day 292: Thresholds

I have written before about how different our attitudes are when we are going to work versus going home. Many people will talk about how they are "different people" at work versus home, and they don't like it. They talk about how they are positive, enthusiastic, optimistic at home, but on their way to work it feels like all of that life is sucked out of them. What happens that makes us feel this way? Why is it that when we start thinking about work that a whole different set of feelings and emotions creep up on us, and why does it have to be that way? Since no one but ourselves can control our emotions and feelings, it doesn't have to be this way and it all begins with the management of the thresholds. Each day we cross the threshold of our homes on the way to work, then we cross the threshold of our workplace. Later in that day we cross that threshold again on our way home and then we return to the threshold of our home for the last crossing of the day. If we were to think intently and deliberately about our emotions and feelings each time we make those crossings, then our attitude can be managed consistently. And that consistency is important in how we are viewed, appraised and interpreted by others around us, both at home and work. What God has to say about this can be found in Psalm 100:4; "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name." The point here is that we can make any threshold His gates and His courts. It is all in how we think about our work and homes and the attitude that we bring into them within our hearts and minds. We can cross any threshold in a place of thanksgiving and praise and make them a place that can be called His. This week as we come off the long weekend focused on thanks, let us not lose that spirit and instead bring that same thanksgiving and praise to God with us as we cross the thresholds to leave home, go to work, leave from work, and go back home. May each threshold be the thresholds that are His.

Reference: Psalm 100:4 (New Living Testament)

day 291: 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?

It's not unusual in most religions to hear someone call someone else, "brother" or "sister". The Catholic religion formalizes it with people who are "brothers" formally established from an order. We don't call each other brothers or sisters at work though. That would be strange. But not so strange for the military where a troop will be thought of as a "band of brothers". At work, we just aren't that close nor dependent on one another to establish that we can or will treat each other like brothers or sisters. Although, when we step back and think about it and all that we go through together and put each other through, there is no reason why we shouldn't be establishing relationships that are that close and that important. I am fortunate that I have some lifelong friends who have come from the places where I have worked. A few I would even call "brother". In each of these friendships we shared an experience together where it was hard and/or we both went through something individually that was the same, in essence, and we can share and reflect on that moment in time. This is not unlike the military where soldiers who share a foxhole in battle become lifelong friends, companions and brothers. The Bible speaks of this in Proverbs 17:17; "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." There in lies the difference between a friend and a brother. When someone is there for us so they can help us in our time of need, they feel like a brother/sister and oh, how we need these people often in our careers. If we miss the opportunity to know those brothers and sisters at work, who are there for us when we need them, then we are missing out on a big part of the positive experience that can come from work. And just as bad, maybe worse, is when we aren't establishing ourselves as brothers and sisters for others because we are too caught up in us and our own thing. Today, take a moment and think about the people who you work with and think about who might call you brother or sister and why? And, who wouldn't, and why not? If you are there for others in their time of need, you are more likely than you think to be thought of as the big brother/sister that you never imagined. We all need a brother/sister. Can you become one today?

Reference: Proverbs 17:17 (New Living Testament)

day 290: Thankfulness

I am just going to come out and say that there is not enough of a spirit of thankfulness when we are at work. Something not good happens when we put the key in the door or swipe the card key and cross the threshold into our workplaces. Sure, we tell people thank you throughout the day and we finish our emails with "thanks", but do we really, really have a spirit of thankfulness when it comes to our work and the people who we work with and around? When we are truly thankful for something we cherish it, we protect it, and we do whatever we have to do to keep that object, experience or person firmly in our lives. If we were to heave everyone go around the room in a business meeting and do like we do in church and point out the things we were thankful for, it would be an interesting exercise to see what people highlight and even more interesting to see what they don't mention. When we do this at church, like I did this past weekend with the kids in my Sunday school class, the words come from the heart; family, friends, a house, food on the table, loved ones who care and pray for us, our church, the ability to freely worship, etc. And in this day and age, from adults you hear a lot more people sincerely thankful to have a job. But, if we come out from under the steeple and do the same exercise in the board room, I suspect the answers would be much different and way more superficial because the spirit of thankfulness is not alive and well in the workplace. Yes, there is a thankfulness for having a job in the first place, but even that is transferable and temporary. The spirit of thankfulness is getting down under the surface and really appreciating and loving something or someone for what they do and how they support us, and in return us caring so much that we would do nearly anything to keep them as part of our lives. This is a week where we should be going about the work of becoming thankful to others around us. Where that starts is with returning to the One who we can all be thankful and asking Him to instill that spirit within us. We read in Colossians 2:7; "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." If we want to be known and seen as someone who is thankful we have to position our lives and ourselves to Him first. Someone at your workplace today needs to know that they are appreciated and that you are thankful for them. Can you seek them out, find them today and reach out to them with a spirit of thankfulness and really tell them how thankful you are for them? What you get back in return may be a whole lot more good than you ever expected.

