Do what your king commands; you gave a sacred oath of obedience. Don't worryingly second-guess your orders or try to back out when the task is unpleasant. You're serving his pleasure, not yours. Ecclesiastes 8:2-3 (MSG)

I'm training Customer Service Representatives in two client call centers this week. Data from our assessment revealed that they can improve their service by simply apologizing when something doesn't meet the caller's expectations. It's something that they are trained to do and expected to do, but there are some who absolutely refuse. In fact, I've had a few who have argued quite vigorously against it.

I had lunch with the call center manager later in the morning, and he asked me how it went. When I mentioned that he had a few representatives who didn't want to apologize, he basically explained that they can do what's required of them or find another job.

Our culture doesn't always translate the concept of obedience to a king. Perhaps it's easier to think of in terms of an employer. You sign on to do the task that the employer requires. If you don't want to do what's required, you shouldn't have taken the job. It's the same with God. As the old saying goes, "He didn't call them the Ten Suggestions."

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickrand Russell Heistuman