into the role of an ordinary worker in their company. Their normal role as the leader isolates them from pertinent issues for their workers, managers and customers. There is humor and irony as these CEOs see the truth in their own company and how it is affecting its health.

One of the roles of a good worker is listening to what is going on around you and taking the group or organization's pulse.[1] This means listening well. Knowing what people are thinking and feeling in an organization is valuable. Many times, managers and leaders are cocooned from what is going on around them. Maybe it is being filtered-people just don't tell them what they think. Maybe the day-to-day requirements of a leader's position reinforce a focus on particular issues that leave some things un-addressed. But for one reason or another, your boss is missing out on a vital fact: morale is low, friction is rising, solutions are being overlooked, a train wreck is coming. Part of being a good worker is helping avoid surprises. If there is a problem, its better they find out from you before the phone rings.

The Bible narratives describe this role and its effect a few different times. But Mordecai springs to mind. He was hanging around the gate and heard about a plot to kill the king. He gave the info to Esther and the conspirators were caught. Later, he hears the rumors about Haman's plot, gathers documentary evidence and gives it to Esther so she can make her fateful decision.  (Esther 4).

Jesus asked his disciples: Who do people say that I am? (Matt. 16) The disciples came back with what they had heard. Whether Jesus already knew the answer is not clear, but he clearly knew and expected that his followers were keeping the pulse of the crowd. They needed to understand the gap between people's perceptions of their mission (Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah) and the real mission (Messiah, church).

You can see it with Daniel (see ch. 2), even the Pharaoh's baker in the story of Joseph! I don't want to stretch these Bible examples too far. They aren't exact parallels. But in each case listening to hear what people were thinking and feeling was valued, it helped the leader avoid a train wreck and God used it to advance his purposes. It doesn't always lead to their advancement. But it leads to the purposes of God advancing. And this wasn't in church, it was pagan government.

One of the ways I've seen this work is in regard to morale. For much of my career, I've worked either for company A, but my office was actually inside company B, or I've worked at home. One of the great fears for employees like me is that we will be forgotten, passed over and ignored. They often can't take part in our company's parties (because they're remote) and they can't take part in their host company's parties (because its for that company's employees only). When they are talking layoffs, we hope they don't remember us. When they are talking raises and promotions, we hope they do remember us!

As such, I am particularly sensitive to signs that engineers in a similar situation within my company are feeling low. I, myself, look for ways to challenge and encourage them, and I help my bosses remember how certain actions will be perceived by those who aren't sitting in a cubicle in our office. This isn't a major thing, but it is one where I have seen God use my ears to help extend my boss' understanding. This is one way I am growing as a "wide" worker.

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[1] I was introduced to this term in Leading From The Second Chair, M. Bonem & R. Patterson. For an excellent summary, see Rich Woods, Leaders Book Summaries, http://www.richwoods.org/richwoods/greenhouse/Second_Chair.pdf, retrieved March 9, 2017.