day 1424: Inside Sales

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him."

It wasn't that long ago that a sales person, when interviewed, was asked about their ability to be on the road 100% of the time.  If the answer was, "No", then they likely wouldn't get hired.  With our technology tools today, more and more sales are coming from "inside".  These are the sales teams who not only dial for dollars but also today they sell with Skype, GotoMeeting, BlueJean, Google Hangouts, etc.  Sure, the biggest deals are always in need of the face to face with the sit down over a meal, but a whole lot is getting done now from the inside out.  And the advantage of salespeople in the office, working together, not on the road all the time, has long term cultural and retention powers as well.  As technology improves, we can expect less and less on the road and more and more work from the inside making a difference.

God works from the inside out in us. When we are open to what He has in store for us, He reveals what we can do for Him. We are his new and ever-changing technology and there are new and fresh ways each and everyday for us to please Him and reach others. What new places, relationships, work is God giving to you right now?

Reference: Philippians 2:13 (New Living Translation) 

NOTE: On July 21, Purposed worKING will be moving from Google's Blogger to http://www.purposedworking.com/.   You will be asked to receive your daily email from Feedblitz.  I hope you decide to come along for a new look and improved features. 

day 1405: Does God Get Stressed Out? ….. No!

While I on a pilgrimage walk on the Camino de Santiago (St. James Way) in Spain, I asked some of the most committed and courageous faith-driven business leaders I know to guest contribute to Purposed worKING.  Enjoy! - Rusty
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"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry of the center of your life. (Philippians 4:7)

Every day, every week, every month, work presents opportunities to get “High Anxiety”. So often we find ourselves sucked in - whole body, mind and soul. We feel physical effects of the stress, demands and risks of certain situations and challenges. Sadly, this is very common.

What is also common is that very often, a day later, a week later, or in some cases, it’s a year later and we look back with perspective and realize that an issue that looked huge, big and hairy at the time was just a bump, a minor hill to be scaled.

In these circumstances, instead of getting fully sucked in and overwhelmed, God wants us to call on Him to stand with us and take our anxiety and worries. He knows that if we lean on Him and let Him have our worries that we will think with clearer minds and therefore perform better in any circumstances. Even more importantly, with less anxiety and a clearer mind, we are better able to listen for God’s direction and let Him lead us in these difficult situations. It turns out that God is our best teammate if we just remember to ask Him and then listen.

I’d like to recommend a resource to you to help keep Him more front and center in your work and personal life. On many business leaders’ bookshelves there are scores of business books. The resource I recommend may be the best business and life book I’ve found. The book is by Sarah Young and is called “Jesus Calling”. The book reminds me daily that He is there if I just remember to talk to Him, come to Him and ask for His help & support. Enjoy!

Reference: 1 Peter 5:7

Tom Koch

day 1342: Resolving to Resolve

 "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose."

How easy it is at work to have fall outs with co-workers over the most minuscule of things. The work environment, while trying to be a place of common purpose, mission and unified efforts is fraught with opportunities to become disjointed, fractured and misaligned. It's as if everyday there is a scattering force that takes over the minute we get to the office. I often think of it like when we were kids and would play with magnets and as hard as you tried you couldn't get all the magnets to stick together in line because there was always the negative force of the other end pushing away other magnets. And so, we wake up in the morning thinking not only about what we can achieve for the day, but we also think about how are we to overcome the petty fight that is lingering, or the boardroom battle that is looming, or the argument with the person who sits next to us. It doesn't make work as fun as it should be, does it?

What are we as people of faith to do in these situations? Paul gives us a word in Philippians 2:1-2. He says that there is an encouragement we are to receive from belonging to Christ and that true happiness can be generated by finding a way to work together in agreement, a love for one another and working together with one mind and purpose. Paul wrote his letters to those who were doing ministry work in far-off places. But, his words are just as important for us who are seeking God's purpose in our work and trying to lead a life of example. If we can find a way to be a beacon of unified spirit and harmony in the workplace, then we will become a center of where others come to resolve conflicts and not be the source of conflicts ourselves. A day going into the office with all the arguments and conflicts resolved is a day that will be productive and purposeful. If you have some unfinished business today at work, take the time today to wipe the slate clean and be the leader of that resolution. The rest of the day, and tomorrow, will be better for sure.

