How to Pet a Porcupine

I discovered something new in a staff meeting a few weeks ago, and that is that you can pet a porcupine without getting hurt. I have never actually pet a porcupine, but I was told it is possible without a follow-up trip the hospital, if you do it correctly.

Porcupine

Photo courtesy of © flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/3986448936/

If you want to pet a porcupine without getting stuck by a bunch of quills you don’t run up and startle it.  You don’t quickly scoop it up into your hands and give it a big hug.  If you want to pet a porcupine you have to develop trust with it.  First, you hold out your hand to see if it wants to come near and sniff you. Only after it sniffs you can you pet it, but you have to do it a certain way starting at the head and petting down.  To pet a porcupine any other way could potentially hurt…a lot.

Some people are a lot like porcupines. They have quills, and they will stick you if you handle them the wrong way.    You know the kind of people I am talking about, they tend to be a bit grouchy, pessimistic, standoffish and avoid personal contact, have a tendency to complain and point out the bad in a situation, etc…  These people tend to be a lot like porcupines.  If you run up and startle them you’re going to get hurt.  If you try to pressure them into doing something you’re going to get hurt.  If you cross their path in a way they don’t like, start looking for the nearest hospital.

To pet one of these porcupines requires developing trust just like a real porcupine. No, holding out your hand to see if they sniff you is probably not the best way to go about it, but spending time getting to know them is.  Learning about their perspective, their past, their priorities can give you insight in how best to go about working and getting along with them.  Taking the time to building trust with can go a very long way, and save you a lot of pain in the end.  Just as I am sure petting a real porcupine is an amazing experience, I know that getting someone who is a bit prickly on your side can be just as fulfilling.

Also, for those who are pastors of churches and have opportunity to work with porcupines, the reality is that they are also sheep in need of a good shepherd. They can’t simply be dismissed. You can’t just steer clear of them like you might a real porcupine in the wild. You have to learn to pet them.  You have to learn to lead them. So you might as well do it the right way, and save yourself some pain.

Posted on
Category: Leadership

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Leave a Reply to laligaaz Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

230,927 thoughts on “How to Pet a Porcupine”

  4. LaLiga statistikası hər gün yenilənir. Komandaların vəziyyətini izləmək indi çox rahatdır.
    Hər oyunun canlı statistikası əlinizdə. LaLiga logo dizaynı hər il yenilənir.
    Əgər siz də futbol statistikası ilə maraqlanırsınızsa, LaLiga stats bölməsinə baxın.
    Ən çox LaLiga qazanan komanda hansıdır?.
    LaLiga 24/25 təqvimi artıq hazırdır.
    LaLiga statistika səhifəsində komanda göstəriciləri.
    LaLiga kupası uğrunda mübarizə həyəcanı.
    Spaniyada futbolun nəbzi LaLiga ilə vurur.

    Reply

  13. Canlı nəticələr və LaLiga puan durumu bir yerdə. İspaniya çempionatının xal durumu daim yenilənir.
    İspaniya LaLiga canlı futbolunu qaçırmayın. Yeni mövsüm üçün LaLiga logo 2025 təqdim edildi.
    Futbol xəbərlərini izləmək üçün bu linki yoxlayın — http://www.laliga.com.az.
    Ən çox LaLiga qazanan komanda hansıdır?.
    Bu həftəki LaLiga oyunlarının təqvimi.
    LaLiga teams haqqında maraqlı faktlar.
    LaLiga champions 2023 komandaları arasında böyük rəqabət.
    Futbol azarkeşləri üçün LaLiga livescore bölməsi.

    Reply

  14. I was curious if you ever thought of changing the structure of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply

  28. You really make it appear so easy together with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be actually something that I believe I might never understand. It kind of feels too complex and very broad for me. I’m having a look forward to your subsequent put up, I will try to get the hang of it!

    Reply

  37. Складчик стал для меня находкой, потому что я давно искала курсы по личностному росту. Здесь всё оказалось просто: выбираешь складчину, платишь минимальную сумму и получаешь полный комплект материалов. Участвовала уже несколько раз и всегда довольна качеством. Это лучший сервис для саморазвития – https://v27.skladchik.org/

    Reply

  46. Ищете самые выгодные кредитные предложения? Посетите https://money.leadgid.ru/ – это самый выгодный финансовый маркетплейс, где вы найдете отличные предложения по кредитам, вкладам, займам, по кредитным и дебетовым картам, автокредиты и другие предложения. Подробнее на сайте.

    Reply