TRANSCRIPT 🔗
C0711: Every question you ask her gets a brand new detail. And you're starting to feel like you're the one who's losing it. Well, my name is Sean. Welcome back to Prayer Before Work. So you're you're not her manager, but part of your job is supporting someone more junior on your team. she's been around a couple of years, her work is okay. but she has a really hard time admitting when she doesn't know something. Or when she's made a mistake. Now you've caught her covering for herself before, and you let it go because you could tell she wasn't going to own it. Now there are three different situations where the story doesn't add up. And every time you ask a follow-up question, there's a new explanation. And honestly, you're frustrated, maybe more than frustrated, and you're trying to stay professional. But you're starting to wonder how far you have to push before she finally Finally just admits it. Well, Paul writes in Ephesians four fifteen, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way. I want you to notice where that verse is pointed. It's about growing up. So when truth and love travel together, the goal is the other person's growth, not winning the argument. And here's something that might take some weight off of you. Speaking the truth is your job. Getting a confession out of someone isn't. That you can't force someone into an honest moment with herself. That's between her and God. So you can stop playing detective. You don't need her to crack before you can have an honest conversation. but you might say something like I've looked at these three situations and what you've told me doesn't line up with what I'm seeing. I'm not going to keep going back and forth with the details, but what I need is to be able to trust what you tell me, especially when something goes wrong. So mistakes I can work with, cover stories I can't. And then just let that sit with her. Now she may deflect it, that's okay. You said what was true, and you said it without tearing her down. It's also worth asking whether she feels safe being wrong, because people who can't admit mistakes often learn somewhere along the way that mistakes are dangerous. When she does own something, even something small, thank her for it. And since you're not her manager, if this is starting to affect the work, it's fair to bring in the person who is her manager, not to get her in trouble, but because this may be bigger than your role. On one last thing, deal with your anger before the conversation, not during it. So let's pray. God, when we're frustrated, and we don't want that frustration to make the decisions for us. So Lord, give us the courage today to say what's true and the love to say it in a way that helps someone grow. free us up from needing to win. And and from needing someone else to admit they were wrong. where people are afraid of being honest, help us to make it safer for them. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Now go make today count.