day 1255: Running Around Like Crazy - Part 1

 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

"How are things at work?", you are asked. The reply rolls off of your tongue easily. "I'm running around like crazy, trying to get everything done". It's a familiar feeling isn't it? So much to do, not enough time to get it all done. The metaphor for running around is an apt one. But are we running to a goal, to finish a race, or to win a prize, or are we just running up and down the halls metaphorically because everyone around us is doing the same and we aren't sure if we are getting anywhere at all? It's so easy to fall into this trap and find ourselves day after day in a full out sprint but not sure of the location of that elusive finish line, if there is one at all.

While Paul, in I Corinthians 9:24-27, was talking about the "run of life" and how we are to race for the finish line for the prize to be with Jesus, he is also describing to us how it is that a runner wins any race of life. If we chunk down the different portions of our lives, like work as a significant chunk, the lesson he gives us can also help us win the races that we run at work, each and every day. The first lesson he gives us that we must run in a way to win, not to just run for the sake of running. For exercise, I am a distance runner and I understand what he is saying completely. When I run without a goal or an objective, I do not run the same. I am more likely to not push myself and to not actually improve. When I know I have a goal, which would be my personal race to win, then I train differently. I train in a disciplined fashion, which makes me better. Paul talks about the way to win the race is to first run to win, not to just show up. How we conduct ourselves at the office and live our worklife is a large part of the life race that we run. How we get our work done and balance it within our lives is also a part of the race. The example of working and living in a Christlike manner is part of the race of life. So, today, instead of running up and down the halls without purpose, can you chunk down the day into the things that are most important to accomplish and then also think about "how" it is that you will accomplish those goals as you work with others and affect how they feel about this day of work? Can you lay all of this out today to God and ask Him to help you run this race well, with a "W" in the win column when you leave the office today? Let's have a win today, regardless if a big or small race because we were able to focus on why we are running the race. Tomorrow, more of how Paul says we can win the race.

Reference: I Corinthians 9:24-27 (New Living Testament)

day 1254: Hesitations

"And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering"

I believe that the adage is, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  I remember being taught in pee-wee baseball that "Hesitation is the mother of disaster".  It seemed true back then but as I have grown older, I would say that it is far from true in life.  Like the eskimos have many names for snow, hesitation can be thought of as 1) Good- hesitation that allows one to stop, think, sort their head and weigh out the consequences of a decision or move.  2) Bad - hesitation that comes from fear and uncertainty and removes the  possibility of making a move, even when calculated. 3)  Worst - hesitation that gets one stuck with no possibility of moving forward but with extreme anxiety and stress from not having done so.  So, hesitation as defined in scenario 2 and 3 are recipes for disaster, but scenario 1 can save us from disaster.  The question is, "How do we know the difference?"  The antidote lies somewhere in experience, trusting one's gut and instincts, relying on trusted advice and counsel and not allowing pride, hubris or arrogance get in the way of hearing that calm and caring voice within us.  It is an art, not a science.  It cannot be taught without real-word learning lab experiences.  But, mastering hesitation can be a game-changer and differentiation from good to great.

In our faith we all will find points where we waver.  On the surface it seems silly to do so, but in reality, hesitating and wavering is what is being reinforced all around us each day. What can we do about it?  We must countermand those messages with God's promises and assurances by staying close to Him.  He doesn't want us to live a life of hesitation.  He wants us to live a life of confidence and assurance. We are not alone in our hesitations.  All around us are believers in the same place.  We can strengthen each other by showing God's mercy and grace when someone else stumbles or wavers.

Reference: Jude 1:22 (New Living Translation)

day 1253: Who Has Immunity?

"I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Immunity was a word that was seldom used in common language before ten years ago. What it meant then was be immune to a disease or some catastrophic illness. That was the context in which we used the word. Now we hear the word all the time and it means getting to stay for another week on the television show. It means not having to be evaluated and judged by our peers. I have heard the word used in business settings too when someone doesn't have to give a presentation or their budget gets approved without scrutiny, they got "immunity". It is strange, and true, that having immunity at work would be a great thing. Imagine not having to go through the stress and pressure of performance evaluations, or not having to worry about the reaction of a customer, or not having to worry if you are going to be put on the layoff list or not. That level of immunity would indeed be excellent. It would also be nice to have career immunity where you could know that you will be successful in your endeavors and that the set of jobs that you have chosen will all add up to something great in the long-run. Alas, no matter what challenges we win and alliances that we have formed, no one gets that level of immunity at work. And because of that we let the worries of work, the worries of others, the worries of our self-esteem, our worries of performance and ability to contribute, sneak up on us and zap our confidence and courage.