Reference: Philippians 2:1-2 (New Living Testament)

day 1315: Doing Something In All The Same Way...

"Then make me truly happy be agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one mind and purpose"

If you ever want to do a study on business productivity, it would be fascinating to start with the amount of time and energy that is put into trying to get people to do something in all the same way. Think about that for a moment and in your own experience, how often you have had to have that conversation with someone or a group?  We all have done it.  We have to to win over the wills of individuality and streaks of independence to get people to conform to a a way of doing something so that we can have measurable and predictable outcomes.  Software engineering and startup companies spend an enormous amount of time doing just this.  There have been books after books written on the subject and consultants have made millions of dollars on the simple premise of getting people to do the same things.  Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg himself is after this with his Open Compute Project.  He thinks he can be the one to create a new way of computing, sharing code and getting people to write code in the same way that can be transferred across countries, companies and time zones. This will require lots of people changing to conform to do something new, all the same way. Making change happen in people is complex, hard, and many times frustrating and futile.  But, we have to do so.  We know that the boat moves in the water more efficiently and faster if every oar goes into and out of the water in a synchronized fashion.  If the oars could do it by themselves, then it would be easy. It's those hands that are connected to a body that are connected to a brain that make it hard.

God calls for all believers to believe in and follow Him all in one way.  Our deviation from that way is our sinful, human way of thinking that we can do it better or do it without the conformity that we are called to submit.  Each and every day, especially at work, we are called into areas where we can choose to submit and conform to His commands and teaching, or we can go it solo into the ways of the world.  While usually not areas that are devastating to us, even the little ways of disagreement, back-channeling, and office politics, can damage our witness and take over our submission to His will and way for us. We will face more than one of those today.  If we are in the spirit of doing it His way, then we will better ward off the temptations and the straying away from what He wants for us.

Reference: Philippians 2:2 (New Living Translation)

day 1303: Whammy Squared

"In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people."

 A long time ago I wrote a post called "Stop The Complaining!" (day 369). That post resonated with a number of people as they said to me that being a complainer at work is one of the easiest roles to slip into. I then wrote another post called, "The Last Word" (day 374) that talked about the arguers at work and how we should avoid arguing all together and not fall into the traps of people who like to pick a fight and suck us into email arguments, etc. After thinking about these two topics more it dawned on me that complaining and arguing are like the evil twins of the workplace. They are the double whammy's that some people have built their work persona around. We all know them and can't say that we love 'em. They are the first person to have the negative point of view and no matter what they will fine something to complain about. I once worked with a person who was always looking for why he was not included or involved so everyone would go out of their way to include him in meetings and conversations that he didn't really need to be included. After all of this effort one day he complained to the group that he was too busy being in meetings to get anything done. I thought the rest of the room was going to reach across the table and strangle him when he said that. And when he wasn't complaining he was arguing. They go hand in hand as two tools that people use to build themselves up and tear down other people.

As believers and people who are committed to working God's purpose in our jobs, we cannot be one of those people. We must take the high road that God shows us and not fall into the trap of being a complainer or an arguer. Paul says it to us in Philippians 2:14-15 and he also tells us that those who are complainers and arguers are trying to pull us down; "In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people." He then goes on to say that if we can rise about the rest of the ways of the world that we should, "Let your lives shine brightly before them". You won't win any awards or get a lot or recognition from not falling into the trap of becoming a complainer or an arguer, but you can know that you will work without blame and that God's light can shine through you onto others. Those are two great positives to eradicate the double whammy's of complaining and arguing.

Reference: Philippians 2:14-15 (New Living Translation)

day 1279: Citizenship

"But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as a citizen of heaven"

Our political system has been spending many fruitless cycles on immigration and citizenship.  We seem to be stuck in an argument about whether or not we want more citizens.  A citizen is one who gives their allegiance to their government and in turn receives that government's protection.  We can say that inside of our companies we have "citizens".  When someone joins our organization and becomes provides their allegiance to the vision, mission and goals of the company and management, then in turn the company protects them with a salary, benefits, opportunity to work, etc. In return, when this works correctly, we get good citizenship from our employees and that in itself is good.  But, how often do we think of our employees as citizens, versus just hired help who just come and go? Do we get allegiance this way?  Do we think about protecting our talent?  This is where most companies miss out.  If we stopped and thought about someone making that all important choice to come to work for us, versus someplace else, as a desire to "join" us and to become a part of us, as citizens then we might well approach the whole relationship differently, and assuredly more productively.

