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C0698: One bad project, and your director already wanted the paperwork started. Well, my name is Sean. Welcome back to Prayer Before Work. A manager shared this one with me, and I keep thinking about it. One of their team members made a real mistake on a project. I mean it wasn't a disaster, but it cost time and the client wasn't happy. Now this was someone who'd been there for years and normally did good work. Now the director's answer was immediate. Put them on a formal PIP, performance improv improvement plan. When the manager pushed back, the director said he was being too soft. So the manager agreed to the plan, but he added a condition of his own. He told the employee straight up, this is about fixing the problem, not building a case against you. Now they met every week. They went through what went wrong, what help was needed, what the expectations were. Going forward. And about a month in, that same director came by asking why this person's work had improved so much. And the manager said, Because we actually worked on the problem instead of treating the person like the problem. So Jesus told a short story in Luke 13, I think that fits this almost perfectly. a man has a fig tree that isn't producing, and he tells his gardener, cut it down. Why should it use up the ground? But the gardener answers back, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good. But if not, you can cut it down. The gardener doesn't pretend that the tree is fine. He admits there's a problem. He doesn't promise that it'll never be cut down either. But what he does ask for is time. And he volunteers to do the dirty work himself. He's the one hauling the manure. That's what this manager did in this story. He didn't throw out accountability. He kept the plan. But he got down in the dirt with his employee instead of standing back to see if the tree would die. Now if you lead people, you'll you'll face this moment. Somebody has a bad stretch, and the pressure from above says, Remove the risk. But before you do, Ask an honest question. Is this person the problem or is something around them the problem? Sometimes it really is the person and you'll have to make a hard call. But a lot of times it's a gap in training or a rough season at home or a bad fit on one project. You won't know what it is until you dig around it. And if you're the one on a performance improvement plan right now, I'm sorry. That is a heavy thing to carry and to work each day. But ask for the weekly time. Ask what good looks like. Let someone dig around the roots with you. Let's pray. Lord, thank you that you are patient with us when we don't produce what we should. Give those of us who lead the courage to stand up for our people and the humility to roll up our sleeves and help. And Lord, give anyone struggling at work today someone who will believe in them long enough to see them grow. And when hard decisions do come, help us make them fairly. In Jesus' name. Amen. Now go make today count.