It is in those moments that we privately say a prayer to God, "If only I could get immunity from all of this". God certainly wants us to be bringing our work worries and problems to him continuously but His immunity and promise does not come through the work that we do or the man made decisions that happen all around us. He provides us the ultimate immunity through His Son as we read in John 14:6; "I am the way, the truth, and the life." As we wish for immunity in the lives that we live and the work that we do, let's not allow ourselves to get caught up in the temporary immunity that carries us from week to week, but instead stand on the promises of the ultimate immunity over those things that really matter.

Reference: John 14:6 (New Living Testament)

day 1252: Strategic Thinking

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." 

How many times do we all say that we wish we had more time to sit down and get some strategic thinking time? It used to be that an airplane was the only time I felt I could really sit and think but now with extended life batteries, power jacks and Go-Go s it feels like that time has been taken from us too. Yet, we know that we need the time to think ahead and that those who do take this time are the ones who seem to have it all under control. Those who scramble and are always thinking on the fly, miss important points and inevitably will have an important ball dropped, and that is never good. So, we can all be better by finding the time to think ahead; to think strategically.  It is not only hard because we can’t find the time, but it is also many times because we have a hard time starting. It takes some courage to start and get the ball rolling, especially when our backs are not up against the wall. Thinking ahead, planning strategically, and being ready is a skill we should all strive to perfect.

This is a place where God wants to have us bring Him to work. In Deuteronomy, God shows us how He not only stands behind and next to us, but He will also go ahead of us if we allow Him to do so; "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." What a great promise God provides the Israelites  and each of us. Today, let us let God go before us and then we can begin to start thinking strategically ahead with Him there with us.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Testament)

day 1251: Cooler Heads Prevail

"They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone"

Work is filled with moments that get us ruffled and upset. With all the different kinds of personalities and personal agendas swirling around each day it is hard to not fall into the trap of finding ourselves irritated by the smallest word or action and sometimes just downright angry at a co-worker over an email, something said in a meeting, or a decision made that did not take our opinion (or feelings) into account. We've all been there and somehow I think in today's age of email, text message, and twitter communication it is easier to misinterpret and misconstrue things more than ever. I wish I could count the number of times, but I can't because they are too many, where I received an email that sent me over the top and in typing the response back if the keys weren't made of the hard plastic that they are, they would have broken from the striking pressure from each angry keystroke. I did learn long ago, the hard way, that those messages must immediately go to draft and must sit for 24 hours in their cooling off period, otherwise they cause lots more trouble. The cooling off period is even harder when we are on our phones. It's better to lock the thing in the glove box and go on into dinner than think you can respond in real time with anything close to resembling civility. But, civility, diplomacy and humility is what we are called to demonstrate.

In Titus 3:2 Paul exhorts believers to act in a manner that is above the fray. He says, "They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone". Gentleness and humility are not usually personality traits that show up on our business performance appraisals as ones that will get you ahead. But, that is what we are told to be when faced with those moments when everyone else talking behind the backs of others or losing their cool and going after each other. Today, when the scuffle starts see if you can be the cool headed one in the group. The one that wards off the fight by gently bringing the conversation back to where it should be and/or with great humility move the position of argument to the center where it can be resolved. Use this moment today to test yourself and for others to see that you approached the situation differently than others and in fact become the example of what Paul asks us to be.


Reference: Titus 3:2 (New Living Testament)

Day 1250: The Ladder

"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."

I watched a worker as he climbed a ladder. At the first few rungs he bounded up, sometimes skipping rungs along the way.  In the middle of the ladder he began to slow down and he paid more attention to each footing and where he placed his hands.  As he got to the top of the ladder he was barely moving forward, hanging on with his eyes watching each move of his feet and hands to be sure that the grip and footing were precise. From where I was watching, it was hard to tell what it was that he was after but it was beyond the top of the ladder and he was going to need to go all the way to the top, ignoring the safety stickers he saw along the way.  As he went for that top step he had to do it all with balance as there wasn't anywhere for his hands to hold onto. He looked so alone there perched on the top step.  It was terrifying to watch and all better judgment of me and those around me told us that something bad was about to happen. And then it did.  He slipped and waving his arms wildly and shouting at the top of his lungs he fell.  Coming down the ladder he grabbed furiously at rungs, but he couldn't get hold and in a fraction of the time it took him to climb the ladder he was off of it, lying on the ground moaning, groaning, with tears in his eyes of humiliation, frustration and anger at himself and what had happened. It was awful to watch the fall. It had been exciting at first to see the ascent but even as a bystander it became anxiety filled as he worked his way through the rungs and it became clear that he wasn't going to stop, even when he was warned to do so.

