How To Keep Your Job

Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
James 1:19
Eighty percent of the time people don't lose their job because of technical incompetence, but because of relational incompetence - they don't know how to get along with other people. If you master the three instructions that James gives, the likelihood of that happening to you will go down to just about zero.
(1) Be quick to listen! By staying calm and refusing to react, you gain insight - and respect! "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control" (Proverbs 29:11 ). (2) Be slow to speak! If you talk too much or too fast, here are three tips to slow you down:
(a) Stop. Just stop talking. Inhale. Count up to 10. Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom.
(b) Practice not interrupting. Allow the other person to continue what they're saying until they're through.
(c) Ask yourself: Why am I talking so much? Is it insecurity? Anxiety? The need to control? A desire to impress? The reason most of us try to convince, impress or control others is because we have a hard time trusting God to work things out. In other words, "our talk issue is a trust issue."
(3) Be slow to anger! If you observe the first two principles, you'll tend to come out all right on number three. It'll just happen.
You can make progress on these three things - and you can start today. And if you do it consistently year after year you'll get to the end of your life and say to yourself, "I'm so grateful that I took the wisdom of God seriously."