The Word Café Podcast with Amax
My unique message to the world is the power behind the words of our mouths. We have made light of it but cannot escape the fruits thereof. For me, words are the unit of creation, the building block on which our existence evolves. This podcast is for everyone who wants to better their living by using words and applying themselves wisely. I will be using the storytelling style fused with imaginative nuances to transport the listener to that place, where possibilities are not luxuries but everyday experiences; movie in voice.
This podcast will emphasize the power of routine, and what you repeatedly do, you most likely build capacity and expertise for what you repeatedly do. My podcast will help the listener learn how to practice success because the same amount of time you use in complaining is the same you can use to plant, build, prune, etc. I intend to draw the listener's attention to the power of their words.
The Word Café Podcast with Amax
S4 Ep. 239 Reading the Room: Joseph's Journey to Power
What does it mean to "read the room" effectively? Through the captivating biblical story of Joseph, we explore how to navigate various environments with wisdom and purpose. From familiar settings where we're vulnerable to executive boardrooms where power dynamics are at play, understanding how to present yourself appropriately can transform your life's trajectory.
Joseph's journey provides a powerful framework for mastering different social contexts. In his family environment, he shared his dreams openly, only to face betrayal from his brothers. When thrown into a pit and sold into slavery, he demonstrated remarkable resilience by reading the situation correctly—not fighting back when resistance could cost him his life. In Potiphar's house, despite being given significant responsibility, he maintained his integrity when tempted. Even in prison, his ability to build relationships and interpret dreams positioned him for his eventual rise to power.
The most compelling moment comes when Joseph stands before Pharaoh. Notice how he prepares himself—cleaning up, dressing appropriately, and presenting himself with confidence. Yet his confidence isn't self-centered; it's rooted in something greater. "It is not in me," he tells Pharaoh, "but God will give you an answer of peace." This humility in the presence of power demonstrates true executive presence.
What makes Joseph's story so relevant today is his ability to maintain integrity across dramatically different circumstances. When he finally reunites with the brothers who betrayed him, he chooses reconciliation over revenge, understanding that true power isn't about vengeance but bringing peace to troubled situations.
Are you struggling to navigate complex social or professional environments? Remember that each "room" requires different skills, but your core values should remain consistent. The challenges you face today might be preparing you for greater responsibilities tomorrow. Subscribe to our channel for more insights on leadership, personal growth, and navigating life's complex situations with wisdom and purpose.
You can support this show via the link below;
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new
all right, ready or not, here I come. Hi, did you play as a child? Did you do hide and seek and all of that? Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good. Everything, wherever you are, yep on the surface of the earth this very instant, listening to me and seeing me. How are you welcome? Yes, to the world cafe live show. I asked that question because play is very vital, important to our lives. I'm good where I am, so, so good. A little little bit of nostalgia and a little bit of would I call it calmness. Where I am, it's been raining, the weather is somewhat cool and all of that. So I'm good, I'm very good.
Speaker 1:Yes, you're seeing me with a pen and a notepad today, not with my phone. So there's something about writing, be it digital writing or you use your pen and you scribble and all of that. There's something it does to, for I don't know I'm speaking from my own perspective for the creative mind, there is this relationship that happens between the writer, the pen and the paper. There's this communication that goes on, telepathically speaking now, and journaling is one thing, it's good, but you may not have what to write, as it were, but there's always something to write about. You could just see a tree, a flower, the the case may be to the next and to the next Before you know it. A letter forms a word. A word forms a phrase. A phrase forms a sentence. A sentence forms a paragraph. A paragraph forms a page. A page forms you know what I'm talking about forms a page, a page forms. You know what I'm talking about. So that's how it works for me, but that's not what I came to do today on the show.
Speaker 1:I was having a conversation with my wife the other day. Yeah and uh, she, she. She asked me a question how do you read the room? Yes, that's what we'll be talking about today Reading the room. How do you read the room? I'm not talking about your bedroom, no, not your bedroom, the room, as in that space of opportunity, that space of uh how are you going to call it now where you need to express yourself, where you need to show uh yourself before you know, well-meaning, the king, as the case be decision makers and all of that. And I was quiet so when she said that, I asked her one or two questions. My wife is a big inspiration in what I do and whenever we talk and just you know, giving her opinion, her views. I pick up my phone or a writing material or whatever. I begin to write, I get inspired. So she said one or two things which I'm going to articulate as we make progress. But how do you read the room?
Speaker 1:William Shakespeare talked about the earth, the world being a stage, and all of us have this opportunity to stand on the stage to express ourself in one form or the other, and we leave the stage at a time. That's life. How do you, when that opportunity comes, given to you? How do you, when that opportunity comes, give it to you? How do you express yourself? You become intentional, you become, yes, you bring all the elements of creativity. Even in quietness there's something. You're speaking. Silence is a form of speaking. Yeah, silence is a form of speaking. Yeah, silence is a kind of language. It transcends dialects. Silence is a kind of sound, you know.
