day 459: When It Looks Like It Is Over...

If you have ever run a business or been close enough to a part of managing the overall business you know that there comes times when it you know it is just about over and time to call it quits. While it might be the overall business itself, more often than not it is a product line, a project, a customer who will be lost, a financing, an employee who can't be saved or one who can't be hired. It happens to every business and it is hard, really hard, to call it quits after all of the time, effort, energy and money has been spent to get this far, only to see it slip away. The fact is that it never slips away, what really happens is that we just don't want to see it coming or make the decision or worse yet, make the decision from a place of fear, despair or anger. It happens. What is important is that we don't let that become the way that we operate all the time. The other side of the coin are those who run business as though today is the last day and that the threat of going out of business or closing down a product line, division, etc. always looms so that there is a constant feeling of fear and oppression that takes much of the joy out of work. There is a balance in a lesson from the Bible in the book of 1 Kings about the time Elijah met with the widow at Zerephath. He asked the widow for water and a bite of bread. The woman was at the end of her food and she told Elijah that there was no bread, only enough for her and her son to have one more meal before they died. Elijah said back to her in Chapter 17, Verses 13-14; "Don't be afraid! Go and cook that 'last meal', but bake me a little loaf of bread first. Afterward there will still be enough food for you and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the time the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!" Elijah was saying to her, have faith and don't worry about when the end arrives. If we trust in the Lord for all that we need then He will provide enough to make it through. There are times when it is the right time to quit something and it becomes foolish to keep at it. But, that decision should never be made without the faith and trust upon God as as the provider of the needs. That means that our decisions can and should be made from a place of strength and confidence, never fear or despair.

Reference: 1 Kings 17:13-14 (New Living Testament)

day 458: Control Freaks

I have a dear friend who is a senior executive who has become a control freak. Control freaks are people who can't let go and have to have everything within their life totally under their control at all times. Spontaneity disappears and what takes over is some kind of micro minutia management approach. The sad part about this is if we are doing it at work, we are doing it at home. Real trouble can brew if this happening. Now, there are those who have worked for me who would tell you that this is the kettle calling the pot black. Yes, it is true that I have the tendency to get into the details and manage the small when the bigger picture is hanging over me. That being said, I also recognize when I am doing it and then try and course correct. Control freaks don't care. It is what they do. They don't respond when their staffs tell them that they don't want to be checked up on constantly or be called on the weekends to provide an update or have to meet incessantly so that the boss has every piece of information and data. It's hard to let go, but when we do we are looked at in a much more favorable light from those who work with us. Nowhere is this lesson more clear than what we are taught in Galatians Chapter 5. Paul tells the Galatians to quit hiding behind the rules and the controls and instead find a new way of operating. Paul says for us them/us to allow God's Spirit to flow through us without over controlling the situation. He says let the fruits of the Spirit grow and be what takes over. Today, are you over controlling something or someone at work? If you are, then today is a great day to change directions. Today, think about allowing yourself to be guided by God's Spirit and call upon the fruits of the Spirit to be what shines through from you. It's hard to change but the peace and the confidence that can come from allowing Him to help you work, can be positively overwhelming and as far from being a control freak as you might imagine.

Reference: Galatians Chapter 5 (New Living Testament)

day 457: Timing

My friend likes to tell the joke that comedy is all about....timing. For the joke to be funny you have to hear him use the pause and the stressing of the word "timing" at the wrong time. Beyond the joke, so much of what we do to be successful at work has to do with timing and more importantly, recognizing when is the right and the wrong time to either do something or not do something. Some of the best ideas never came to fruition because they were introduced at the wrong time. Companies who are smart and learn from their mistakes know that those ideas should be brought back at another time to succeed. Back in the day when I worked at Frito-Lay, Sun Chips were introduced to a great success. Sun Chips caught the multi-grain wave and were a big hit and have continued to be. Even today the brand has been repositioned to catch the jet stream of being green and healthy at the same time. They have done a great job with that brand. What most people don't know is that Sun Chips were created and originally launched in the late 70's and failed miserably. Back then, no one cared about multi-grain snacks and certainly it would have been weird for a food company to position a snack that has a fully bio-degradable bag and is made in a manufacturing plant fueled by solar power. For Sun Chips it was all about timing. As is so much of what we do. It may also be that the timing of our rewards, achievements and fulfillment in our work is just out of our hands. We want every day to be the day when we reap the harvest, but again, its all about timing. We read in Galatians how this timing works; "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." God says to us, we will reap the blessing, when? He says, "at just the right time". Today, you may be expecting the blessing but it just hasn't been coming. See if you can take the disappointment and discouragement and reposition it to a place of anticipation. For if you believe the promise, it is all about God's timing. That timing is definitely worth the waiting.

