day 834: Co-Working

"We work together as partners who belong to God. You are God's field, God's building - not ours."

Let me start by saying that I admittedly am not the greatest at co-chairing work or activities. Call it "controlling" or "selfish" or whatever, but I like to be assigned something, be held accountable for it, and then know that it succeeds or fails based not on the dependency on others, but on what I know will get done or not. But, that is not the way of the world. While yes, every business or organization has someone who ultimately makes the final call, that is only one person and all the rest of the people must work together well and balance each other in decision-making input, etc. So, my own weakness can get in the way of the organization's overall effectiveness and it is something that I must check regularly. We should all check this because when running most effectively, organizations will have a team of people who play off of each other and by the time the final decision needs to be made there is usually more consensus than not. That is when you know a team is really co-working well together.

Paul called upon his co-workers to understand how important it is for us to partner in the work of the Kingdom. What Paul points out to us is that our co-workers in God's work don't belong to any of us here on earth, but instead, belong to God. A new acquaintance of mine is working on a "business book" for churches. I've helped her title the book, "Leading the Called". It is different when someone feels called into God's Kingdom work. But, let's never lose sight that we also are doing Kingdom work each and everyday and that we as believers take our time, talents and treasures into the world each and every day. How we partner with others and how we take and follow our directions from God can have huge impact on the advancement of God's Kingdom. Let's not forget that God has invited us to be co-workers with Him in the field that he is preparing for the tremendous harvest to come and that today is day of His work, not just ours!

Reference: 1 Corinthians 3:9 (New Living Testament)

day 775: Do The Right Thing - Part 7: Arm In Arm

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Much of business is about knowing who is a good partner. From the top to the bottom this is a real consideration that must be thought about carefully and continuously. If our businesses were so vertically integrated that we never needed any partners, how great would that be? But no business is that self-sufficient or able to do so. Raw materials have to come from somewhere and a partner must be sourced to ensure that the highest quality, regular supply and best price can be obtained. That's just one example. There are also partners for going to market, for strategic leverage, for advice and counsel, for spaces to work, etc. We have to lock arms with other people everyday and in the decision we have to be sure that the work we are doing and the partners we have all come together in a way that is right and good for the company. I have seen situations where companies have nearly been destroyed because they locked arms with the wrong partner and through no fault of their own, other than a bad selection decision, nearly lost their companies. Who we lock arms with is an important decision.

We would like to think that all we do and how we do it would be so pleasing to God that we could be locked arm and arm with Him and together He would feel good about where we went, what we did, who we were with, etc. When I was growing up my fire and brimstone southern baptist preacher used to ask, "If Jesus had you by the arm, would you be proud to introduce Him wherever you went?" That question would get me thinking about what I was doing, where I was going and with whom I was associating. If Jesus was locked arm in arm with us on one side, who are locked arm in arm on the other? Would He be happy and would you be proud to make the introductions? Who we associate with or who we just hang out with have an influence on us. If we are surrounding ourselves with people who are positive and who can help us grow, then we are so much better off than the opposite. At work we can't always choose who are arm and arm with in our jobs, but we have decisions that we can make about how we let others influence us and either make us better or tear us down. It's a part of thinking to consider about whether or not we are truly doing the right thing.

Reference: Colossians 3:17 (New Living Testament)

day 138: Memo to Phil, Part 6: Partnership

As Paul was asking Philemon to accept Onesimus onto his team, Paul calls on Philemon as his “partner”. It’s interesting in business and at work that we use the word partnership quite a bit but how often do we really treat someone like a partner? Having a partner is like having an equal. Treating someone like a partner is treating them like you would treat yourself (why does that sound familiar). Yet when we talk about partnering at work what we really mean is that we are going to spend time with that person, work along side of them, ensure that they are getting the right support, etc., but when it really comes down to it, we are still out for ourselves and at the end of the day we want our agenda, our careers, our needs to be met over the other person’s. That is not true when in partnership. In the work world we are in today it is hard to create true partners unless the financial and career rewards are totally aligned and the same. Start up businesses can create the magic of partnership, but even law and accounting firms which are partnerships by definition end up being political, cut-throat and individual versus team-oriented. In the book of Philemon where Paul has asked a big favor of Philemon, Paul says to Philemon in verse 17; “So if you consider me your partner, give him the same welcome you would give me if I were coming.” Paul asks Philemon to act like a partner and then gives him the example of what a true partner would do; live out the actions as if they were being done to his partner or himself. Our jobs would be so much better if we truly approached others at work like they were our partners. If we trusted in them, honored them, took them into full consideration and shared in the successes totally with each other. For some reason, we stop short of that level of partnership. I don’t know this for sure, but it certainly appeared that Jesus had found 12 partners when he called his disciples. Each was on an even playing field with the others and as he lived they lived. There was no hierarchy or one-up-man ship. Jesus did not make success about Himself; he instead brought them in on everything and shared their talents with what the wanted to teach them for the future. We can take lessons from Paul and Jesus on how to have partners in our lives. On the job, we could use a true partner every now and then. Think about this today. Are you the partnering type? Could you be a true partner to someone else? Will you share? If you can become a true and real partner, then go for it and enjoy the closeness of another person who cares as much about you as they do the success or failure of the business. And can you be that true partner back? It is not easy, but it can be fulfilling and exciting for you. And who knows, those partners at work may learn more about you and ultimattely learn what it is about you that gives you the partnering spirit.

Reference: Philemon 1:17 (New Living Testament)