Paul challenges the Philippians to act as citizens of heaven.  That is, for us to give our allegiance to God and to receive God's protection when we live and act to His standards.  It's a simple question today - are you approaching today's work and life as a sworn citizen of God's Kingdom? If you are, then today will be a great day for you and the Kingdom!

Reference:  Philippians 1:27 (New Living Translation)

day 1206: When 1+1 Can = 3

"Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose."

The word synergy gets used frequently in business. We hear it most when companies are merging and the business leaders say, "This deal will create synergy between the two entities".  We just read these words with the merger of the two largest global advertising firms. That is usually code for cost reductions and potential lay-offs so the word takes on a negative meaning. It is not a negative word at all. Synergy is a great thing and is defined as; "The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects." That does sound good doesn't it? We all want more of that at work, but why is it so hard to get? It's a great question. It shouldn't be hard at all to get two or more people together to combine their efforts so that the result is much stronger than what the individuals could do by themselves. But, somewhere this breaks down and we can't find the synergy and we instead have to reinforce and teach the importance of teamwork and the leaders of the organization have to spend extra time and efforts to get people to work together. It shouldn't be hard at all to get people to want to work together and to get more done with each other than alone. But, many a company talks a good game about teamwork but when it comes down to it, the incentives and rewards (whether spoken or not) are all about the individual and not the team or partnership.

Paul and Timothy tell the people of Philipi what they think synergy should be and we would do well to take their message to heart; "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose." We have the opportunity today to be synergistic leaders in our workplace. If we take the challenge of Paul and Timothy to find those who we can align with and we, through our own life example, model what it means to love one another, be in agreement and work together with one mind and purpose, then we will be modeling the life of the One we follow. And who at work will not want to be on your team? What an exciting company it would be if there were people all over the organization modeling these behaviors. As it is said, "it only takes one to get it started". Can today you be the one?

Reference: Philippians 2:2 (New Living Translation)

day 1195: Availability, Part 2

"Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." 

Earlier this week was the first time I had been in NYC since they added CitiBikes.  I must say, I was amazed by the number of riders I saw using the bikes. But, I was even more amazed by the people I saw riding them.  Men, women, older, younger, dressed for work, dressed for hanging out, dressed for going out at night, all kinds of people using the bikes for what they needed; to get from one place to another. Before CitiBikes, they would have been in a cab, on the subway, or walking.  But, with a little availability of another form or transportation where they didn't need to buy, maintain, store, lock, or worry about their own bike, they were using a bike to get around Manhattan.  And, they were paying for it.  What can we learn from this?  What I see is that availability of everyday products and services, that when made accessible, that we will pay for the temporary use and fulfill a need.  Provide a bike.  How simple and to think how long it took us to get here.

I come back to the fact that our availability for others is more valuable than we even imagine.  Yesterday, I took a phone call with someone who I didn't know at all, who wanted to request some information from my experience for a project he was getting off the ground.  In 30 minutes we covered a lot of ground.  At the end of the time, he told me that the number of people who he couldn't get to call him back or spend any time with him, were beyond counting.  His appreciation of our time was also beyond measurement.  In that conversation I got the chance to mention my church activities, this blog, and why I give of my time to talk to others; enough dots for him to connect that part of my expression of God's purpose for me, access and grace comes through my time allocations.  Being available to do God's work can mean doing it when we least expect it. Being always available and on call for God is what we must do.

Reference: Philippians 2:4 (New Living Translation)

day 1193: Show Some Curiousity

"Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."

There is a guy I know who knows something about everything. No, really, he knows a little something about anything you mention. Sometimes it comes off a little as a "know it all" but I see it more as an admirable trait that he is curious and always learning. An executive was saying to me recently that he is so caught up in what is going on at his job that he feels like he has become myopic to other areas of his life and other people. This happens to the best of us. We have all the intentions to stay connected with others, to network outside of our jobs, to read, travel, learn, etc. But, the days turn into months and the months turn to a year and we wonder where the time went. What we realize is that we haven't put our head up or done much beyond our own jobs in quite some time. It doesn't have to be this way. We can all start today changing this pattern by just showing some curiosity with those who work around us. Just down the hall, right now, is someone who would love more than anything to talk a little bit about what they are doing right now and tell you what they have planned for the weekend. All you have to do is ask.