Reference: Galatians 6:9 (New Living Testament)

day 456: Where Is The Love?

Ever notice that at work there is not really a constant flow or outpouring of gratitude, recognition, congratulations, or encouragement? Work is a series of ups and downs and highs and lows. One day we are on top of the world because everything is going great and the boss loves what we are doing and we can feel the love being sent our way. And then there is the next day where nothing goes right and the boss is a little aloof or the positive reinforcement feels like it has drifted and we find ourselves questioning where we stand or what she/he thinks of us now. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and we can find ourselves saying to ourselves, "Where is the love?" I'm not sure that any boss is so good that they can be consistently sending the love out so that each and every person on their team is receiving it at the right time and in just the right way. So what we do is we try and find trend lines and we manage and skate on that trend line and we do so with our emotions and feelings of value fluctuating. If we are bosses of others, then we should try and change that with our people and be sure that we are doing better to straighten out the line and provide consistency. If we are on the receiving end of the feedback then we need to be sure that we are not putting too much of our personal self-esteem and self-worth on the feedback and comments of our boss or our peers. We have to be sure that we don't need the high of the rollercoaster ride to fulfill us. There is only one place where we can find consistent and truly unconditional love and that is within our relationship with Christ. Paul tells us that nothing can separate the love that He sends to us each and every day. It does not matter what our performance may be as God doesn't grade on a curve and He doesn't compare us to others. See Romans 8:38-39; "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord". Today, do a little internal checking or yourself and see if the need for the affirmation and recognition of the boss and others at work has become too important. If so, it is time to pull back and realize that you are asking, "Where is the love", from a place that will always let you down at some point. Rather, focus back on where the love can never be separated, disrupted or removed. That is the love we all really need.

Reference: Romans 8:38-39

day 455: Prefinished

I love to tell the story about how Henry Kissinger would not accept the work of his people until they had done multiple revisions. He would send them away time after time until they were exasperated and said that they could not do any better. It was then that he would accept their work and read it or send it forward. In our age of immediacy we don't do lots of pre-writes or rewrites or have others edit our work before it goes forward. We shoot emails to the CEO or the Board, or to our bosses, from an original thought and many times those thoughts aren't really finished and we end up having to go back and rework from a place of being admonished or embarrassed or just corrected. How much better it is when we "prefinish" our work before we take it forward. It takes discipline and thought to prepare something ahead of time that when brought forward it is already ready to go. I wouldn't want to count the number of times I have still been scrambling at the last minute to bring it all together on a project. While it may all come together at the last minute, the work could definitely be better if it was prefinished. Solomon gave us an example of the importance of prefinishing when he was building the first Temple to the Lord. In 1 Kings 6:7 we read; "The stones used in the construction of the Temple were prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without the sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site." Last month I used this verse to demonstrate how going about our work quietly can be a good thing. This verse also show me the power in prefinishing and the errors that can be alleviated, the conflicts that can be avoided and the waste that can be eliminated. And maybe most importantly, the reverence that is demonstrated by the thoughtful planning, the priority setting, and the commitment to be done ahead of time. Today, try prefinishing something and see how much easier everything falls into its place when it is time.