Reference: Colossians 2:7 (New Living Testament)

day 289: Garment Workers

Over my vacation I finally got around to reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Outliers". Among the many stories that he tells, which all reinforce his message that each of us gets to where we are in life through the assistance of others and circumstantial opportunities, he goes deeply into the details the the rise of the number of successful law firms in New York City that grew out of the children of first-generation immigrants who were garment makers. This story about the number of garment workers' children who grew to be the educated and leading lawyers is in itself fascinating. That we all, or at least the many successful and talented people that Gladwell chronicles in the book, are the by-products of others, whether those people know it or not is even more fascinating. This not unlike the fact that we are certainly products of the prayers that went before us. A Grandmother or Grandfather, a teacher, a parent, or someone at church who prayed our names, have all influenced and been a part of our lives. The part in Gladwell's book about the garment makers' offspring reminded me of the Bible verse in Isaiah 61:3 that says we are to "put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness". A garment of praise? a spirit of heaviness? What is Isaiah trying to get at with us? The spirit of heaviness is one that we put on ourselves like a heavy coat that weighs us down. When we feel sorry for ourselves, or let ourselves feel lonely, of when we become ungrateful, or when we become selfish. These are all the things that can lead to our spirit getting loaded up and loaded down. The only we can break that spirit is to replace the heaviness with the garment of praise. A garment of praise is right there with us at all times, starting with us thanking God for all of the great and wonderful things he has done for us. The Bible calls us to fill our minds and think on the things that are wholesome, good and right. When we are feeling burdened and weighted down with all of the heaviness that comes with this world, we need to be sure that we rise above those emotions and that we start thanking and praising God for the good things in life he as given us. And with these praises and this thankful attitude we will be donning our garments of praise and squeezing out the doubtful thoughts and burdensome questions. God gives us the assurance that He will rescue us from any situation. Likewise, He will removes any spirit of heaviness that we feel, if we will only accept His garment of praise. Like the garment workers who worked so hard and so diligently to rise above the forces that would have kept them down, we too, as believers, need to be the first to shed the heaviness and welcome the gifts of the Lord and be the most thankful of people. In this short Thanksgiving workweek, start today with putting on the garment of praise and thankfulness!

Reference: Isaiah 61:3

day 288: Coaching

Coaching in the workplace is being talked about again. In the last few months I have been approached to be a coach, been asked about coaching programs, and asked to recommend coaches. What I believe is happening is that the cutback in internal leadership development and human resources support is catching up with companies and executives are looking around and realizing that they they need to have their people developed and coached, but have no where to turn. Everyone could use a good coach. There are no great athletes who succeed that do not credit a coach along the way as part of how they reached their best performance. I would also venture to say that many of us have found our informal coaches as well. These are the people who we lean on to give us advice, shoot straight with us and be a sounding board when we don't have anywhere else to turn. The unfortunate part is that these people don't always have the opportunity to see us live in action, everyday, and be on the sidelines to "coach us along" as we work. That is the added value of having a formal coach. Even one of the greatest men of the Bible had to have, in the ways of the time, a coach. When Moses pushed back on God and told Him that he did not have the skills to approach Pharaoh and represent the Israelites, God gave him his brother Aaron to be there for him. And in this case, Moses and Aaron coached each other and together the two of them performed to God's request. What it must have been like to have been in those pre-Pharaoh meetings and having Moses and Aaron setting their strategy and plans and coaching each other on how best to convince Pharaoh to set the Israelites free. And then having God in the conversation too, well, wow!. This all begs the question of who do we have in our work lives who could be our coach to help us through the struggles of living and working our purpose in our jobs? Is there someone who you work with who shares your beliefs where the two of you, or maybe even more, commit to coach each other and to take the accountability to make each stronger and more capable as role models and examples of the life and ways of Christ? Now may be the right time for you to find that coach and to be commit to being a coach for someone else.