Paul tells us that being curious and interested in others is a good thing. In Philippians 2:4 we read; "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." Today, think about looking beyond what you have on your own plate and send that email, make that phone call, walk down the hall and let your curiosity show.

Reference: Philippians 2:4 (New Living Testament)

day 1180: Personality Power

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.

In April, a random book hit the bookshelves in the U.S. titled, "The Cuckoo's Calling".  Since its' publishing date and through this last week it had sold a whopping 500 copies. The author Robert Galbraith had received some good reviews but the sales were like most first novels, weak and uninspiring.  With only 500 copies or so sold, there wasn't much opportunity for social buzz to get it going.  So, like most other books, the author wouldn't recoup his advance and the book would be out of print before it got started and Mr. Galbraith would be able to call himself a published author and get on with his next novel, or back to his day job.  That is until this past weekend when the world found out that Robert Galbraith was actually someone named J.K. Rowling. Since that discovery, "The Cuckoo's Calling" has run through it's print run, the publisher is scrambling to meet demand, and I predict in a few weeks time Robert Galbraith will be a New York Times best-selling author, if not a #1 spot holder.  Lest we think that there isn't power in personality?  This is a great reminder that we need to use all we have when launching new products or services. We so want to idealistically think that the great idea we have will take off on its' own, but in truth to make it through the clutter, it does not hurt to have personality behind it to give it the power to get off the launch pad.  This is why considering partnerships, strategic alliances, or even letting others take the spotlight in the promotion or branding may be the better way to success.

I shy away from promoting myself or thinking that my personality/brand makes a difference for God and the expansion of the Kingdom.  I feel like it is having too much pride. But, each time I hear about or meet someone who's personality and brand proceed them, only to find out later that they are believers, I think, "How wonderful it would be if more people knew of their faith and what an example they could be."  Remember the Sunday School song verse: "Hide it under a bushel basket? NO!...I'm gonna let it shine!"  In Philippians, we are told that God works in and through us and He gives us power to bring Him pleasure and glory.  It well could be that part of that power is our personality, our brand, our presence, that we are supposed to be bringing into the world to be the example of His power.  The question we have to ask ourselves is this;  "Are we leaving God's message in an unknown state for those around us or are we putting our full personality behind Him to bring His love into the mainstream of our lives for others to see lived out and through us"?

Reference: Philippians 2:13 (New Living Translation)

day 1149: Staying Agile

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Back in the the 1950's an approach to software development was created. Back then it was called, "Iterative and Interactive Development". Over the years it was refined and used on many projects. Over time it also took on the name of "Agile Development." Through time software engineers have reported that 88% of the users feel more productive, 77% see the quality improvements on the systems where it is deployed and best yet, 78% report an increase in business stakeholders satisfaction. I have gotten the opportunity to work with teams who have employed the principles of Agile Development and for the leaders of this movement it looks a lot like a business religion. It has a deep philosophy, rules of engagement, a common language, and a deep set of beliefs by users.

In fact, I wish that we as followers of Jesus always had the same commitment and rigor to our beliefs as developers who use the Agile Development process. IID, or Agile, was developed to bring predictability, repeatability, standardization and simplification to a very complex system. It is a great metaphor to our lives and how we live out our lives within our work. Life is full of randomness and can sometimes feel just the opposite of the predictable and standard that we would like to have. What we can do as believers though is use the process standards that God has given us to become more "agile" in our lives. We start with a firm belief and faith in Jesus and our commitment to follow Him as our Savior. From there, He invites us to communion with Him in His Word and our prayers. These, along with the fellowship with other believers provide us with predictable standards; a life process to follow and a community of others who are developing themselves to be better at bringing glory to God in all that that is done. Just like why a software development process was created, the same can be said of what God has given us. Sounds like it is time for us to go to our own life keyboard and start our new development process, today.

Philippians 3: 13-14 (New Living Translation)

day 1119: Forgetfulness

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead..."

