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Principle 14: Create, Communicate,
and Carry Out Consequences
The Concept
An Excerpt from Influencing Like Jesus
Digging Deeper: Examples of the Consequences Principle
The Concept
The results of a person’s behavior
influence the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.
Serious negative consequences reduce the likelihood of repetition;
positive consequences increase the likelihood.
An Excerpt from
Influencing Like Jesus
Now, building on this
biblically-modeled principle, what does this mean as we move from Sunday
morning to Monday morning? At home, it means that meaningful discipline,
consistently-applied, will “teach a youth about the way he should
go” (Proverbs 22:6). At work, it means that creating an incentive system
that rewards the right behaviors and discourages the wrong behaviors
will make the organization more effective. On the ball field, it means
that having kids run laps or do push-ups for not listening to the coach
will lead to better listening. In the church, it means that more
accountability and encouragement groups will accelerate spiritual
growth. In my classroom, it means that the time-honored “cold-calling
technique” (i.e., calling on students who are not participating) causes
students to show up to class prepared and to pay more attention while
they’re there.
This isn’t brain surgery, is it?
Hardly. In fact, it’s probably the easiest principle to understand in
this study. So why, then, is the principle applied with far less
frequency than it should be? Why do we personally tolerate disobedient,
insubordinate, and inconsiderate behavior from the people God has
entrusted to us?
Perhaps, because it can be a lot of
work to identify appropriate punishments and rewards. Other times it’s
because we just give up on the execution; it can be time-consuming and
exhausting, for example, to follow through on the penalties we’ve
promised, especially when those penalties are relatively new. But the
primary obstacle, I suspect, is that we simply don’t want to deal with
conflict. Whether at home, at work, at school, at church, or anywhere
else, it’s just easier, we convince ourselves, to let poor behavior
slide than to deal with it.
To read more, purchase Influencing
Like Jesus
Digging Deeper:
Examples of the
Consequences Principle
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Some Biblical Examples
Jesus on Consequences
Luke 12: “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the
Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.
But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the
angels of God”
Matthew 7: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven.”
Revelation 3: “I know your
deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot…So, because you are
lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of My
mouth” |
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The Apostle Paul on Consequences
When the Corinthians were tolerating a professed Christian in
their congregation who was having a sexual relationship with his
stepmother, Paul was direct and unequivocal: expel this guy!
It is actually reported that there is sexual
immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even
among pagans: A man has his father's wife.
And you are proud! Shouldn't you
rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your
fellowship the man who did this?
I have written you in my letter not to associate with
sexually immoral people— not at all
meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the
greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would
have to leave this world. But now I
am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who
calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy,
an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With
such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to
judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those
inside? God will judge those
outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
1 Corinthians 5: 1-2, 9-13
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The Apostle John on Consequences
When a prideful guy named
Diotrephes was bad-mouthing John, the Apostle was quick to
address it: “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to
be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will
call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about
us” (3 John 9-10).
Translation: The next time
I’m in town, buddy, prepare to be publicly rebuked. Your
behavior will have consequences.
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The Importance of Consequences When Raising Kids (Part 1)
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The Importance of Consequences When Raising Kids (Part 2)
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The Consequences Principle in Management: "A Christian Approach to Firing Employees"
"No where does scripture
support the notion that it is sinful or even poor witness for a
Christian boss to fire an employee. No where. God’s Word does
not per se prohibit firing people. Quite the opposite,
under certain circumstances, terminating employees is both
sanctioned and encouraged in scripture."
Read the entire chapter
(Excerpted from Management by Proverbs by
Michael Zigarelli. Moody Press, 1999).
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The Consequences Principle in Advertisements |
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Skin Cancer:
It starts early, it ain't pretty, and "it's a killer" |
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ScotTissue: A 1950's ad to keep your workplace
union-free...and commie-free.
(Note the consequences in the subtext: "Employees lose respect
for a company that fails to provide decent facilities for their
comfort")
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Click here to purchase Influencing
Like Jesus
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