Speaker 1:So I went home we were driving, actually, when we got home, so I sat down to think it through. One individual came to mind the story of Joseph. I had to go back to read it again. Yes, joseph, joseph, the son of Jacob of the tribe of Israel, that's the best way to describe him. So I had to go back to, like, look at his life. He occupied so many rooms and he understood each of these rooms and he expressed himself. Follow my thought.
Speaker 1:Now, when you look at the life of Joseph, we call him the dreamer, the one whose father dressed him in coat of colors. Each time I come to this subject, people some writers will say he wore a coat of many colors. No, he wore a coat of colors. I won't expand on it on this episode. There's something we're working on. When we're ready, you will see it the theory of the light. Don't worry, let me not let the cat out of the bag. When we talked about coat of colors, not mini colors Okay, his father dressed him up and all of that. And when you look at his story, his story has a lot to do about power, how your life becomes a source of expressing power, how your life becomes a platform for other people to ride on as a result of what you have done, how you have read the room, developing yourself. So I saw three things, more than three things, when I looked at his life, and I'm going to share with you what I saw.
Speaker 1:The first room Joseph occupied, or he read I call it the familia, the familiar room. And what's the familiar room? Family, familia, family. Italians will call it familia, that's family, is familia. Spanish will also say the same thing In Latin will also almost go the same way the familia, or the familia, his family.
Speaker 1:When he had the dream, if you read scriptures carefully, you can see the way he expressed himself before his siblings Casually. Casually, but you know what familiarity does? It breeds contempt. You could see the expression of his siblings contemptuous. They looked at him like what do you mean? That was the room. You know.
Speaker 1:When you're with familiar people, you let your guard down, you're vulnerable and sometimes your vulnerability is taken advantage of. Some people will say maybe he wasn't supposed to do that. No, some people will say why did he even go ahead? You don't have to share your secrets with people. I beg to differ. He was learning. Yes, he was learning. They are my family, they are my, we're siblings, we belong, and what he saw, they were a part of it. So he felt, in my opinion, he felt sharing it with them, he will get their buying in and, you know, they will all walk together. But they read it differently. They read the room differently from him. Okay, what happened next? The next room he occupied was the I call it the room of the deep, or the death. They sold him. I thought it familiar.
Speaker 1:What happens is betrayal, yeah, betrayal. He was betrayed, his loved ones and more often than not, when things begin to happen around your life in terms of negativity and all that is not verified, it's in-house. When they took Joseph, agreed and said let us do this to him. When they threw him into the pit, you notice something for those of us who you know Bible study, if you read the story, he didn't resist, he didn't fight them, he didn't put up a fight, like somehow he read the room. He read the room like if I fight, if I struggle with them, they might kill me, but let me allow them half their way. When life throws curveballs at you, how do you respond? When life throws lemons at you, that's him not saying you make lemonades, I say you make lemonades. I say you make lemonades and more In the deep.
Speaker 1:He read the room, he understood what was about to happen and he was sold into slavery. Somebody would say he was bitter at that point. I don't think so Was indifferent. Did he disconnect? No, he reached into his core. He could read the room. Why is this happening now, having this inner the monologue, which you may say a form of dialogue, but it was a monologue. The next room he occupied was the room of the comfort zone. These are things I wrote down so I'm reading from yeah, the comfort zone.
Speaker 1:Because when he was sold into slavery he got into the house of Potiphar and he read the room that I am here to serve. I will make the best of myself. He was made the chief as in the chief of staff, that's the right word to use of Potiphar's house. He took care of everything.
Speaker 1:Something happened again in that room. His master's wife cast her eyes on him. So success, you know. When somebody said his wife cast her eyes on him? So success, you know. When somebody said you're the light of the world, do you know what light attracts Flies? Yeah, when the light comes on, you see fire. Whatever the light flies, they go towards the light. The unholy is always attracted to the holy things to corrupt it. So what did Joseph do at that instant? He read the room. He gave an answer. How would I commit this wickedness? Not against my master, not against his wife, not against myself, but against God. So he knew where his strength was from and he knew where his obedience lied, you know, as in so he did not. He did not cave into those. But we know what happened after that he was. He was taken to another room the prison. He was taken to another room, the prison. He was taken to another room, another form of depressed, what I call it depressed room. But yet when he got into that room they made him again the chief of staff of the prison. He was taken to another room. So you can see that he understood reading of any room circumstance you get to, you don't subject yourself and feel helpless and feel dejected and it's like, oh, this is, this, is the end for me and all that. No, he saw another opportunity.
Speaker 1:The story of the prison is one that is so amazing. Pharaoh's butler and cupbearer were there, or the chief baker, I beg your pardon and the cupbearer were in the prison. They did something wrong to Pharaoh, but again, joseph, in his usual self, saw them at the point of a downcast. What was the problem? They told him they had a dream, and when he interpreted their dream someone would say, ah, maybe he just interpreted the dream. No, no, joseph understood visions of the night dreams. They were not uncommon, so he had the wisdom.
