Posted on by Adam

Position vs. Disposition

A lot of relational and offenses arise because people forget the difference between position and disposition.

“Position” = Your stance on a certain issue.
“Disposition” = The way you communicate yourself.

Okay so in case you’re not following me yet, here’s an example. Imagine that I’m your boss, and I need to make a change in your performance.

Scenario A: “Hey I love the quality of your widgets, but I really need you to step it up a notch in this area. Keep up the good quality!”

Scenario B: “What is your problem, Nerd?! You’re slowing down the whole line because you’re such an idiot. Hurry up and focus more – this part needs to be better!!” (Accompanied by negative nonverbal communication as well).

In both scenarios, the position was the same; you needed to perform better in a particular area. But the dispositions were drastically different.

Now here’s the catch – nobody ever sees past our dispositions. That’s so important that I’ll say it again: NOBODY EVER SEES PAST OUR DISPOSITION.

I wager to say that most misunderstandings are (for lack of a better word) *misunderstood*, and are actually a result of a bad disposition. This is a major portion of interpersonal conflicts, guys. This is actually kind of a big deal, at least as big of a deal as interpersonal communication is.

Your disposition needs to remain a positive one as much as possible, but its essential that it remains positive if you ever need to confront another on a sinful issue or concern. Christian screw this up all the time. Bad disposition is what turns a Christ following disciple into a bigot.

Bigots would say:
“Oh my gosh you did what?! You do know what you did was wrong, right? You’re such a sinner. I can’t believe I’m even talking to you. You ought to repent and READ YOUR BIBLE right now. Maybe you’ll stand a chance to not wind up in hell!”

Such a bad disposition! Nobody ever sees past that! Because of so many confrontations like that, it has caused the spirituality of so many Christians to dry up. We fear confessing our sins to one another because of it. Perhaps worse, we fear confronting another person on their sin because we fear sounding like it.

But we need to remember its not our position that’s the problem, its our disposition.

With a good disposition, we can lovingly and caringly challenge another Christian to live holy: “Hey, recently I seem to have noticed a lot of bitterness in you. You doing okay? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Christianity aside, far too many leaders in the workforce don’t ever make adjustments to their staff because they’re scared of being the meanie. I think this is a major reason leadership suffers so much in our nation – nobody wants to be the mean guy; everyone is scared of their disposition. But folks, its not the position (good employees WANT feedback), its the DISposition.

Wouldn’t our relationships be so much better if everyone read this blog?

Let’s get real, though – they won’t.

But you did.

Remember how I said that “NOBODY SEES PAST YOUR DISPOSITION”? Well, that’s not entirely true. You can. If you think about it. Sometimes people can be 100% wrong in their disposition but can be 100% right in their position. That position is what we need to listen for. It’s hard sometimes, but we need to get past HOW someone says something and actually hear what they’re saying. When they say something about you, it can be incredibly hurtful. When “corrections” are thrown at you in an insulting way, they may actually be only 1% right and 99% wrong in their position.

But that 1% of truth may make 100% of the difference in your life, if you’re smart enough to listen for it.

3,804 Replies to “Position vs. Disposition”

  3. I blog quite often and I really appreciate your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your Feed too.

  4. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you so much, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I donít know the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anybody else getting the same RSS issues? Anyone that knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

  5. Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thanks, However I am encountering troubles with your RSS. I donít understand the reason why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting similar RSS problems? Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

  7. Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not fail me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, but I genuinely thought you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.

  9. This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate informationÖ Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post!

  15. I truly love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as Iím hoping to create my own website and would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Thank you!

  17. After checking out a number of the blog posts on your website, I seriously like your technique of blogging. I added it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my web site as well and tell me what you think.

  19. Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to produce a top notch articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I procrastinate a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.

  20. Iím amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog thatís both educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I came across this in my search for something relating to this.

  21. You’ve made some really good points there. I looked on the internet for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.

  25. I want to to thank you for this very good read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to look at new things you postÖ

  26. Hi there! I simply would like to give you a big thumbs up for the great information you’ve got here on this post. I am returning to your website for more soon.

  32. I blog quite often and I truly thank you for your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your Feed too.

  35. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thanks, However I am encountering problems with your RSS. I donít understand why I cannot join it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanks!!

  41. Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe this amazing site needs a great deal more attention. Iíll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the advice!

  43. Hi there! I could have sworn Iíve visited your blog before but after browsing through some of the articles I realized itís new to me. Anyhow, Iím certainly pleased I stumbled upon it and Iíll be bookmarking it and checking back often!

  50. Iím impressed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog thatís both educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I came across this in my search for something concerning this.

Leave a Reply

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