Reference: 1 Kings 6:7 (New Living Testament)

day 454: An Encouragement Prayer

We just can't get enough, or dole out, enough encouragements. I love to be around people who are great at encouraging others. These people seem to have the right words at the right time, and they make you feel good when everyone else is trying to drag us down. Let me just hang out with those people all day long. Sometimes though they aren't around when we need them and we have to stand on our own two feet to make it through the day, week, month, or year. It really gets hard when we get assigned to a project or have a boss or co-workers where there isn't an encourager in the group. Without at least one person, a team won't feel like a team and it gets harder and harder to feel uplifted and positive about the future. That's why if we don't have an encourager around us, that we should look to be the one who picks up that role. But, where do we get our oomph if not from someone else? David says a prayer for us and gives us direction in Psalm 69:32; "Let all who seek God's help be encouraged." Finding true encouragement starts with seeking God first. If we can reorient ourselves away from the need of receiving encouragement from others and look to God for all that we need, then we can fill ourselves up with all of the reinforcement, positives and wind at our back that we can handle. Consider today a problem, a challenge, an issue that you recently faced and took on alone without consulting or asking God for His special assistance. How effective were you? You may have nailed it without His help, but think about how encouraged and confident you were? Did you miss an opportunity to have true encouragement within you? Would you have come through the challenge feeling differently had you brought Him to work with you? David prayed for us and since God answers prayers, we can go into today, tomorrow, next week, etc. knowing that if we continue to seek God's help we will receive all the encouragement we will ever need.

Reference: Psalm 69:32 (New Living Testament)

day 453: Simple Delegation

There are lots of reasons to delegate and many times we will use the argument of growing and developing others as an incentive to get someone to take things off of their plate and to give to others. It is a great reason and maybe the most important one, but there is even a more baseline reason. This is that if try to do it all ourselves we are setting ourselves up for burnout, overload and ultimately failure. No one can take it all on their own shoulders and succeed. The underlying reason we don't delegate is our own insecurities around the work not getting done and reflecting poorly on us or the fear that if we have others do the work then we won't be valued as much. In this day and age that translates into a fear for job security. This is a real fear but if we are prioritizing correctly then we can offload the little stuff, or the less strategic and then get back on track in getting the bigger work and projects completed. Believe me, if we show that we can multiply ourselves we will have more work than we know what to do with. If none of this is enough to make us think that we need to get better at even simple delegation, read what Moses' Father-in-law said to him when he saw Moses being overworked and failing; "Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself." That is straight talk with no punches pulled. Fortunately, Moses recognized the wisdom in this and went about making very strategic changes and ended up setting up a work system that endured well beyond him. If today you feel and see the signs of burn-out coming, try first doing some simple delegation. It will work more than you might imagine and with a little more imagination and delegation, you may well find yourself back on even footing and working on the right things again.

Reference: Exodus 18:18 (New King James Version)

day 452: Try Being Open

Other people who have our best interest in mind have some important things to say to us, if we will listen. I have worked with many a person, and have been guilty of it myself, who don't listen well and when feedback comes their way, they shut down, become defensive and begin to rationalize why what they are hearing is of no value to them. I recently was giving feedback to a senior executive about some things I saw him doing that I personally observed in a board meeting. He listened to me over the phone without response as I spoke and at the end of what I wanted to say he spent the next half an hour telling me why I was wrong. Since these were things that I personally saw him do it was a little like I told him that I saw him wearing a blue shirt and him coming back trying to convince me that no, it was not blue, it was actually red. Not only, in my humble opinion, did he miss out on what I think could have made him better, he also has not endeared himself to me to want to try and provide feedback to him in the future. I will of course, because it is part of my responsibility as as board member, but if it wasn't, I wouldn't want to walk into that thicket of thorns again. We should all realize the value in being open to hear what others have to say to us. We don't have to look any further than the story of Jethro and Moses in Exodus Chapter 18. Jethro gave Moses the solution to how Moses could grow and scale his activities. When Moses listened and tried what Jethro suggested, he showed what can come from listening to others and being open to new ideas. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded to stay open and not to close ourselves off to the thoughts and feedback of others. Today, consider this when someone says, "I have been thinking", or "I have an idea", or "Can I talk to you?". Take these opportunities as a gift and put them to good use.