Okay, in the spirit of full transparency, I have become more forgetful. Call it age, call it too much on my plate, or just call it too much data/information coming at me, but whatever it is, I'm more inclined to be forgetful today than in the past.  I've always been a note taker and today I am more so than ever.  What is cool about today is that with so many different pieces of technology that can help us store, organize and recover what we have gathered.  There is Evernote, which I love.  Our phones give us apps like Catcha and built in applications for note taking both written and spoken. There is also Dropbox, Google Drive and Box for storage.  I guess the problem could someday be that we become forgetful about what is stored where, but I suspect there will be a solution for that as well.  What is for certain is that with all of the technology solutions that there shouldn't be any excuse for forgetfulness. Within the coming years, those who are forgetful will become more obvious for being unorganized, lazy, or symptomatic of a greater problem. Will this make us more efficient and productive within our companies, we will see!

So, there is one area of our lives that we are to be forgetful and that is our forgiveness of others. Nope, we are not to write down all of the transgressions that others have committed against us and keep them for after we forgive.  Imagine if God was to do that with us?  If He managed our sins like a credit score, we’d all be in big trouble.  But, that is not God’s way. His way is to model for us the ultimate in forgetfulness.  Once we ask for forgiveness, He doesn’t keep track, He just forgives and forgets, like we should.  Being truly forgiving and forgetful towards others is one of the most powerful examples of Christ that we can take to work with us today. Imagine if our reputations were to be the person that everyone could count on to be truly forgiving and to never dredge up the past?

Reference: Philippians 3:13 (New Living Translation)

day 968: Impression Perceptions

 “...we are not to be selfish and not to live to try and make the best impression"

We are taught from the time we are first walking and talking that the impressions we make on others is one of the most important intangible assets we have. Whether it be mom or dad or a teacher, we heard, “you only have one chance to make a first impression” and that first impression was worth a great deal. And that surely carries right into the workplace. From the first impression to obtain the job or to attain the promotion, we work to manage the impression that others have us. While on the surface, there is nothing wrong with that, and in fact, in the work world where we have counter forces working against to diminish the impression of us while others put themselves ahead, we have to somewhat manage the impression that others have of us. It would be naïve to think that in all cases that we can, without restraint, be ourselves. There are times for a more mature you than you might want to be and there are times for a more optimistic and cheerful you than what you feel at the moment. So, we all manage our impression. But, Paul says in Philippians 2:3 that we are to not be selfish; and we are not to live to make a good impression on others. I had to process this for awhile to understand what he was saying. Why wouldn’t it be right to try and give others a good impression of ourselves? Aren’t we more able to have a greater impact on others if their impression is favorable? At work, this always seemed to be true. We depend on a favorable of impression of ourselves preceding us when we walk into a meeting with others we don’t know that well. Certainly the opposite can be disastrous.

So, how far are we off base if we try and create a positive impression? The key to what Paul was saying was the first part of the sentence when he said, “we are not to be selfish and not to live to try and make the best impression". If we are selfish and we are living, or being all consumed and obsessed in the impression we make on others, then we are not being cognizant and considerate of others. It means we would be self-obsessed and that attitude is not what we are to possess. So, I take Paul that isn't that he doesn't want us to make a good impression on others, but to do so in the spirit that will be one of concern to others and those around us, and let the good impression that we make from that spirit and attitude be the one that precedes us. If we start with being selfless and let ourselves flow from that place, then it would be hard to not make just a good impression, but the best of all impressions.

Reference: Philippians 2:3 (New Living Testament)

day 967: Humility Pill

 “…other than at work”

I worked many a year and I don’t think I can remember a day that I rose and on my way to the office, I said to myself, “Today, I am going to work really hard at ensuring that others get ahead of me”. It’s just not the way that work is structured. Organizational hierarchy has only one box at the top of the pyramid and so on and so on. So, instead it is ingrained in us to reach for the top and to get there, with or without regard to the others we work. It’s not malicious or mean-spirited, but it is just the way it is. But, as we find purpose in our work, we are to think of ourselves differently.

In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul says to us that we are to think about others as better than ourselves. Yes, you read that correctly, we are to put others in front of ourselves and Paul didn’t say, “…other than at work”. No, we are to adopt this spirit of humility in all that we do, including work. I find this not only a formidable challenge but also as one that runs so counter to what we face day-in and day-out that the only way we can live up to this challenge is to draw deeply on our faith and believe that if we work as Paul describes that we can still succeed and advance in our careers. But, if we take heed of Jesus’ words how we finish up on the organization chart has no forbearance on how we will receive our eternal rewards. So, it is a no lose proposition, we are to put others in front of ourselves and let the rest of it work itself out. I know, it is not easy, but what in life and work is? Remember, nothing worth good is easy. So, today, take that humility pill and allow yourself to put others in front of you and wait for the rewards.

