For the New Boss

There are devotionals written in an ivory tower and there are devotionals written from the corporate tower.

Now That You’re Boss: Timely and Timeless Lessons for New (& Seasoned!) Leaders belongs to the latter. This is not written by someone who expounds on a Bible verse but oblivious to the realities of the secular workplace. The author, Yay Padua-Olmedo, comes from over 30 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and public relations in diverse fields such as broadcasting, food manufacturing, construction, hotel and tourism, IT, pharmaceuticals and packaging.

As the title implies, this book is for those new to a supervisory or managerial position. However, this serves as a refresher course for grizzled veterans as well. The three-part structure of the book frames the philosophy that the leader should be:

·????????Higher-minded: being aware of God’s purposes for what seems to be an earthly job

·????????Other-minded: being deliberate in investing in the lives of your people

·????????Inner-minded: being responsible for your own professional growth

Yay doesn’t write with the droll of a Peter Drucker. Rather, she has a warm, conversational style that makes you forget you’re reading a book.?Each chapter begins with a sound-bite of a Bible verse, then fills us with practical nuggets of wisdom, and ends with a reflection page.

She begins the Higher-minded section with a relatable reflection of the Creation story. God’s purposes for Adam and Eve can be extended to us 21st century folks: be fruitful, increase, fill, subdue, and rule. She then likens God as a cosmic Investor who endowed us with so much talent and skills to make this happen. This section ends with a specific call to be wise, learn new things, and keep asking questions.

If Higher-mindedness addresses the vertical, Godward component of our work, Other-mindedness tackles the horizontal, social side. Yay is disarmingly honest in preferring to be an individual contributor. After all, she can control her own output. But to supervise people? Yet managing people, as she puts it, separates the gold from the dross.

Yay shares an insight – one of my favorites from the book - from Harvard professor John Kotter:?“Management is about coping with complexity… Leadership, by contrast, is coping with change.”?In inimitable style, she likens the manager to a burrito neatly packed with blended ingredients:?leader, teacher, mentor, and coach all rolled into one. Just as the burrito is topped with hot salsa, your leadership style must be topped by the personal example of courage and integrity. She follows this up with three chapters about communication, delegation, and motivation.

(Another nice insight: As you are given more responsibilities and more people, holding back on your words is no longer an option. Therefore, choose your words well. Very well.)

We go to the last major section:?Inner-mindedness. This pertains to the leader himself. Apparently, Yay is a big believer of lifelong learning as she wrote: “Be willing to accept, or seek out, a new posting even if you feel you’d be a neophyte in it, or even if it’s just a lateral move without a salary increase or direct reports – another way of increasing your market value” (italics mine).?In contrast, someone in a rut will struggle with accepting another assignment.

Yay extends the leader’s self-protection to:

·????????self-care (especially dealing with stress)

·????????spiritual vitality (connecting daily with God)

·????????family relationships (raising your kids well, spending time with your spouse)

·????????financial well-being (“debt is a prison house”)

·????????office power-play (it is better to have God on your side)

Yay closes her book with an epilogue-length chapter called “Christ-minded”.?There is a parting advice that God programs every promotion in due time, therefore do not fret if your ship hasn’t come in yet. Plus He offers the grandest promotion of all.

If you have just become a new boss, congratulations! But if after the elation comes the trepidation (as they usually do: “what if I flop?” “how do I deal with this bozo?”), then pick up Now That You’re Boss for handy doses of inspiration and guidance. Seasoned bosses like me love the book.?

And so will you.

For more about the author: visit her blog https://nuggetslifeslittlelessons.blogspot.com/

Ordering information: https://shop.omflit.com/products/now-that-youre-boss

About the reviewer:?Nelson T. Dy is an author, speaker and trainer on career, relationship, and spirituality issues. His day job is being an Assistant Vice-President running two factories for a well-known beverage conglomerate. Follow him at Linkedin as he continues to share his insights through articles such as the one you just enjoyed.