Reference: Exodus Chapter 18 (New Living Testament)

day 451: Breaking Point

We all have a breaking point when we are just not going to be able to take it anymore. Anyone who has ever been there knows what it feels like and knows that in those final days or hours working up to the break, that all kinds of bad things start to come out. We also work with people who we know are at their own breaking point or melt-down stage and if we don't reach out and help them then they are likely to go over the edge and we aren't going to be able to rescue them back. It sounds so severe, but it is not in the sense that when we are pushed hard in our jobs then we are vulnerable to making some mistakes that could have a life-long impact. One wrong word even could be enough to damage credibility or a relationship so severely that there is no return and no taking it back. To lose a job or lose a friend is just not worth it. So, we need to be able to identify for ourselves the danger signs as well as be sure that we can identify the signs of impending break down in us or our co-workers. Recently, reading the behaviors of what people will be like in the final days before Jesus returns, made me think that the list of characteristics also sound very familiar to the actions and attitude of one who reaching their breaking point. Let's take notice of what we read in 2 Timothy 3:1-4; "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." I can think through the list of people I know who have been broken and then crashed and burned in their work and personal life. Had I paid more attention to this list of characteristics might I have been able to have reached out and helped? Today, think of others and also take stock of yourself, and be sure that neither your co-workers or yourself are beginning to show the signs of the final days before hitting the breaking point. If so, then it is time to intervene and ask God to take back over, ASAP. God does not want us to find our breaking point without Him there to help us overcome and get it all back together.

Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-4

day 450: Working Hard To Relieve A Burden

Funny how most people don't mind working hard for something that will be of gain for themselves, but when it comes to working hard to help someone else, well, the emotions seems to shift a bit and reluctance rears its head. Call it what you will, I think it is also just in our human nature. Maybe it is our selfishness, but it is pretty evident that we will go well above and beyond for the things that will benefit us directly. We tend to shift our motivation when others ask us to help them out or to take some of the load off of them. I would like to think that we could all come from a place of others first and ourselves second but let's be honest, it takes us stopping and thinking about it and being very committed and mindful to do this consistently. How much better our work places would be if we could make this shift. Imagine if the day started with people looking for ways to lessen the burden of others before they took care of their own needs? These would be companies where everyone would want to work and I suspect they wouldn't have to push too hard to be on top of all the best places to work lists. This is an area where we as believers who are working to a purpose of bringing glory to God in our work can make a real difference each day. If we can shift our thinking and attitude to putting others first, we can be the beginning of what might just catch on with others. If we need an example, look no further than what Paul, Silas and Timothy said in 2 Thessalonians 3:8; "...We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you." They knew that they would not be accepted or respected to the level that others would follow them if they added onto their burdens. Instead they removed the burden and assured that others recognized this as well. What can we do so that others who we work with know that we are not people who add to others burdens or only watch out for ourselves? What can we do today so that others see that we are people who put others first and are not afraid to work hard to relieve the burdens of the others around us? It is in this attitude and approach to our work that the example of who we follow can shine through.

Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:8 (New Living Testament)

day 449: One Thing Leads To Another

The band "The Fixx" had a popular song in the 80's called, "One Thing Leads to Another". (Once this gets into your head, it is going to hang around awhile, sorry.) Whenever I hear this song's refrain I think of how true it is in our work that one thing leads to another, over and over and over. What starts out as something small can turn into something big in a matter of hours or even moments. Many times these chains of events are created by misspoken words or errant actions. So, in actuality, what we do all day at our jobs is launch out actions like boats launching out to sea, and we wait to see what the reactions and what down the chain of event things will be the outcomes. Of course, there are also some very positive things that also happen from the actions taken today that we may not know for years to come. The point is that one thing leads to another and we have to be cognizant of that if we want to be our best. I am reminded of this each time I am faced with a problem that God set them up for us so that we could also have our own chain of events that we experience. In Romans 5:3-5 Paul tells us that from problem comes a learning about endurance. From these problems and trials comes endurance. From endurance comes strength. From strength comes character. From character comes confidence. And that confidence is the confidence in an expectation of something wonderful, the expectation of our salvation. And, Paul goes on to say, "And this expectation will not disappoint us." Yes, one thing does lead to another, and in God's will, each and every thing we face leads us back to the expectation of our salvation. This promise makes me say on this morning, "bring it on!" because I want to be reminded and always rejoicing in the problems that can turn to the confident expectation of my salvation. Today, may you feel the same!