Reference: Exodus 4:27-31 (New Living Testament)

day 287: Throw Off The Covets

I have a friend who just lost out on the job as the senior HR Executive for the one of the "hot" companies in the alternative energy/transportation space. She was called out of the blue by a recruiter who talked her into considering the role, interviewing, falling in love with the company and the management team, preparing on how to communicate her departure from the very good company and very good job that she has now, and emotionally being in the new role. She had gone as far as seeing herself in the new job and she was playing it all out in her mind. Then, last week, after she had gone through all of the interviews and was waiting for the offer to be delivered to her, she got a call from the recruiter that the company had decided to go with someone else for the position. I read the email from her and I braced myself as I scrolled down the message. I expected to hear the disappointment and the border-line anger jump off of the page. But, lo and behold, it didn't, she didn't. Instead, what I read was a very mature and gracious acceptance of the fact that "maybe, it just wasn't meant to be". She then went on to write, and I think say to herself through her note to me, that she works for a great company, she likes her job, she loves her team, and respects her boss, so why should she fret? She said, "I felt honored to be in the consideration, now back to work". I say, "wow", because she is, in my experience, one in ten who can take this attitude. Too many times to count in my career have I watched job and career envy eat someone up from the inside out. If they didn't get the job or the promotion, or someone else looks like they are getting ahead of them, or they feel like they should be the one to get the next promotion, etc., they let coveting take over. We know from the earliest of our Bible teachings that we are not to covet and we most always put that in the context of other physical possessions, etc. But, we can also put that job that someone else got, that promotion that got away from us, that extra bonus payment that a co-worker received, that consulting assignment that a competitor won, all in the bucket of things that we shouldn't covet. My friend is not a believer, but in her situation, she acted like one. As believers and followers of Jesus, we have to be the same way. If you are right now covered with coveting, today would be the day to throw off the covets and let your true faith and assurances shine through.

Reference: Exodus 20:17 (New Living Testament)

day 286: What Hav e You Done For Me Lately?

After having been out of the country for nearly three weeks and all of that time without email or phone access, I entered back into news and data orbit wondering what had happened while I was gone. It didn't take long to catch back up and find out who won the world series, what was happening on healthcare reform, the Fort Hood tragic deaths, etc. Of course being the work and job guys I had to check in and see what the October job loss numbers were (better but still a half-a-million losses for the month). As I dug under those numbers I saw some familiar companies who had made job cuts over the past year, again announcing reductions in their staffs. I put myself in the shoes of the employees at those companies where there have been multiple layoffs over the last couple of years and the feeling of going to work each day not knowing if another shoe will drop or not. Not knowing who to trust after having heard the message multiple times that "we believe now we have cut as deeply as we can". After the second or third round, any of us would begin to lose trust in those speaking and leading. As I was discussing this topic with a senior HR Executive, I said to her that job security for most people has become baseball like in that they think they are only as good as their last at bat so they worry and become anxious over every day. They feel like they must be ready to be tested each and every day because someone could be evaluating them as to whether they are in or out of the next layoff. As believers we have promises and assurances that can allow us to accept this testing and the testing of our faith. God says to us that we are to put our present and future in His hands and when we are in doubt, turn that doubt over to Him. We read in James 1:12; "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Allowing our spirit to change and be influenced about the worries of our job security or the constant testing of our job performance, could well be God just checking to see where we are drawing our confidence and strength from. If we are relying on our sources to pull us through, then we succumbing to the temptation of putting our own sources we are putting our selves in front of God instead of allowing Him to be in control. He says in James that He blesses those who patiently endure. He goes on to tell us that we will receive our crown of life as our reward. If today you are right on the brink of feeling like you can't take the testing or the "what have you done for me lately" attitude from your boss or company, step back and reflect on the verse from James and draw upon the promise of what will happen if you just can patiently endure.

