The prophet's handbook

of position. Therefore, prophets need those who ascended ahead of them to help them escalate at the right time to higher positions. Often the person to help promote a younger prophet is the immediate supervisor, professional coach, or mentor. For this reason and many others, he or she should be respected. Supervisors know the history of the world you are entering and have a proven track record with those with whom you will work. They understand the lines of authority and the sentiments of the leadership circle you are joining. Your new position’s supervisors, coaches, and mentors can recall their sting, discern their motives, and detect their nonverbal signals. They can help you skirt trouble, avert crises, and avoid offending any of those above you so that they will not uniformly shut you out. This is particularly helpful with the key influencers, and you should take time to learn who these people are and what they do. As you learn about them, take time to figure out what makes them so influential, since not all of them are in leadership positions. Acclimating to your new position should include being on the lookout for what the group likes, responds to, or attacks. Trust your trainers to know this, as they took the time to become well-versed in the beliefs, ideologies, preferences, and strategies that identify your organization before you arrived. Believe your trainers are capable people whose wisdom should be sought and respected. Acknowledge their achievements and value their skills. Avoid beginning your season with these people by forcing your stories and experiences upon them. Better yet, connect with them to learn and grow. Pay attention when they start telling you the rules of the game. Your stories and testimonies can come later. In the beginning, follow James’ advice, and be swift to hear and slow to speak. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 8:4 that where the word of a king is, there is power. This is a profound remark. People in authority have power. All people in authority have some power and you cannot see it on them as you would a suit of clothing. The word of a king holds power; what a simple-sounding statement. Yet it is replete with implications. Leaders who have been in their positions for some time know people. They have friends, competitors, allies, and friendly enemies that could be of use to you later. See beyond your impatience or disrespect and esteem them because you do not know the extent of their reach, even if it is to just one significant person. The world is smaller than you think and your world with this person may be smaller yet. Be an asset to your leaders. Make yourself valuable to those you work for,