Reference: Philippians 2:3-4 (New Living Testament)

day 956: Selfishness

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others."

The first impression is a moment to manage. We all know how important a first impression can be and in business where time is precious and patience runs short, the first impression's importance is multiplied many times over. We can do our best to make the first impression our best in how we speak, hold ourselves, and yes, how we dress. Yet, it can't be completely controlled as long as there is another person involved. The person on the other side of the table or the handshake comes to that moment with their own set of preconceived notions, emotions and filters. It is nearly impossible for us to know what is in their mind or what they have already faced that day that is going to enhance or taint their impression of us. What we can do is put our best foot forward and ensure that we are doing our best to make a connection with them. If by nothing else, if we make those first moments together a time of listening closely and allowing the other person to talk about themselves for a bit so we can get a sense of the mood and their willingness to open up, then we have a better chance of doing well with them. I was listening to a very senior executive describe an interview she recently had where the person doing the interview never asked one question during their hour long session. She said that the interviewer would just throw out random thoughts, sometimes provocative and challenging, and then let those thoughts just sit there until she would pick up on them and continue the riff. As she left the interview she had no idea what impression she had made but she had a really good feel for what kind of person he was and had felt that she had been able to adapt to his style. I suspect because of this, she made a good first impression. So, we never know when we are going to be making a first impression, but let's remember, it is a moment to manage, be thoughtful around, and most importantly be sure that we put the other person first.

For those of us who are purposefully working to bring glory to God in our work and lives the first impression, and every ongoing impression, is even that much more significant. Paul gives us a tip in Philippians when he tells us that we not to live to make a good impression on others. He is right, if we were to totally focus and live just to make a good impression then we would spend all of our time thinking about ourselves, thus why he says in the beginning of the verse, "Don't be selfish". That said, we still must manage our impressions as we know others are always watching and those impressions whether the first, or ongoing, are critical in how others can or can't see Christ reflected through us. Take a moment and reflect on yesterday. What type of impression did you leave on others? Were there actions and words that if you could take them back you would? For me personally when I ask myself that question the answer is always yes, because I know that I can only get better. Today is the day to make your impressions better than yesterday, especially those first impressions that are there for you to begin today in the best and right way.

Reference: Philippians 2:3 (New Living Testament)

day 822: Smart Meters

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.”

Companies are full of power hoarders. No, I am not writing about those servers, computers, or machinery that suck power like never before. I am writing of people who hoard power and put that need for power above all else. We all know someone who has this trait. We usually don't like them much, but we have to tolerate them, especially if they are really good at what they do. If we could put people "smart meters" inside of our companies so we could identify where the power hoarders are, then think of the politics and crazy stuff that happens that could go away. It's important that we as either leaders or employees understand that power is a critical area to monitor to be sure that it is well-directed, well-intentioned and values and principle based as we desire it to be.

Our power as believers comes from Jesus. We have His power to keep us going when it feels nearly impossible to do so. We just need to plug into Him and allow Him to do His work in and through us. We can be our own "smart meters" and be sure that we are letting the right power flow and the wrong power be curtailed. To be most powerful for Jesus we have to meter ourselves. Let's be sure today that we are not after power for ourselves but instead are looking to Him for the power in our lives.

Reference" Philippians 2:3

day 815: Breaking Bread

"Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose."

There is always an underlying tension between working together with co-workers or working independently. In business, within companies, we need to work together, towards a common purpose or we will never succeed. The Economist magazine wrote, "Business is a remarkable exercise in cooperation. For all the talk of competition 'red in tooth and claw', companies in fact depend on persuading large numbers of people - workers and bosses, shareholders and suppliers - to work together to a common end. This involves getting lots of strangers to trust each other. It also increasingly involves stretching trust across border...the word company is derived from the Latin words cum and pane, meaning 'breaking bread together.'" Let's remember this the next time we are requested to go our to dinner with someone else in the company. We may not want to go, but that time breaking bread together is all part of finding the cooperation that makes business work.