Even now I wish he hadn't been so ambitious and taken that CEO job.

Let's face it, the world of work pushes, prods, entices and calls to us to climb the career ladders put in front of us.  God gave us the talents, skills and experience to do so, but He also in His Word gives us the balancing messages that we are not built or meant to be people who only focus on getting to the top of the ladder at all costs.  Some of us are being faced with those questions right now and we can't discern the signal from the noise and we can't understand the testing that comes within the intersection of our faith and our work. Our God is a good God. He provides promises and blessings to those who love Him and bring Him along with them in every aspect of their lives.  Today, ask Him to enter into the career ladder decisions that you face and do so knowing that the rewards are far greater in following His lead and cadence on the ladder than the message we receive from the world.

Reference: James 1:12 (New Living Translation)

day 1249: Lose The Cynicism

"Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

I've written much about the ease of cynicism today.  As we shorten our messages and posts it seems our optimism and hope decreases with every lessened word.  Yesterday, one of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin, wrote this about cynicism:

"Cynics are hard to disappoint. Because they imagine the worst in people and situations, reality rarely lets them down. Cynicism is a way to rehearse the let-downs the world has in store--before they arrive. And the cynic chooses this attitude at the expense of the group. Because he can't bear to be disappointed, he shares his rehearsed disappointment with the rest of us, slowing down projects, betting on lousy outcomes and dampening enthusiasm. Someone betting on the worst outcomes is going to be correct now and then, but that doesn't mean we need to have him on our team. I'd rather work with people brave enough to embrace possible futures at the expense of being disappointed now and then. Don't expect kudos or respect for being a cynic. It's selfish."

My Father said to me as I was growing up, "If you don't have something good to say, then don't say anything at all."  He was right. Paul gave us the same advice in Ephesians. Today, let's drop our cynicism and let's be the positive example of God's Words.

Reference: Ephesians 6:29 (New Living Translation)

day 1248: Take A Step...Forward!

"Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles..."

Taking a stand when called upon to present a point of view can be critical to success or failure. Today, let's look at what we can do to be known as people who are not afraid to step forward when called upon. We all have sat in meetings where the boss says, "Who would like to take this on?" or "Anyone want to look into this?" When the room goes silent and everyone picks up their phones, you know that no one is going to step forward. And then someone does and then in their minds the rest of the people are saying to themselves, "should I have done that?" The boss is now happy and the person who volunteered now has an opportunity in front of him/her. What holds us back from being one who will step forward? Sometimes it is just that we don't want the extra work but many times it is because we are concerned that we won't succeed or we have a failure in our history that holds us back from trying again. We need to let the past go and allow the future to be in control of us.

If Peter would have crawled in a cave after he denied Christ at the foot of the cross, then he never would have lived up to his and God's potential for him. Peter went on to be a leader and one who stepped forward. We read in Acts 2:14; "Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles...". Peter was a leader and he showed it by his continued stepping forward. Today, think through where you could step forward if you chose. Ask yourself what is holding you back? If it is some fear of what happened in the past, then course correct today by charting a new course...a course of stepping forward.

Reference: Acts 2:14 (New Living Testament)

day 1247: What's New?

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."

Why do we read trade magazines and online "news" like TechCrunch, Mashable, etc?  Why do we try and keep up to date with innovation?  Why do we Follow on Twitter those that get to the news first?  Our culture is obsessed with what is new.  And, even in the sharing economy we still are curious to know what is being developed and what is on the horizon.  We don't have to look any further than the lines of people who wait for the midnight delivery of new technology or new entertainment.  Our culture rewards those who are there first and who can rush out and tell everyone else their experience.  Technology has given us instant access to share, so our perceived rewards to being there first has been heightened.  When was the last time you delivered to your consumers, customers, or employees something so new that they rushed out to tell everyone else?

God is new to us every morning but always the same!  Read that again.  He is new every morning but always the same!  The newness is what we can receive from Him in our lives.  But, as we read in Ecclesiastes, nothing is really new. Why that is important is that every day in the world we live someone is pitching something new and in that pitch trying to pull us away from our walk with God.  We are challenged in our work to create new products, services and offerings.  That is fine.  But, we are not to try and create God anew in our image of what we think He should be.  That is the way those around us would like it to be.  We are to stand firm today and call upon what is not new, but instead what has been and will be eternal.  Today we start a new week.  Let this week be one where our commitment and courage is renewed!