Reference: James 1:12 (New Living Testament)

day 285: "Living My Future"

We just returned from nearly three weeks of vacation in Africa. It was a remarkable trip in so many ways. Whenever given the chance to see and experience a part of the world that is 180 degrees different in perspective than what you live daily, it becomes more than eye-opening. The difference in the work and lifestyle of people is also stark. While I write daily on the obstacles that we face in our work, we should be reminded that there are still many people in the world who's work is to daily acquire the resources to be able to subsist for that day. It is hard to fathom until you see the women who spend five to six hours a day gathering and carrying enough firewood or water for the day at hand. Men who live from the river or the bush months at a time to acquire enough fish or money to return home for a few days to be with their family and hand-off their carry, before they head out again. There is a certain living in the present that is unique and from what I learned with the people who I was able to interact, this living and working in the moment is not at all consuming or frustrating. It is just the way it is. I think about the times that each of us lose sleep worrying and have anxiety about our future or the decision that needs to be made about the next job or relocation. It seems to me from what I saw in Africa that these are not thoughts that are indigenous to the human experience. These are anxieties and worries that we create on ourselves. There are no ads for anti-depressants or mood-elevating pills in Africa. A man named, Lazaro, one of our safari guides, who also was a minister in his local village church (400 people and growing) told me that he not only loves his job, but that he was born to do what he does and he is "living his future". He has found the way to pull the future to the present and live in the moment. God tells us to do the same thing when in Matthew 6:34 He says, "don't worry about tomorrow...". God would not tell us this if He wasn't going to provide for each of us and that He knows that like the Africans that I met, that today is enough for today and that tomorrow will take care of itself. Are you living your future today? Today, would be a good day to see if you can remove the worries of tomorrow and focus in on the blessings and the moments of today. Give thanks for those moments and give thanks for having a great today to experience.

Reference: Matthew 6:34 (New Living Testament)

day 284: Early Days

We each can remember our first day on a new job and what it feels like. We wake up early on that first morning with some butterflies in our stomach, not quite sure what to expect knowing that we are going to meet lots of new faces, hear lots of names that we will have a hard time remembering, and be assigned a workspace where everything will feel new and different. We spend the first part of our time of that day rearranging our workspace to make it more comfortable to how we work and what we expect and then meandering around to meet those who sit around us, etc. Even with all of the nervousness and anxiety, there is hope, a positive attitude and a high level of optimism that anything can be achieved. The early days are exciting days. If only we could harness the energy of the first day and bottle it up and hold onto it. In these early days we don't let others round us down or hold us back because we are young or new into the job. The best of the best find a way to not let the naysayers get in the way and the best know how to bring others along with them without alienating them or making other feel like they are stepping on their toes, etc. What is most important is that each of us when we are put in these new roles that we are positive and enthusiastic and we not let that enthusiasm wane. Timothy sends the same message to new believers in 1 Timothy 4:12: ""Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." Because we are new in our jobs, young in our careers or young in our faith does not mean that we cannot be good examples and strong role models. Many times it is the first days that we establish out long term reputations with others. It is so important that we are diligent on how we act, what we say, and how we behave any time and especially, in the early days.

Reference: 1 Timothy 4:12 (New Living Testament)

day 283: Decent and True - Part 1 (redux)

While I am completing my vacation time this week, I will be running some repeats of post from the last year that seem to have resonated with many of you. Thanks and look for new posts beginning on Monday November 16

Wednesday, October 8, 2008
day 6: Decent and True, part 1
How easy it is at work to lose two core values; decency and truthfulness. Whether it be the words from our mouths that cross these values or how we treat one another, these two values are ones that can either build or lose your reputation in the workplace. Let's start with decency. There is decency with a capital D that for me is the obvious conforming with the laws of decency. At work there are plenty of policies today that will tell you what these are. Just the training of sexual harassment is enough to guide you for what is acceptable at work or not. But there are other forms of decency that must be observed. How one treats or talks about their peers, their boss, and/or their staff members, can cross a line of decency that is damaging beyond repair. We take it so often for granted that the back-biting or talking down to others is just common place for business today. Being decent to others is a higher form of being a good person. Another form of decency is in the words that we choose to use. When I became the CEO of SNOCAP in 2005 I made the decision that I was going to change my vocabulary (more like clean it up) and not use profane words in the workplace. I was not always perfect but what I did notice that was without ever saying anything to anyone about my expectations of them as to their language, I noticed that if I didn't curse, they didn't curse. And if they did, it was usually followed by an apology to the group. Believe me, in my business career, I have said it all and heard it all too, so I'm not a Puritan or a prude. Instead, I try and follow what Paul had to say in Romans 13:13, "We should be decent and true in everything, so that everyone can approve of our behavior". You see, when you are decent at work you get a high approval rating. It's foundational and the perfect place to start as you work to be approved in what you do. It's a simple lesson but I recognize not as simple to implement. However, today is as good of a day as any to change out the indecent words that you might use and be sure to do like my father taught me, "if you don't have anything good to say about someone else, just don't say anything at all".

