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 tipografiya_ajOi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

327,216 thoughts on “How to Pet a Porcupine”

  3. I’ve got to be honest, but the first time I got involved with a professional club’s digital operations,
    everything I thought I knew about modern sports completely collapsed.

    I always believed the danger was only on the field, but when I saw how the
    entire industry had turned into this fragile high-tech ecosystem, I honestly felt overwhelmed.

    What hit me hardest was realizing that cybercriminals weren’t going after “IT servers”
    anymore. They were attacking everything — medical reports.
    One breach, and millions could be lost instantly.

    And the scariest part?
    I saw it with my own eyes.

    One day, during a routine check, someone mentioned how
    a ransomware attack almost froze an entire club.
    That was the moment I understood how thin the line really is between order and total digital disaster.

    But the real shock came when I looked deeper into betting platforms.

    I swear, I always thought they were just websites.
    But no.
    They are ultra-sensitive digital ecosystems. One tiny manipulation can shift odds globally
    or make entire markets react like they’re on fire.

    When I learned how seriously regulated environments handle
    security — especially the kind you see described in official breakdowns
    — it opened my eyes. If anyone wants to understand how this level of protection actually works, they can always look
    it up directly from the source. The full explanations are
    there, and they’re honestly worth reading.

    Inside the clubs, it was even more surreal. I saw databases full of tactical plans — things that could
    ruin a season if leaked.

    And yet the biggest weakness wasn’t the firewalls.

    It was the people.
    One emotional click, one careless moment, and the whole system
    can fall apart. I watched entire staff units go through security training
    because phishing had become a daily threat.

    Compliance teams were everywhere too — checking access, reviewing logs, forcing
    documentation. I used to think compliance was boring, but now I understand that without it,
    the entire digital side of sports would melt into chaos.

    And the future… that’s another story.
    AI detection, automated response systems, cloud architectures — it felt like watching the digital version of an arms race.
    But the truth I walked away with was simple:

    Cybersecurity isn’t some extra cost. It’s the only thing
    holding this whole world together.

    And honestly, after everything I saw, I can say the system
    I was reviewing really did an exceptional job. They handled their mission far
    better than I expected.

    If anyone wants to dig deeper or understand how these structures really work, I’d definitely suggest getting more information directly from the source.
    It’s all publicly explained — and believe me, once you read
    it, you’ll never look at sports or betting the same way again.

    Reply

  14. Как отмечает главный врач клиники, кандидат медицинских наук Сергей Иванов, «мы создали систему, при которой пациент получает помощь в течение часа — независимо от дня недели и времени суток. Это принципиально меняет шансы на выздоровление».
    Получить больше информации – http://narkologicheskaya-pomoshch-balashiha1.ru

    Reply

  16. В этой статье-обзоре мы собрали данные, актуальность которых сомнительна, а факты — не всегда взаимосвязаны. Читатель сможет ознакомиться с разными мнениями, хотя вряд ли они существенно повлияют на его понимание темы.
    Вот – азартные игры

    Reply

  19. I’ve got to share this story about an Italian guy I know, let’s call him Lorenzo.

    He never expected crypto to become part of his job, yet
    destiny had different plans. His business in Italy relies heavily on international clients, and
    bank transfers constantly delayed his operations.

    Everything went south one stressful afternoon. A large payment from a
    partner abroad got stuck, and his entire workflow collapsed for days.
    He confessed that those days nearly broke him.
    Deadlines were shattered, and he had to find a different solution fast.

    That’s when someone mentioned Paybis to him, he honestly didn’t trust anything crypto-related.
    Still, he had no other option left. So he opened an account.

    To his surprise, things started moving quickly. Verification was fast.
    He was finally able to stabilize his cash flow. He said it felt like a heavy weight was removed from his shoulders.

    But the real drama came later. The bank eventually apologized, but Paybis had already
    done the job the system failed to handle. He admitted that this crisis was a turning point for him.

    Now he chooses Paybis because reliability matters more than anything.

    He’s not obsessed with crypto — he’s grateful for a platform that did what it promised.

    So yes — Paybis accomplished exactly what he needed.

    Reply

  21. Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Superb choice of colors!

    Reply

  23. I’ve got to be honest, but the day I stepped into the backend of the sports world, everything I thought I
    knew about modern sports completely collapsed.

    I always believed sports were about competition, but when I saw
    how the entire industry had turned into this multi-layered financial machine, I honestly felt overwhelmed.