Reference:  Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New Living Translation)

 

 

day 1246: Never Lost

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Patti and I were driving from West Lafayette (Purdue) to the Indianapolis International Airport.  We were talking and I made the mistake of taking one of the bypass roads to get to 465S.  I knew we weren't far out of the way, but to be sure I pulled out my iphone and had Patti pull up the Map App and hit our current location to view where we were.  It took less than a minute and we were oriented and assured.  We said how hard that would have been even a few years ago.  We'd have gotten off the wrong road, not known where to go and would have ended up backtracking and taking twice as long.  Even the GPS's of today that come in-car aren't as quick and as comprehensive as our mobile device maps.  Patti said she was reminded of hearing someone say, "Getting lost will never again be an acceptable excuse for being late to or missing a meeting."  That is so true.  We now live in a "Never Lost Era" and there will be no going back.  If we know this, what can we do to use this to the advantage, efficiency and maybe even fun in our businesses?  With a little creativity on top of an accessible map, all kinds of things become possible.

I'm pretty sure that God knew that we would invent and develop technology that would direct us and keep us from physically getting lost. Even so, He also made it clear to us that we can, if we don't make the right decisions in our life end up lost spiritually.  He has given us all the tools and resources that we need to find Him, but they are of no good unless we seek out them and Him..  A Bible that sits on the shelf, a church that is not attended, a prayer time that is not utilized, or a fellow believer who we don't reach out to, all are there for us, as extensions of the gift and sacrifice He made for us.  Why would we allow one more day to pass that we aren't directly on the path that He desires for us?  Ours is a God of "Never Lost", but that only is realized if we do the searching.

Reference: Luke 19:10 (New Living Translation)

day 1245: Only One Letter Difference

"...for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law."

I was typing out a note and was attempting to type out the word “teach” but instead ended up slipping my finger one letter to the left and ended up with the word “reach”.  As I reread what I was writing, it was interesting that I could almost exchange the words and the message would be the same. In order to best “reach” someone an element of teaching can be the difference between truly breaking through or not.  The same can be said for teaching.  In order to truly “teach” one must have a “reach” into a person to have them truly learn. When we reach and teach together it can be very powerful and truly have an impact.  Whether it be our advertising, our external or internal communication, we should keep our hands on the keyboard around both the “r” and the “t” and be sure that we are working to both reach and teach in all that we do.

Jesus understood the power of both teaching and reaching people.  Today, He allows us to do both as well on His behalf, while He still is teaching us and attempting to reach further into us and strengthen our relationship with Him. We can be better if we follow His example of being a teacher and reaching out and down to people around us.  When we think of how and what He wants us to do with our lives, we can think about both and then commit ourselves to working and living in His likeness.  What opportunities will you have today to teach and reach?  Actually, more than you may have considered!

Reference: Matthew 7:29 (New Living Translation)

day 1244: Will You Pay 10X?

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

If I asked if you would pay 10X for something that you could buy for 10 times less elsewhere, I have a very good idea of what your answer would be, "Heck, no!  Who would do that?".  But, you see, we do it every day.  I watched my wife do it and with nothing but a little shrug and laugh made the payment.  And, believe me, she is thrifty.  What in the world would she pay 10X for?  The answer: a banana.  She buys bananas in a bunch at the grocery store for 0.19 per banana.  But on this day, before boarding a plane at SFO she paid $1.82 for one banana.  She is not alone.  We do the same with a cup of coffee.  We can buy a pound of coffee for what one venti latte can cost. And the same is true of all of the food ingredients that we can make a meal at home versus eat out at nice restaurant. The irony is that we only do this with low cost items. For everything else we comparative shop and only allow a small markup.  This is the new dilemma for those industries (especially food) where the DIY, grow it yourself market is booming. If what we produce or make and sell doesn't feel like there is enough "value" (or in the case of bananas and coffee, convenience) we will forever be chasing the lowest cost.  As we create and think about our businesses, finding greater value and offers for the consumer allows for higher price point ratios between what they expect and what they will pay.

We are taught that when we give of our resources through our tithes, that God presses it down and returns the amount given to us.  For many when they read that verse they think that they personally will receive 10X back and try and look at tithing as an investment strategy.  Sure, 10X returns, who wouldn't?  But, those returns from God are for the expansion of the Kingdom. They may not always come back directly to us, but if we give with our heart in the right place, we can expect that He will provide that return and more with what we have given. Will you give for a 10X return for His work?  That's just a very smart move!

Reference:  Luke 6:38 (New Living Translation)

day 1243: Pay Me Or Trade Me!