Reference: Romans 3:3-5 (New Living Testament)

day 448: Be Nice To The Boss

My friend and ex-colleague, Steve Arneson, just wrote and published a book called, "Bootstrap Leadership". It is filled with many leadership lessons and a good read for anyone who leads other people. He also speaks and does leadership seminars. He spoke to a group of people that we all worked together back in the day and asked a great question. He asked the group how many of us had ever, over the dinner table, talked about our bosses? Every hand went up. He then asked us to reflect on the tone, tenor and content of those discussions. There was snickering in the room. He made a joke about how he was sure that we had all always had great things to say about our bosses and never would we speak poorly of them, especially in front of our family or friends. From that there was a good laugh. He then asked how many of us were bosses to other people. Everyone was. He asked if we could speculate on what the topic of the dinner conversation tonight was going to be at the homes of our subordinates. No one laughed. It was a poignant and sobering moment. We are hard on our bosses and our people can be hard on us. We can make the relationship with our bosses better and make them better as people by praying for them. We can pray for them to continue to lead well and accomplish their own purpose. We can pray for them to improve so that we can have a better working experience. There is nothing wrong with praying for our bosses. The servant Eliezer prays for Abraham in Genesis Chapter 24:12; "O Lord, God of my master", he prayed, "Give me success and show kindness to my Master". He goes on to pray that by God giving him success, as the servant, he would know that God has shown kindness on Abraham. How many of us actually care for our boss enough to pray for her/him? Today, let's add the boss onto the prayer list and lets ask for his/her success and for God to show kindness on them. What better way to be nice to the boss than to offer a prayer for their success?

Reference: Genesis 24:12 (New Living Testament)

day 447: The Power of Journaling

I tell all people who are going into a new job to start a journal of their experiences and learning. Having something written down to review and look back upon can be like learning something twice. It is surprising how many people don't write down or record their meeting notes, their learning for the day, their phone conversations, etc. I am a bit of a fanatic about this but not as much as a COO that I worked with once. He was an amazing journaler and there was not a conversation that every got garbled or a commitment made that was ever misinterpreted and nothing that was not followed up on regularly until he could take it off of his lists that he would create from his journals. I was so impressed that I adopted many of his methods and have passed them along to others. What journaling also does is prepare us for a day when our memories won't be as strong as they are when we are young. If we had to rely on only our memories, then for sure as we get busier and our minds (hard drives) get fuller, the tendency to forget and let things slip become more and more prevalent. God knows this about us as He did Moses when Moses was leading the Israelites through the 40 years of wilderness. In Numbers 33:2 He said to Moses; "At the Lord's direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress." So, today, think about starting a journal if you don't already have one. You will be better at remembering, which will make you more predictable and dependable, which will only make you better at what you do and we all, God included, want that to happen!

Reference: Numbers 33:2 (New Living Translation)

day 446: Bonus Time

Yes, even in these days, some companies are continuing to pay bonuses and beginning to add back on some of the extras that were taken away over the last few years. Bonus plans are usually built around the time frames of the business cycle. For some that is annually, others semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. As we have just come through the April, May, June business quarter and the halfway point of the year, there are many who are calculating their bonus payments or getting ready to deposit a check. A bonus, by definition is what we receive when we go above and beyond and what is paid to us above and beyond what is regular to receive and expected. Bonuses can be great things but they can also be dangerous. A number of years ago when companies were going to direct deposit instead of paper checks, I had a lot more people that I ever imagined who came to me and pleaded to not have their bonus checks go to direct deposit but instead to have them given to them personally as a check that they could go and cash themselves to deposit. Every reason imaginable was given to me including some that seemed honest, although sad, like, "I don't want my spouse to see this money" and "this is my fun money and I don't want to mingle it with my other monies." Regardless, it proves that sometimes when we receive something extra that we don't always do the best things when they come our way. As humans, I have long thought that we aren't well built for too much, too fast or too often. God was saying the same things to the Israelites about what happens when prosperity comes. His words were words of warning; "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." The next time an extra or a bonus comes your way, think about what God would have you do with it. He wants you to remember where it comes from so that our human nature doesn't take over and we not only forget but we deny the true source of our talents, abilities, opportunities and rewards.