day 282: Orientation (redux)

While I am completing my vacation time this week, I will be running some repeats of post from the last year that seem to have resonated with many of you. Thanks and look for new posts beginning on Monday November 16


Wednesday, May 20, 2009
day 160: Orientation
When we start a new job there is always some sort of orientation session that we have to go through to learn about the company. Most times it is not as thorough or as useful as we hoped, but at least we get the baseline human resources information that we need like how to fill our benefits forms, get paid correctly, and some understanding of the baseline policies, procedures and rules. What is usually missed though, unless the company's HR team is really good and have buy-in from senior management, is the information on how things "really work around here". That's the orientation that we really need. We need to know who is important, how communication flows, the unspoken rules and expectations, the buzzwords and language, etc. What we are looking for is the inside look at the culture and the behaviors that will make us feel, as quickly as possible, that we are "insiders". This kind of information is hard to obtain and for the most part even if we were told what these things were we would still have a hard time understanding what is what until we had lived and worked in the culture for awhile. Unfortunately, many companies are not very forgiving and the mistakes made in those first few weeks or days can be hard to repair. How are we supposed to know that you don't just walk into so and so's office without and appointment, or that such and such doesn't read his emails so sending him an email is like sending a message in a bottle into the ocean only to wonder if it will ever arrive. These are the unspoken things we need to know that we just don't receive in orientation. The same is true in the bigger scheme of life and how we are to deal with other people and conduct ourselves in situations that are presented to us. We learn throughout our lives from teachers, role models, trial and error and of course the Biblical teachings that we have at our fingertips but it is a life-long orientation in which we are enrolled. David gives us a prayer to God that helps us with this orientation. He says in Psalm 119:7; "Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live. For your instructions are my delight." What a great prayer for us to pray each and every day. Lord, give me your tender mercies so that I might experience life and let me delight in your instructions. If we were to say that prayer and then enter into His word each day with a spirit of learning and orientation He will fill us with those instructions so that we gain the knowledge and the "rules of the road" of life. You may be in a situation at work today where you don't really know which is the right path to take. When you go left, everyone else goes right. When you make a suggestion people look at you like you don't know what you are talking about. You wish you could just go back into orientation and start all over and this time be told everything you really need to know. Well, you do know by now that there is no remedial orientation so you have to now figure it out on your own, or so you think. You don't have to figure it out all on your own. God will help you understand what you need to know if you will only bring those questions to Him as well. He will open the ears and minds of those who can help you at work and he will show you the paths to take and give you confidence in the decisions that you make. Pray David's prayer today and and look for His instructions and then look to His orientation program. There is no better one that has ever been written.

Reference: Psalm 119:7 (New Living Testament)

day 281: Wage Authority (redux)

While I am completing my vacation time this week, I will be running some repeats of post from the last year that seem to have resonated with many of you. Thanks and look for new posts beginning on Monday November 16

