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 GeorgeGyday Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

320,252 thoughts on “How to Pet a Porcupine”

  2. Купить диплом института по невысокой цене вы можете, обращаясь к надежной специализированной фирме. Заказать документ ВУЗа вы сможете в нашем сервисе. orikdok-5v-gorode-krasnodar-23.online

    Reply

  4. Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Appreciate it

    Reply

  5. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the structure of your website? 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 two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply

  10. Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you really recognise what you’re speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Kindly also talk over with my web site =). We can have a link change arrangement between us

    Reply

  15. Hi there, I believe your site may be having web browser compatibility issues. When I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, great site!

    Reply

  21. Наша команда врачей оперативно реагирует на каждый вызов, оказывая квалифицированную медицинскую помощь на дому. Специалисты проводят полный комплекс лечебных мероприятий, направленных на безопасное снятие интоксикации, детоксикацию и облегчение симптомов абстиненции.
    Ознакомиться с деталями – вызвать нарколога на дом

    Reply

  24. Hey I am so glad I found your blog page, I really found you by accident, while I was looking on Aol for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks for a remarkable post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb work.

    Reply

  32. Алкоголь и наркотики воздействуют на организм комплексно: нарушается работа сердца, сосудов, печени и почек, страдает нервная система. При запое или ломке без квалифицированной помощи возникают судороги, делирий, галлюцинации и серьёзные сбои в обмене веществ. Самостоятельные попытки «перетерпеть» или «отмотать» запой зачастую приводят к тяжёлым осложнениям, вплоть до комы и необратимых изменений в органах.
    Узнать больше – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-dolgoprudnyj3.ru/

    Reply

  34. Hi this is kinda of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding expertise so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

    Reply

  35. Hi there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  37. В «Трезвом Истоке» мы понимаем: принять решение о вызове — это шаг, требующий смелости. Особенно если речь идёт о близком человеке, который отрицает наличие проблемы. Именно поэтому наши врачи умеют работать тактично, без давления. Мы не заставляем — мы объясняем. Спокойно, профессионально и по-человечески.
    Углубиться в тему – http://vyvod-iz-zapoya-ehlektrostal3.ru/anonimnyj-vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-ehlektrostali/

    Reply

  38. Мега даркнет,Мега сайт,Мега онион,Мега ссылка,Mega даркнет,Mega сайт,Mega онион,Mega ссылка,Mega darknet,Mega onion Mega onion

    Reply

  40. Мы можем предложить дипломы любых профессий по приятным ценам. Мы можем предложить документы техникумов, расположенных на территории всей России. Документы печатаются на “правильной” бумаге самого высокого качества. Это позволяет делать государственные дипломы, которые не отличить от оригинала. orikdok-v-gorode-nizhniy-novgorod-52.online

    Reply

  45. Лучшие дизайнеры СПб уже ждут вас! Весь июль mudryakova.ru дарит до 20% скидки на любые услуги — от консультации до реализации “под ключ”. Не упустите возможность сделать интерьер стильным и выгодным. Пора меняться — начните прямо сейчас!

    Reply

  47. Hey There. I found your weblog the use of msn. That is an extremely smartly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to learn extra of your helpful information. Thank you for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.

    Reply

  49. Can I just say what a comfort to find a person that actually knows what they are talking about over the internet. You actually realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people need to read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you’re not more popular given that you surely possess the gift.

    Reply