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (New Living Translation)

day 445: Wise Beyond Their Years...

Wisdom comes from lots of experiences all bundled together into a collection that can be drawn from for better decision making, better stories and better advice and counsel. But sometimes we run into people who seem like they were born with an old soul and we will say that they are "wise beyond their years". It is like these people at a very young age were dipped into a vat of wisdom and are covered with it in a way that makes others want to seek out their counsel and their words of wisdom. These are the people who have a different perspective on things and who seem to be able to see around the corner when it comes to what should be done next. In many ways, it appears that these people have been given a gift of wisdom. And from this, these people become admired, respected and in most cases end up being leaders in some capacity. We are impressed by these people. We may also sometimes find ourselves a little on the envious side too. So, other than draw from these people what else can we do to become more like them? It is a good question to ask ourselves as we spend our time in our jobs and as we learn and grow from one experience to another. Naturally, if we are continually learning and growing we will gain wisdom throughout the years but we read in God's Word that the foundation of wisdom is having a certain amount of fear as it relates to God. In Proverbs we read; "Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. It's a hard concept to grasp but it makes sense. If we are fearful of the Lord then it means that we are constantly seeking what it is that we are to do and not to do in order to please Him. If we are fearful, we will not want to let Him down or have Him disappointed in us. We want to know more and want to be more and more like Him with each passing day. This may well be why in the Bible we saw so many young people who because of their fear and respect of God were made wise beyond their years and ended up leading at such young ages. Think Moses, Joseph, David, etc. Each were wise beyond their years and each were deep into their relationship and love of God. And yes, they each had a healthy fear of God. Today, as we try and develop ourselves and become better in our jobs and life, we can learn from this lesson by deepening our relationship with God so that we can learn more and become more wise in who He wants us to be.

Reference: Proverbs 9:10 (New Living Testament)

day 444: The Storms Of Work

It rarely happens, but when it does it is memorable. I am writing of the days when we are in the office and a really bad storm rolls in and happens while we are at work. We will be sitting in the office and outside we can hear the thunder and see the lightning. The skies grow dark outside while inside we go about our business, but with one ear and one eye on what is going on outside. The most this ever happened to me was when I worked in Dallas and the storms would come from seemingly nowhere and when they hit, they hit with a vengeance. While sitting in a conference room deep within the building we would hear the rolling thunder or the crack of the air splitting somewhere close. It couldn't help but take our minds off of work for a few seconds and make us think of home and what was happening there. I don't know why, but it always makes me feel eerie when this happens. It is also strange how inside of work we have storms happening all around us, all the time. We may overhear one now in the conference room or in the office next to us. We can see one brewing down the hall as the body language of two people shift to that of confrontation. We read the emotionally charged email string that is moving faster than the storm clouds can move over the Midwestern plains. It is likely that we have many more storms inside the building within our careers than outside. Let us remember that regardless of the storms, what causes them, or where they come from that we can find God in them to help us through and to guide us into safety, both literally and figuratively. In Job we read; God's voice is glorious in the thunder. We can't even imagine the greatness of his power." Next time the thunder starts in the office or outside, let us be reminded that we need to listen then for the voice of God to tell us what to do. The power in His words at that time could well be the wisdom we need to weather any storm...inside or out!

