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 canadian pharmaceuticals online Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

5,973 thoughts on “How to Pet a Porcupine”

  3. Hi there I am so grateful I found your web site, I really found you by accident, while I was looking on Digg for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a tremendous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the excellent job.

    Reply

  6. What i don’t understood is in reality how you are now not really much more smartly-liked than you might be right now. You are so intelligent. You realize therefore significantly on the subject of this topic, made me personally believe it from numerous varied angles. Its like men and women are not fascinated unless it is something to do with Woman gaga! Your own stuffs great. Always take care of it up!

    Reply

  7. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this subject here on your internet site.

    Reply

  11. I have been surfing on-line greater than 3 hours nowadays, but I never discovered any fascinating article like yours. It is beautiful price sufficient for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the net will likely be much more helpful than ever before.

    Reply

  12. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    Reply

  15. В этой статье мы расскажем вам о промокодах – что это такое, как их получить и использовать специальные коды от 1xBet, а также подробно опишем, где вводить коды для получения бонуса от букмекера.
    Промокод – это уникальная комбинация букв и цифр, которая дает вам доступ к специальному предложению от букмекера. Компании часто используют их в различных акциях, чтобы привлечь новых игроков и поощрить постоянных клиентов. Бесплатные коды нужно вводить в специальное поле при регистрации на сайте букмекера или в личном кабинете, если у вас уже есть аккаунт.

    промокоды 1xbet как пользоваться, а также приветственный пакет в казино до 1950 евро + 150 фриспинов для игры в разделе азартных игр 1хБет. Бонусный код 1xBet дает возможность получить бонусы при регистрации на сайте букмекерской конторы.

    Reply

  24. ¡Hola, jugadores entusiastas !
    Casinoextranjerosespana.es: juega sin restricciones legales – п»їhttps://casinoextranjerosespana.es/ casinos extranjeros
    ¡Que disfrutes de asombrosas botes espectaculares!

    Reply

  38. A person essentially help to make significantly articles I’d state. This is the very first time I frequented your website page and so far? I amazed with the research you made to make this actual post extraordinary. Excellent activity!

    Reply

  42. ¡Hola, seguidores del entretenimiento !
    Casino online extranjero que no exige registro completo – п»їhttps://casinoextranjerosespana.es/ mejores casinos online extranjeros
    ¡Que disfrutes de asombrosas movidas brillantes !

    Reply

  44. Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a great article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and don’t seem to get anything done.

    Reply

  45. Usually I do not learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and do it! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you, very nice article.

    Reply

  47. Do you have a spam issue on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; we have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to exchange techniques with others, please shoot me an email if interested.

    Reply

  48. I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this increase.

    Reply