Murmur-mongers

Recently I uncovered a fresh batch of murmuring within our company. It is one thing that I do not tolerate very well. I have learned through my many years of experience how devastating this can be within a company and it can have the same effect in a church or any organization. It is demoralizing to all concerned and if left unchecked it will spread like cancer. When I find someone who is murmuring I will remove them from the organization as fast as lightening going through the sky.

Why do people murmur? Who knows? My feeling is that some folks just cannot seem to find peace in life and want everyone else to be as miserable as they are. Some thrive on controversy and others seem to feel they are somehow always getting the short end of the stick. Some think they are smarter than everyone else and others seek attention the only way they know how. Through the years I have noticed that more often than not the murmuring is centered on me and my policies or management. I told someone the other day that we have a great company, great people, and great products. Some say it is in “spite” of me and others say “because” of me. I don’t accept the damnation or the adulation. Great organizations are the result of a “team” of hard-working team members including leadership with a common goal of achieving success, not the singular efforts of individual members. Although sometimes painful, great organizations always succeed in spite of the naysayer and negative “murmur-mongers” that invariably worm their way into an organization. Unfortunately just as with a worm attacking an apple and doing great damage to fruit, a “murmur-monger” will do the same to the organization.


The Bible instructs us not to murmur. If we do not like something we should discuss it with the leadership. If the issue cannot be settled to everyone’s satisfaction then a parting of the ways is in order. We should not back-bite and run down the organization and the people within it at every opportunity. I think every person has a place they need to be in life in order to fulfill God’s will for their life and finding it is of paramount importance. This includes church and the workplace. If you feel compelled to murmur, perhaps you are not in the right place. Resist the urge to murmur and instead pray about it and seek God’s direction for your life. Discuss your problems with leadership professionally and be upfront with your concerns. It is the honorable thing to do. Ask yourself when troubled, “What would Jesus do”? Do you think for a moment that Jesus murmured when He worked as a carpenter? Of course not! He had a tremendous positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and displayed the epitome of integrity in spite of any trials that besieged Him.

Phil. 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus.