Across the desk from me, in his office, Patrick's eyes rarely met mine. My attempts to listen to him were constantly distracted by his nervously bobbing knees and tapping fingers. He talked rapidly, repeating words and phrases with little substance or content.

Who was this? Not the Patrick I had known years before. Not the high-energy, creative, confident man on his way up—high on the list of leaders-to-be.

This Patrick had moved from one job to another in five short years. A string of tough bosses and tougher assignments had left him drained, edgy, and cynical.

As amazed as I was by Patrick, I was more amazed by his staff: They were all like him. In previous years, many of them had impressed me with their high energy and enthusiasm for work. Now six months after Patrick's arriving to lead them, they too were jittery, risk-averse, frustrated, and, overall, cynical about their work. Had I stumbled into the wrong office?

Early in my business career, one of my mentors enjoyed telling me, "We're all a product of our leadership." Patrick's staff members certainly proved this axiom. Patrick unknowingly had projected onto them his own frustration and worry. They in turn had become like him: nervous, cynical—transformed from a group of positive, creative employees to a staff constantly looking over their shoulders.

That day as I left Patrick's workplace, I examined my own life. Was I a positive influence in my workplace? What opportunities had I missed to be Christlike and instead operated from my own worries and problems? Worse, did I unwittingly cast my own anxieties and stress on other lives?

The lesson I learned that day was a simple one. We all make a difference in other lives, one way or another, for good or bad. I often consider how the Apostle Paul might operate in a modern workplace. I imagine his staying focused on the important matters, doing his best at the tasks set before him while revealing God's apocalypse to all people—the unveiled message of Jesus Christ—through the words he spoke and the way he lived his daily life.

Let us pray for God's grace and wisdom to guide us through the difficult issues of losing our own lives and to keep us focused on the difference that a Christlike life at work can make in the lives around us.