Speaker 1:Over time, reading different rooms, he had come to understand the power of vision and dreams not the dream of you overfed or something and according to his interpretation of their dreams, it happened. The other, after three days, his dream showed that you know he was to. I mean he was to be killed. That happened. The other was to be elevated, brought back into Pharaoh's service and all of that it happened accordingly. But he did tell them again reading the room right, I'm here for a wrong reason. I'm here for a wrong reason.
Speaker 1:Scripture says that they forgot him for two good years. So what was happening to him for the loose period? Two good years? His devotion did not wane, his service did not go down, his attitude was positive. Then Pharaoh had a dream. The cupbearer remembered the room he was coming from, the caretaker and the keeper of the room. He met there, joseph. Now, when he told Pharaoh about Joseph, pharaoh sent for Joseph. Now, listen, listen carefully. He sent for Joseph. The way the scripture describes it is.
Speaker 1:Joseph went inside, shaved himself, cleaned himself up, was smelling well, looking good. He was now standing in a room of executives. He had to command executive presence Of executives. He had to command Executive presence. He's now standing before Power. He's standing, he read the room right From the familiar To the deep, to the comfort zone, and now he is before the powers that be. He stood, squared his shoulders, he didn't slouch. He stood before Pharaoh and now, when he was listening to Pharaoh, pharaoh told him his dream.
Speaker 1:Oh, the confidence with which he spoke to Pharaoh. Now, this is how I see confidence. Let me describe it to you. You know the word confidence. You spell it C-O-N, f-i-d-e-m-c-e, confidence. Now split that word C-O-N is con, the other is fide or feedance. So you see, the other is fide or fidence. So you see, confidence is gotten from the word confide. And this is how I see confidence. When someone greater than you confiding in you secrets, you stand in confidence. That's how I describe it. He knew his dreams. It drew him closer to the giver of the dream, who is Jehovah. So God confided in Joseph the future. So he stood, he knew this was the time.
Speaker 1:And look at the answer he gave to Pharaoh. It is not in me, but I know him who will give Pharaoh the answer of peace Instantly. Pharaoh knew this person understands power. Understand power because power is something I know. I know we've talked about power on this show before. Like lord uh acting told the pope, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But listen, when you see people who know what true power is, they always refer to the source. So they humble themselves, more or less. He said the answer is not in me, but I know him who will give Pharaoh the answer of peace. Pharaoh was troubled, pharaoh needed peace.
Speaker 1:He read the room and Pharaoh after. He gave Pharaoh the interpretation and all that. And Pharaoh made the statement. Who can we find except him in whom the spirit of the gods dwell? When a man's ways pleases the Lord, he makes his enemies. He will be at peace. The devil so to testified that this man is carrying something great.
Speaker 1:I'm just trying to imagine the expression on Joseph's face reading that room, the command of presence. He, that room, the command of presence. He was in the presence of power. Imagine you standing before world leaders. Trump, xi Jinping call them and you're telling them you are troubled, but listen, I know him, in whom peace resides, and he will give Pharaoh, he will give you an answer of peace. Listen, that is to say, no matter how complicated you think the issue is, there is a prince of peace. No matter how complicated you think the issue is, there is a Prince of Peace. And when the Prince of Peace comes, the principality of the prince is made known.
Speaker 1:We know how the story ended and when, finally, he met his brothers, he read the rune right, not vengeance. When he revealed himself to them, they thought he was going to kill them. He said no, you fought it for evil. Then the Lord turned it around. He knew it, he understood how to read the room. So, guys, you must know how to read the room In power play.
Speaker 1:It's not about revenge, it's not about taking vengeance, it's about introducing the peace. That pass it all, understanding that even your enemies would attest to it and say oh, thank God, you did not leave that dream. So, guys, those of us who want to stand before executives, yes, see as though a man who is diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings, not men. Joseph was so diligent, he was building capacity all through those different rooms, he was gathering capacity, he was building, building, and when his competence or his competency, as a case may be was apparent, they could not deny it, and that is what we came to do on the show today. Alright, guys, learn to read the room. I hope this has blessed you, as it has blessed me too. There are a lot of rooms we want to get too. There are a lot of rooms we want to get into. There are a lot of rooms we desire.
Speaker 1:Some people say, I desire to sit on that table. No, no problem, but you must learn to read the room. You must learn the circumstances that present themselves. You may see the odds are against me there. Turn it around. The odds can be in your favor. You know that of joseph is clear. At the time it felt like the odds were against him, but all of a sudden the odds were in his favor. All right guys, I gotta go now. Odds were in his favor. All right guys, I got to go now. I felt to just come in to drop this with you. Yep, you know how we say it on the show.
Speaker 1:Yes, we are available on all the social media platforms. I say this with all sense of purpose. Follow us. We are available Instagram X, tiktok, facebook. On LinkedIn, we have a YouTube channel. Have you subscribed to our channel? Please do hit that notification button so that when amazing conversations like this drop, you'll be the first to get that notification and do share it with your friends. Encourage people with this Mm-hmm Till I come your way again. This is the space where we come in to lean on one another's experience to forge a positive path. My name is Amakri. Amakri is away. Bye for now.