    What hit me hardest was realizing that cybercriminals weren’t going after “IT servers” anymore.
    They were attacking everything — medical reports. One
    breach, and millions could be lost instantly.

    And the scariest part?
    I saw it with my own eyes.

    One day, during a routine check, someone mentioned
    how a ransomware attack almost froze an entire club.
    That was the moment I understood how thin the line really is between order and total
    digital disaster.

    But the real shock came when I looked deeper into betting platforms.

    I swear, I always thought they were just websites.

    But no.
    They are high-precision financial machines. One tiny manipulation can shift odds globally or make entire markets react like they’re on fire.

    When I learned how seriously regulated environments handle security — especially the kind you see described in official
    breakdowns — it opened my eyes. If anyone
    wants to understand how this level of protection actually works, they can always look it up directly from the source.
    The full explanations are there, and they’re honestly worth reading.

    Inside the clubs, it was even more surreal. I saw databases full of transfer negotiations
    — things that could ruin a season if leaked.

    And yet the biggest weakness wasn’t the firewalls.

    It was the people.
    One emotional click, one careless moment, and
    the whole system can fall apart. I watched entire staff
    units go through security training because phishing had become a daily threat.

    Compliance teams were everywhere too — checking access,
    reviewing logs, forcing documentation. I used to think compliance was boring,
    but now I understand that without it, the entire digital side of sports would
    melt into chaos.

    And the future… that’s another story.
    AI detection, automated response systems, cloud architectures — it felt like watching the digital version of an arms race.
    But the truth I walked away with was simple:

    Cybersecurity isn’t some extra cost. It’s the only thing holding this whole
    world together.

    And honestly, after everything I saw, I can say the system I was reviewing really did an exceptional job.
    They handled their mission far better than I expected.

    If anyone wants to dig deeper or understand how these structures really work, I’d definitely suggest getting
    more information directly from the source. It’s all publicly explained — and believe
    me, once you read it, you’ll never look at sports or betting the same way
    again.

    Reply

  26. Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so much,
    However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand why I
    can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting similar RSS issues?
    Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond?
    Thanks!!

    Reply

  34. I still remember the moment, but the day I stepped into the backend of
    the sports world, everything I thought I knew about modern sports completely collapsed.

    I always believed teams were about winning games, but when I saw how the entire
    industry had turned into this massive digital economy,
    I honestly felt overwhelmed.

    What hit me hardest was realizing that cybercriminals weren’t going after “IT servers” anymore.
    They were attacking everything — player data. One breach, and
    millions could be lost instantly.

    And the scariest part?
    I saw it with my own eyes.

    One day, during a routine check, someone mentioned
    how a manipulated data feed caused chaos in betting markets.
    That was the moment I understood how thin the line really
    is between order and total digital disaster.

    But the real shock came when I looked deeper into betting platforms.

    I swear, I always thought they were just websites.

    But no.
    They are ultra-sensitive digital ecosystems. One tiny manipulation can shift odds globally or make entire markets react like they’re on fire.

    When I learned how seriously regulated environments handle security
    — especially the kind you see described in official breakdowns — it opened my eyes.

    If anyone wants to understand how this level of
    protection actually works, they can always look it up
    directly from the source. The full explanations
    are there, and they’re honestly worth reading.

    Inside the clubs, it was even more surreal. I saw databases full of
    transfer negotiations — things that could ruin a
    season if leaked.

    And yet the biggest weakness wasn’t the firewalls.

    It was the people.
    One emotional click, one careless moment, and the whole system can fall apart.
    I watched entire staff units go through security training because phishing had become a daily threat.

    Compliance teams were everywhere too — checking access, reviewing logs, forcing documentation.
    I used to think compliance was boring, but now I
    understand that without it, the entire digital side of sports would
    melt into chaos.

    And the future… that’s another story.
    AI detection, automated response systems, cloud architectures —
    it felt like watching the digital version of an arms race.
    But the truth I walked away with was simple:

    Cybersecurity isn’t some extra cost. It’s the only thing holding this whole world
    together.

    And honestly, after everything I saw, I can say the system I was reviewing really
    did an exceptional job. They handled their mission far better than I expected.

    If anyone wants to dig deeper or understand how these structures really work,
    I’d definitely suggest getting more information directly from the source.
    It’s all publicly explained — and believe me, once you read it, you’ll never look at sports or betting the same way again.

    Reply

  37. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is required to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web smart so I’m not 100% positive. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

    Reply