Bowling Balls, Tea Cups, and Dignity

“Bill, you’re kind of like a bowling ball in a china shop.”

“Excuse me?” (clutching my imaginary pearls)

“You get results. Big ones. But you plow through people along the way—especially your own team.”

That was Nate, my boss at the time. Not angry, not cruel. Just honest. And I hated how much it stung…because he was right.

I had turned a failing division from millions in the red to millions in the black in less than two years. On paper, I looked like a rockstar. But instead of celebrating with my team, I was sitting alone in Nate’s office hearing the hard truth that I was winning the numbers and losing the people.

Ouch.

I rarely praised. I pushed work-life balance off the cliff. Every conversation was purely transactional. People were either tools to hit a goal or obstacles to get around.

But Philippians 2:3-4 tells us: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” I wasn’t valuing anyone above myself. I wasn’t being a witness of our God.

Something had to change.

So I prayed.

I asked the Lord to help me stop treating people like cogs in a machine. One morning, I felt prompted with an idea: grab five quarters. Put them in my left pocket. By the end of the day, all five had to make it to my right pocket. Each coin moved when I caught someone doing good work and intentionally called it out.

“Joe, I saw how you handled that tense email with Shipping. You stayed professional, found a solution, and didn’t throw anyone under the bus. That’s incredible, and I’m grateful to be on your team.” Quarter moved.

That simple practice rewired me. Over time, what started as five quarters in my pocket became a new way of seeing people. I wasn’t just moving coins; I was learning to assign dignity to each.

This was the moment I learned about Imago Dei…that all are image bearers of God.

Most workplaces still think it’s either numbers or people. But Jesus modeled a better way. He dignified people at every turn—fishermen, tax collectors, women at wells. He didn’t see tools or obstacles. He saw humans.

Application time:

• Who around you today needs their humanity dignified?
• Try the “five quarters” practice for a week. Even if you’re good at seeing people; try to take it to another level. Doesn’t have to be coins—use sticky notes, tally marks, whatever. The point is intentionality.
• Ask yourself: Am I winning alone, or bringing others with me?

I don’t carry quarters anymore, but I do keep a bowling ball and a porcelain teacup on my shelf. Reminders that productivity without people always breaks something.

Accelerating the Great Commission through the Marketplace,

Bill Tibbetts | The Stone Table