I personally am not the biggest fan of lots and lots of time being spent with each outside of work (because I like to spend time at home too), but I get how important it is to spend time with our co-workers outside of the office. What can be powerful about this time is that we get to establish relationships that are deeper than we could ever reach in the office. It is in these times that we get the opportunity to reveal the areas of our life that are important to us, like our faith. How we think about this time, is important. As we break bread with others, then let's not forget that true cooperation comes from when we share a set of values and principles with someone else. And, let's not miss this unique opportunity we have to share what is most important to each of us.

Reference: Philippians 2:1-3 (New Living Testament)

day 807: The Finish Line

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Work is never really finished. well, that is if if the company is committed to growth and expansion. Even short-term wins and completions are actually starting points for new initiatives and goals. When companies are at their best is when there is enough of an exciting and over-arching vision that all of the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly work is never done, but always pushing towards that vision. Even when people leave their positions the work will stay and someone else picks it up and goes. I can remember working with people who were getting ready to retire and it was hard for them to find the right time to make the leap as they still felt there was so much left to do (or at least the conscientious people felt this way.) As we lead our companies, or work on a team, we are best off to sign up for the Marathon and ready ourselves for a long run, and if we get to pull up short, then great, but otherwise our head is in the run for the long one. That's a lot better than thinking there is a finish line that is there, but gets moved out.

Our work to bring glory to God in all that we do never finishes either. Each and every day that we bring our talents to our work, doing the best we can to set an example that others will want to follow and see Jesus within us, is only just another step on a journey that should never end until we get to stand face to face with Jesus. The most awesome of things is that God gives us all of the tenacity, perseverance, energy and power we need to keep going until we get to see the finish line, if we only allow Him to give all to us that He so desperately wants to give. I know I write of it often, but I was reminded of what God wants to be with us the other day when I saw a film clip of a father going off to work and his son (maybe 5 years old) standing at the front door begging to go to work with Daddy. As the father drives off the son stands in the front window looking so sad. God so wants us to take Him to work with us so that he can do His work within us. Just imagine what it would be like if we all were committed to do so. There's a finish line to aspire to reach!

Reference: Philippians 1:6 (New Living Testament)

day 800: Ambitions

“In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself”

We all have some level of ambition. It would be hard for businesses or business professionals to be at their best without some level of ambition to work to our full potential. But ambition that crosses a line to something that places ourselves or our efforts and business above other people turns into something else that is not good. Ambition has to be constantly kept in check and balanced against values and principles that keep other people and their needs above our own. Even within a company we have to be careful that we don't let our ambitions get the best of us against our peers. It starts with each of us and how we lead, manage, or interact with those we work. Companies that can't keep their ambitions in check run the risk of becoming bullies in the market and at some point that catches up with them. We know who they are and aren't surprised when they get hung out to dry when they stumble. We are better off in not letting our ambitions get the best of us.

The late Pastor David Wilkerson's brother, Gary writes this about how we are to manage our personal ambitions: "One simple way to measure whether you love well is to examine how you look out for the interests of others. As a pastor, I have to forge an unwavering vision to do this. I am charged by God with a call to stir my people to action and to relentlessly pursue the mission he has given us. The truth is, I can go about this in one of two ways: through my own ambition, pushing to achieve my individual goals; or to adopt the heart of Christ and make my mission to love.
If my church grows to ten thousand and I don’t have love as my vision...if
our church sends out 1,000 missionaries but doesn’t have love…then we are
failing in our calling as a believing body. We are raising up false ambassadors
and exporting a weak brand of watered-down Christianity empowered by something
other than love.How about you? Are your prayers or spiritual ambitions locked in a world of your own wants, needs and desires? Are you bothered or irritated when others’
genuine needs interrupt your goals?What is the remedy for selfish ambition? Paul wrote to the Philippians, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3b). Paul doesn’t say not to esteem yourself, your vision or your life
mission. But he does say others also have vision, purpose and a mission. If you
will esteem them, you will not just be helping them but also strengthening them
in their calling—and perhaps affecting many lives. Think about the power of Paul’s statement. Imagine what might happen if every Christian radically obeyed this truth. We would all have deep, world-impacting interests in others—and none of us would be immersed in our individual goals. The whole body of Christ would be so other-centered we would empower one another in our many varied callings. If each of us is looking only to interests of our own making, our testimony will be limited at best. But if we all are looking in love to build up others, every God-ordained mission will have more than ample support to be accomplished.

Reference: Philippians 2:3