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
day 197: Wage Authority
Early in my career I was asked to compile and present annual "wage authorities" for the manufacturing plants where I worked. These entailed an analysis of the pay scales of all the employees in comparison to the competitive pay in the area factored by cost of living index adjustments. After all of the analysis, I would then present the findings and recommendations to a headquarters group and they in turn would provide me with the "authority" to deliver or negotiate a set annual wage increase for the employees. Later in my career I was asked once to defend the opposition to an increase in the federal minimum wage law. Even later, I lobbied against the state of California in their efforts to lower the exemptions to the wage and hour law that would keep employees in the technology fields exempt from overtime requirements. At each of these junctures I didn't feel bad (at the time) about what it was that I was doing as business requirements necessitated that a certain labor wage was maintained to make the numbers work. That is the way business works after all; like every other investment, whatever the amount of money invested or spent needs to generate a return that is greater than the cash outflow, otherwise there is no profit to be gained. The same expectation is true with people. If a dollar is spent in labor then the expectation is that a greater amount of labor value is returned. These decisions are made every day in every office, every where. You may be making them right now too as you look at a promotion, or a merit increase, or an evaluation from added responsibilities, or a new hire starting salary, or even a reduction in pay proposal to keep from a layoff occurring. What does any of this have to do with our Purposed worKING? In my study of the book of James I was struck by his verses that can help us think through our responsibility and the boundaries we should guard in these situations. James sends a "warning to the rich" that seems extreme in today's terms but the underlying message is there for all who make or recommend wage decisions. He says in Chapter 5, verses 4-5: "For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty." The verses go on to say that we can become condemners and killers of people who have no power to defend themselves. At the time, I am sure that James may have meant it literally, but we can see today how figuratively we can also condemn and kill the work ethics and spirit of others just as easily. What I hear in these verses is that God does not expect us to not be good at our jobs of leading businesses and making smart and good business choices, but that He does expect us to be fair and much more sensitized to the wages of the "field workers". I take this to mean that part of our responsibility is to to know where the line of fairness is when it comes to the pay of others and to take the stand when we feel the the line is being crossed by the business. As I reflect on my past experiences, I'm not sure I always used James' litmus test in finding that line and staying on the right side of it. My prayer today is for those of you who are decision makers for the pay of others that you add a new dimension to the wage authorities that you prepare in that you add your own prayer for discernment and wisdom as you conduct the analysis and make your determination of what is fair. At stake are the spirits, attitudes, loyalty and trust of those who work with you and the judgment of God. So, ask first the higher authority to help you find the line and stay on the right side of it

Reference: James 5:4-5 (New Living Testament)

day 280: Godly At Work (redux)

While I am completing my vacation time this week, I will be running some repeats of post from the last year that seem to have resonated with many of you. Thanks and look for new posts beginning on Monday November 16

Thursday, December 4, 2008
day 45: Godly At Work?
I hear it all the time, “it’s so hard to be ‘Godly” at work”. When I hear it from others, I reflect upon my own work life and cringe at the memories of how I handled myself on many occasions and the poor example that I many times set. I also lament that my example might have hurt the cause of someone else who was trying harder than me to be more Godly and then they would see me and feel let down. When we are so emotionally and physically intertwined with other people for the hours we are when we are working we can easily slip into the ways and the words of others. I always marveled when someone senior would come into the company and before long, the words that person used became the words of their subordinates and before long their peers. I once worked with a person whose favorite phrase was, “I don’t disagree” and before long everyone said the same thing. There was nothing outwardly wrong about that phrase (other than it sneaked in a passive aggressiveness into the culture and before long no one ever disagreed outright) but it was a great example of how we become chameleons at work and can find ourselves sharing the words and behaviors that wouldn’t normally be ours. I also know that those words and behaviors from work then creep into home. So, what are we to do? What if we try and try but still can’t seem to keep ourselves above the temptations and the fray? What we have to do is quit trying to go it alone and instead ask God to do His work on us as we go to work. If we allow ourselves to receive the power that God has covered us with then we can find enough of that power to keep ourselves Godly when we are working. In 2 Peter 1:3, we are told just this: "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life...". Today, think through how you can let God give you that power so that today, day by day, you can find yourself living a Godly life…at work!

Reference: 2 Peter 1:3 (New Living Testament)

day 279: The Upside Down Pyramid (redux)

While I am completing my vacation time this week, I will be running some repeats of post from the last year that seem to have resonated with many of you. Thanks and look for new posts beginning on Monday November 16

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
day 192: The Upside Down Pyramid
Back in the early 1990's there was a lot of talk about how companies that really understood their employees would be thinking differently about the organization charts of their companies What they would do is invert the traditional organizational pyramid with the CEO upside down so that the front-line employee would be at the top of the pyramid, not the bottom. It was a visual way of trying to show that they wanted the front-line employee to feel like they were all there for them. Companies started renaming their headquarters into "service centers" or "support centers" with the idea that the senior executives and the people in headquarters were there to serve and support everyone else. Those ideas hung around for awhile but now we hear less about them. The principle was right though. If you are manager, you are there to support and serve the needs of those who work for you, not the other way around. Those who think that they are the boss to have others serve them find out sooner or later that they aren't very good bosses. Servant leadership is about knowing who is really doing the work and being there for them. There is no better example that the leader who served others first than our Lord. We read in Mark; "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." The thought for today as you go to work is how are you serving others? Are you looking at the needs of the people on your team and in your organization and trying to figure out how you can best provide service to them? Or, are you waiting for others to serve you? I think we all know the right answer. See if you can't turn the pyramid upside down today and take a different vantage point and become the leader or team member who serves others. You may find that it is a much better view from that vantage point.