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

It’s getting that time of year when we begin to think about year-end bonuses and next year’s pay.  Some of you know that I am on the Board of the transparency for work company, Glassdoor.  Every quarter we field a survey called the Glassdoor Employment Confidence Survey.  This past quarter we saw the most stable of numbers that we have seen before the Great Recession.  Not very high or very low expectations in any of the categories.  But, I expect that in the next survey we will see that a lot of people will be wondering how their year-end bonuses will play out and what level of salary increase they might expect in 2014.  I was corresponding with a Wall Street guy who finds out his bonus this month. I have no idea what amount he earns or will earn, but regardless how many zeros are on that check and where the decimal point lands, he, like most of us, want to be sure that we are getting paid at the level we think we are worth and deserve.  Another business owner asked me, “How do I make sure that I exceed my employee’s expectations?”  I said, “Be sure you are paying them at least a dollar more than they are expecting.”  I didn’t mean to be pithy, but the fact is that the only one who knows what it takes to not have an employee think, “Pay me or I am out of here”, is the person who manages the person. There is only one way to get to this information and that is to really know your employees, know their needs, know their dreams and know their concerns. Talk to them and get to a place of mutual trust where the conversation about pay is a conversation about fulfilling the relationship you have as company-manager-employee. If to keep Tracy it takes another $6500 annually because she had to move to another apartment that is more expensive and buy a car to commute to work, then that’s the right number.

As believers we are not exempt from needing to work and earn.  Sure, God provides, but if we have talents, skills, time and experience that He has provided and we decide to just sit at home and do nothing with what we have been given and think, “God will provide”, then we need to think again, because I am pretty sure He will provide just about as much as you are putting into utilizing the gifts of life He has given you.  I sometimes think that we look at life like we are looking at a nail that needs to be hammered into a board.  We are given a screwdriver and a hammer to pound the nail into the board.  We pick up the screwdriver and we hit the nail with both the shaft and the handle. The nail doesn’t budge.  So, instead of picking up the hammer and using it, we instead sit back and say, “God will provide”, instead of using what He has given us. The nail, the screwdriver AND the hammer all came from Him.  It is clear from the Bible that we are to work in a way that we are working for Him and not people.  If we knew that God was our boss, we would, and I am sure of it, be working our hearts out, using and giving all that we have, each and every day to be the best we can be with what we have been given.  Let’s remember, He is the boss and how we work today can be a reflection of Him!

Reference: Colossians 3:23 (New Living Translation)

day 1242: What We Do And Who Is Watching

"Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart."

How many times a day do you look in on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?  If you say more than a few times a day, you are not alone.  We are now seeing numbers that would look like social media sites are becoming a large percentage of our discretionary time. I know that I personally, check in at least three times a day to Facebook, maybe five times on Twitter and even though less so, once a day to LinkedIn. I am not a big user of Instagram or Pinterest (although I do stuff there) but lots of people would say they are on these services once or more than once a day as well.  Every time we frequent these sites we are providing and leaving data that they can turn around and use for their own revenue and growth purposes.  Yes, from even what website we leave to enter a service is tracked, as well as where we go next.  As everything gets more and more personalized, we should imagine that our social media sites of choice will become sirens that call to us to come to them from wherever we are on the internet.  And, we should be aware of this as we make our choices.  This past week, Facebook started making available their data to the major television networks about our behaviors and action on their site.  For Facebook this crosses the range of activities like comments and shares that we might have about TV programs (please no spoiling as we are in the time-shift era and you can’t assume I have seen the last episode yet) and their prize jewel, the “Likes” to do what they can to entice new and more TV advertisers. Facebook says (and I believe them) that the data is collected and provided in aggregate to protect the privacy of their users.  That said, this not going to go away and this is not just for TV.  We can get and do the same with our own companies.  I was working with a small company last week who hadn’t thought of those who “liked” a picture of their business as potential customers who can be sold to in a tailored way, based on the subject of the picture they liked.

I write a lot about how we are to be Christ-like examples to others with whom we work. I emphasize this because I see the power of this every day and in every workplace I enter.  We are each building a big data set of reputation points that others are trying to figure out and apply to their own lives.  With each each action and word we leave behind a trail and history of who we are to date.  Others see that data and try and project who they could be from who we are.  If we are Christ-like, love life and make the most of what we have been given, then they want to know how and what they need to do to have that type of life.  If we are inconsistent, or leave trails that are muddied by bad choices, bad words, bad actions, then they can’t make sense of what we say we are and who we really are. Today, leave a data trail that others want to follow.  If you ask God to help you do so, and you commit to doing so, you will make a difference for the Kingdom!

Reference: Ephesian 6:6 (New Living Translation)