Reference: Job 37:5 (New Living Testament)

day 443: Primary Concerns

More than many times I have had to counsel others on and remind myself of priorities. It was Covey who said something to the affect of, "The main thing to remember is that the main thing is the main thing." Work is so full of moving priority targets that it is tough to keep them straight. We are bombarded by new information each day and there is always another big or good idea around the corner, not to mention the constant set of problems that have to be solved. It is hard to stay set on on our primary concerns and stick with them consistently. Yet, this is the foundation for success in our work. Those who are great at keeping to their priorities and not stopping until the job is fully completed are the ones who continue to be given more and rise to the top. To be the best we can be, we need to continue to grow and develop in the area of priority setting and priority management. The best leader I ever worked with could boil down the business into 3-5 priorities and regardless of what was brought to him, he would pull the issue, the problem or the opportunity through those 3-5 filters and if the new things didn't match up to the priorities he would shoo them away. If they did fit, he would get them done. He was amazing that way. We could all benefit in this area. As believers God tells us what our first and foremost primary concern should be and he promises us if we stay focused and stick with it that all the rest will follow. We read in Matthew 6:33, "He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." Today, we might be bouncing around a number of priorities and can't seem to lock in on what we need to do. Let's try regrouping around our primary concern first and then looking to Him to help sort out the rest. We may find that our priority setting skills will get a lot better very quickly.

Reference: Matthew 6:33 (New Living Testament)

day 442: Learn To Throw A Boomerang

When I was a kid I was fascinated by boomerangs. When I was finally able to buy one I learned how hard it is to throw one and to have the courage it takes to throw it so it comes back to you to be caught. Such is how we work. Work is full of moments that we do things for one way results and we do many things that if they were to come back to us we would be sorry. We have no fear to throw out something to someone else and to throw it hard and fast but if we thought it was going to come back to us, we would likely do as I would do with the boomerang; fall the ground and cover my head. In our work we expect that if we produce a result that favors us that an equal reaction will come back to us and we will get rewarded commensurately with the result. When that doesn't happen we are frustrated and become upset with our bosses and management and we decide that we are going to pick up our boomerang and go someplace else. The problem with this is that this is a pattern that once into will continue over and over until it becomes a way of thinking and takes over our attitude. The Bible tells us clearly to not be that way. Everything we are taught is to not be one way in the way we live and work but to use the boomerang approach so that what goes around comes around is welcomed and received gladly. Proverbs 11:25 says to us, "The generous prosper and are satisfied, those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." What is being said to us is that if we want to prosper, be satisfied and be refreshed, we have to throw out the same and like the boomerang the harder we throw it out there the better it will come back to us and land right at our feet. So pick up the right boomerang today and give it a good strong toss.

Reference: Proverbs 11:25 (New Living Testament)

day 441: A Handshake

Most of the agreements we make at work within the company are done on the equivalent of a handshake. Many a business person from the past has said that they did all of their business on a handshake and the handshake agreement was a contract that wouldn't be broken among honorable people. Few external agreements in today's business are now made without having a written and signed contract. So, the handshake agreement is really only used within work and with our peers and we count on those type of agreements so that we can get our work done predictably and consistently. This is the essence of teamwork; being able to count on each other and know that we each do what we say and can count on each other to follow through. The handshake is a sign of a covenant that we make with each other. God did this too in Genesis 9:17; "Yes, this is the sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth." God's handshake with His people comes in the form of a rainbow in the sky. We each can use God's approach with others by ensuring that the commitment that comes with our handshakes of agreement are bound tightly and are as good as any written contract. If we can establish ourselves as being this consistent then when we speak of our faith others will know that when we say something we speak from a place of truth and integrity within our hearts. To work God's purpose on our jobs we must come from a place of our handshake being as true to our word as any legal contract. The long-term impact of our followed through on handshake can be a real difference.