Reference: Mark 10:45 (New Living Testament)

day 278: Girl Scout Cookies

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Jason Johnson, an entrepreneur, technology executive and Chairman of Tedx San Francisco

Typically we spend more of our waking hours with our coworkers than we do with our family or close friends. Then, suddenly, either a coworker leaves the company or we leave the company, and our interaction with our coworkers is reduced to an occasional phone call, email, or maybe a cup of coffee. The opportunity to spend frequent hours with our coworkers is lost, and so is the opportunity to 'give' of ourselves. In years past, a coworker might approach me and ask me to buy Girl Scout cookies or donate to a cause they are raising money for. At such times, I might find myself saying "sorry, I'm training for a triathlon, no cookies for me" or "sorry, I've already agreed to sponsor Kevin in accounting". Then a few years back, I heard a sermon on the radio from Jack Hayford in which he stated that when someone asks him for something - in his desire to follow the teachings of Jesus, Hayford seeks to give at every opportunity. When reflecting back to my former places of employment, I can't help but think of lost opportunities 'to give freely' to my coworkers and show them that I celebrate (and demonstrate) my recognition of the blessings bestowed upon me through the action of giving freely. Hopefully by way of the new social media tools, we may all have the opportunity to connect with some of our former coworkers, and be given the chance once more, to 'give freely' to those who need to know where all blessings come from.

Reference: Matthew 10:8 (New Living Testament) "Give as freely as you have received!"

day 277: Proper Stewardship: Work as a Noble Cause

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Steve Bloom who along with the work he does, lives in Florida where he watches his daughter jump horses and his son play football...and he dreams of many things.

If you are like most workers, your job is more of a means to an end than the end itself. You probably enjoy some of what you do at work, but not all of it – maybe not even most of it. Depending on your age, you may have dreams of finding that perfect blend of vocation and avocation -- the job that provides money and meaning – the workers’ grail itself. Others may have left these dreams behind years ago, opting instead to pursue meaning in their lives outside of the workplace. The conundrum here is that we spend so much time and effort at work that it often leaves little energy for pursuing anything else --whether it is meaning, rest or just fun.
And as a believer, you are equally frustrated by your inability to witness in the workplace. Few places are more politically-correct than modern corporations, and it generally isn’t acceptable to talk religion on the job. So we stuff our beliefs down inside our business shoes watching for some small, inoffensive way to let others know we follow the Lord. And although it is important to role-model Christian living without being outwardly ‘Christian,’ doing so sometimes just isn’t enough.
On weekdays, we therefore deal with this double-bogey of not having a job that provides deep meaning and of being overly careful not to offend co-workers by sharing our beliefs. We save our sacred time for weekends or evenings, but these precious hours spent in worship or service are dwarfed by time spent at work. For some, it may be easier to stop pursuing Christ at all rather than continue to fight this seeming losing battle.
But God’s creation needs the stewardship of good business people. In Genesis 1:26, God creates man and gives him the earth to rule over, and in Genesis 2:19 God allows man to start creating order in the world by naming the animals. God in essence gives mankind the earth to manage, to plan & care for, to run like a sacred family business. Therefore good managers and business people are necessary stewards of God’s creations.
In a recent sermon, Rob Bell suggested that all workers who engage in producing a good or service in exchange for a reasonable return are practicing the kind of stewardship described in Genesis. Bell reminds us that God intends us to do something positive with His creation – to explore, to organize, to multiply, to bring order. Bell tells business people their “task is sacred, holy and profound” and implores us to do our work “in a Genesis way.” We should therefore view our work not as a means to and end, but as a noble function in God’s world – a mission field where we grow the Father’s harvest.

day 276: Mentoring...Who Me?

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Cecelia and Joe Gonzalez, who asked not to be attributed, but I am doing so anyway as my thank you to them!


When we look at leadership in our organizations we often think of the CEO. But the reality is…successful organizations need leadership throughout. As our companies struggle in this economy, we often look for the magic bullet. What will be that one key strategy that will turn our business around? There are many things that need to change. And one of the most important things to change is that we ALL take on the responsibility of leadership. From the top of the organization we need a clear vision, but we must all examine how we can do things more effectively.

We have heard it said many times that it’s the “small things that get ya.” So instead of looking big let’s look small. Let us look at every aspect of what we do each and every day, and how we can make it better. Imagine a company of 1000 people making an incremental improvement on a consistent basis. Improving the way in which we value our resources --- money, customers, and most of all our own people. As we look at the wisdom in our organizations most of the time it comes from experience. So who will be the mentor to share what incremental changes need to take place? The people who have done it. Where will the most effective organizations in the future be coming from – we believe it will be from those companies that mentor best.

Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges said in their book, Lead Like Jesus, “Jesus understood from years of personal experience the challenges of daily life and work. Although Jesus was God, He was not ashamed to do a man’s work.” Ashamed, too proud, too busy … whatever our reason, we must overcome it.

As we look at the incredible mentor, Jesus Christ, he chose 12 ordinary men to save the world. So who will we chose to change or organizations and our lives? We must pray and listen to who God is putting in front of us. Not just at work but everywhere and all the time. This is not a 40/50 hour a week responsibility. The ultimate mentor said in John 13:12-15 after he finished washing his disciples feet, "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Let’s have our mentors be like Jesus and pray we are servant leaders ourselves.

Reference: John 13:12-15

day 275: But God

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Jason Illian who is a published author and technology executive who has a passion for helping people live more purpose-driven lives.


"BUT GOD" is the most powerful phrase in the Bible. Just when we felt completely hopeless, when our relationships were beyond repair, when we made mistake after mistake and things seemed un-fixable...BUT GOD.

"Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. BUT GOD chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." - 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. BUT GOD demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:7-8

We often forget that God's saving grace isn't just fixated on the afterlife. It is abundantly poured out on each of us everyday. Christ didn't die to save us from only hell--He died to save us from this ho-hum, run-of-the-mill, sin-infested existence where we run into the same problems over and over again. He died to save us from ourselves and from the daily monotony. He wants our everyday lives to have meaning and purpose.

If you are living for the weekends, God is talking to you. If you are counting the hours until work is done, God is talking to you. If you are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering why you should get out for another day of the same old thing, God is talking to you. He isn’t dangling a carrot out in front of you for a gift that will never be experienced. He desires for you to live the exceedingly abundant life. Now. Daily.

God is bigger than our problems, no matter how large we've allowed them to grow. So when you feel like you've come to the end of your rope, when your life has officially spiraled out of control, when you feel like burying yourself in the bottle or in someone else's bed, remember...BUT GOD.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Romans 5: 7-8

day 274: Too Busy

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Jason Illian who is a published author and technology executive who has a passion for helping people live more purpose-driven lives.

Most of us are just too busy. We are too busy working on our jobs, working on our bodies, and working on our relationships. We are too busy trying to “get ahead” and “get on top”. But ahead of whom and on top of what? Instead of stopping and talking with God, we often speed along until all the wheels come flying off. Like the rest of the briefcase-packing mammals, we wrestle with traffic and kids, but very rarely do we ever wrestle with God. We are just too busy.

But God will wrestle with you whether you are ready or not. We often misread the story of Jacob wrestling with God, assuming that Jacob was on the offensive. But if you look closely, the scripture notes, “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” (Genesis 32:24) God jumped Jacob, not the other way around. God was on the offensive. And He did it at a time when Jacob should have been getting some sleep and preparing to meet Esau. He did it when Jacob’s life was exceptionally busy.

God will speak to you at the most inconvenient times. He does it so that you will learn to tell the difference between what is urgent and what is important. Most of our current busyness is matter of urgency, not importance, and that is why we are drained at the end of the day. We have forgotten that God shouldn’t be part of our day; our day should be part of God.

When you woke up this morning, what were your first thoughts? Did you prayerfully consider what God had on His heart, or did you gravitate to the 9 a.m. meeting, the international conference call, or the sales presentation with the executive team? Too often our thoughts are on the latter and it is a reflection of where our hearts are. Disconnected from God.

Most of us are just too busy. We have our arms so full of good things that we can’t reach out and grab God things. We shouldn’t neglect our daily responsibilities as parents and providers, but our meaning and purpose has to be rooted in Christ-centeredness. If you don’t wrestle with God, He will wrestle with you.

We often hear the advice that we have to learn to say “No” to certain things. If you can learn to say “No” to the urgent things and “Yes” to the important things, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your life becomes aligned with God’s will. There are many ways to fill a life, but only one way to fulfill it.

Reference: Genesis 32:24