Reference: Genesis 2:17 (New Living Testament)

day 440: Shielding

When you sit in the CEO role or a senior executive position you get "shielded" from many things. I used to get upset with CEOS, Executives and Politicians who were caught unaware of things happening within their organizations and then when asked would say something to the effect of, "I am shielded from those kinds of things?" It's not until you sit in one of those chairs that you learn that there is so much that happens within a company that it is impossible for one person to know it all. That is why we surround ourselves with great people and ask them to take on important segments of the business so that if we are the leader, we sleep well at night knowing that we don't have to know it all. Inevitably, every leader gets bitten somewhere along the way by something that others would think, on the surface, was a detail that the leader should have understood, grasped and managed, but in this one instance someone dropped the ball and the outcome is embarrassing or worse yet looks like the leader wasn't properly informed and managing. Seldom does someone step forward in that situation and say, "we shielded all of this from the boss". Instead it is the boss left trying to explain to people why he/she wasn't all over the details and managing better. Any of us who have led at this level know what it is like. It is like drinking out of a water hydrant every day and trying to know when and where to go deep and where and when to stay above the details so that others can lead and manage without too much interference. What I can say is that if you have surrounded yourself with the right people who share your values and principles and continue to act in a way that is representative of those values and the highest integrity then things should be okay, even when there is a stumble. And, there should never be a reason that someone feels like they have to shield something away from the leader. Only God should shield any of us, but in the other definition of giving us a shield for our own safety and protection. In Proverbs 2:7 He makes a promise; "He is a shield to those who walk with integrity". If you are feeling today like you are caught in that awkward spot between being shielded away and having the real shield of God over you, then taking a look at how much integrity you have might be the answer to coming out of the catch. Walking with integrity is like having God walk in front of us carrying the shield that keeps the evils away. If we can learn to live and work with the highest of integrity then God will deliver on His promise and put His shield over us. That shield is the shield that keeps us protected and secure in Him. Ask God to shield you today, and then today try that shield on for size.

Reference: Proverbs 2:7 (New Living Testament)

day 439: "How Much Longer?"

The kids in the back of the car on the long trip all say the same thing like it is instinctively imprinted in their being; "How much longer?" With one more child, there is a harmony of whining in the background. It almost makes you not want to take the trip. This sometimes is a good metaphor for what happens at work. I once had a guy who worked for me who was so sure that he was ready to take on more that he began to challenge me as a manager and leader saying that I was holding him back and I wasn't able to recognize talent when I saw it. I'm an easy going guy when it comes to these things so I open myself up for criticism on purpose to get better, but even I was a little taken back with the challenges that I didn't know how to spot, cultivate and develop talent. It was a 20 year career of mine after all. But I digress. My answer to the challenge from this very bright, very talented and very ambitious young man was that he will be ready, when I say that he is ready as I not only have responsibility for his success, I also have responsibility for his failure. We had many long and difficult discussions after that and I thought I was going to lose him a few times. But once he understood that I was also about not letting him fail, which meant that I was guaranteeing his success, he calmed down and let me pace him. We get so impatient in our jobs. Maybe we bore too quickly, or maybe all of the organizational cues and signs are so about quick movement up the ladder that we don't realize that the growth is in the process and the journey, not in the job title or rank within the company. I am so glad that Jesus didn't take the immature approach. Jesus had patience and perseverance that only He could have, which is such a great model for each of us. At one point Jesus said, which meant he knew this to be true, as quoted in Matthew 28:18, that "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth." The cool thing about this statement is that Jesus didn't tell this to His disciples until after He had been raised from the dead and fulfilled all of the prophesies and scriptures from the past. How easy it would have been for Him to have said this at any time of His life, being that He was God. He could have crowned Himself a child King and been like King Tut who ruled Egypt at nine years old. But, had Jesus done that He would have not gone the whole way and finished the mission He was given by His Father. In the Garden of Galilee He asked God if the cup of suffering could be taken from Him, but only if it was God's will for it to be so. As you know, I don't profess to be a Biblical scholar. I'm just a business guy who feels called to write this blog, but I hear in those words from Jesus a little bit of a son asking his Father, "How much longer?". I think Jesus is showing us in the example of His life that He was like us and his human part had some impatience and some unwillingness to take the hard road forward. But, the part that was God is what we must strive for and know that the answer to "How much longer?", is "As long as God wants it to be". Let us each take this lesson into our jobs and our careers and maybe we can stop worrying about how much longer it will be.

Reference: Matthew 26:39 and Matthew 28:18 (New Living Testament)