Search Results for: reputation

Posted on

What Does Victory Look Like In Christian Business?

by

Picture someone right now in the business world, or in your industry, that you respect and admire. This needs to be someone that you see as successful – someone who has seen their share of victory. Maybe it is even someone that you wish you could switch places with (at times). Do you have that person in mind?

Make A List

Okay, now that you have someone in mind, I want you to write down the reasons that you have for seeing them in this light. What is it about them that you wish you could have or experience? How do you measure their success? When you say they have seen their share of victory, what do you mean? Be specific with your list. Don’t leave anything out.

victory

Our Look At Victory

For the last week, we have taken some time to look at victory and come to some conclusions.

Victory In Business?

Today, I want us to take a hard look at what victory actually looks like in a Christian business. While this may sound simple at first, it really is critical. See, if we do not have a crystal clear picture of what it looks like in our business or on our job, then how do we really expect to strive for it or experience it? How can we expect to recognize it when it comes?

Your List

Let’s get back to the person you look up to in the business world.

Take a look at your list and tell me what you see.

Are your observations related to his financial success in his business? Do you connect his acquisition of other businesses to your view of his success? Do you like the fact that he has a reputation within the business world for being shrewd and able to generate strong returns on his investments?

What other items are on your list? Did you mention anything about her involvement in industry associations? Did you list some awards she may have won as a result of her hard work or creative solutions to workplace challenges? Maybe you considered her life-long tenure at the same company as worthy of your respect.

Your View Of Victory In Business

Whatever the case, your list is a rough picture of the way you define victory in business.

The tough question is this…does our list match up well with Scripture? Does it fit with the definition the Bible gives us for victory? Can you make a case for a direct connection between your list and the life and example of Jesus? Are you working toward living a life that does the same?

If you can, congratulations!

If not, there is work to do.

Examples Of Victory In Business

In an effort to help you see this picture with a little more clarity, I have put together a list of actual examples that do match up with the Bible’s definition of victory in business (and life). Take a look and let me know what you think about this list in the comment section at the bottom of the post.

[box]

    – The CEO of a national company is accused of discrimination because his company supports the Bible’s definition of marriage. As a result, at least one major city government is moving to block the company’s expansion into their city. (Read about it here.)

    – The owner of a young construction business chooses to take a risk and hire someone he truly cannot afford for a non-revenue-producing position. He decides hiring a chaplain for his employees is too important to pass up.

    – A company chooses not to match the operating hours of the rest of their competition, forfeiting a huge opportunity for revenue. Instead, they close on Sundays. (Read about it here.)

    – An operations director decides that his call to ministry in the workplace is more important than keeping a job where that is frowned upon. He is fired for his decision and is now on his own to start a business that will glorify God.

    – A corporate manager decides to pursue an online degree in apologetics so that he can be prepared to answer the tough questions he will receive from his clients as he makes more of an effort to share with them the reason for his faith in Jesus.

[/box]

Eternal Perspective

If you look closely, you will notice that each of these examples reflect an eternal perspective. While victory may not seem evident right now, each item on the list will still be having a ripple effect 1,000 years from now. This is usually the best indicator of true victory.

The other thing you will notice is that these examples would likely be looked upon as silly or even foolish in most pure business circles. Review this list at any of the nations top business schools and you will likely receive laughter or even be mocked.

God’s View

The truth is that God does not define victory as the world does. In fact, Scripture says that He chooses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). The experts may not agree with my list, but I am not so concerned with what they think. I hope you see it the same way.

How does your list look to you in hindsight?

Would this list have been different for you 5 years ago? Why?

What do you need to do to change your list?

Posted on

How Do You Define Victory?

by

This is the first in a series of posts about victory in our lives as Christian business owners and leaders. I am really excited about this series because I think this is a critical issue for all of us, though most of us have not thought much about it.

victory

Desire For Victory Is Okay

Sure, we want to win. Most of us have participated in some form of team sports during our lives at one point or another. I am assuming that all of us have wanted to taste victory to some degree. To some, you may not want to win at all costs, but certainly would prefer winning to losing!

Some of us REALLY want to see victory in EVERYTHING! As long as we do not let that desire for victory override our desire to please God, there is nothing at all wrong with it. In fact, I think God places that desire for victory inside of each of us.

Most Stop Here

If you are like most people, this is about as far as your thoughts have gone. You have probably not thought a lot about what victory actually looks like in your life as a whole. If you have, congratulations! You are probably the exception.

For the vast majority, if asked what victory in life means, they would respond with things that the world considers important. Even if we exclude the obviously “non-Christian” answers (money, toys, fame, etc.), we would still likely hear things like the following:

  • Good education for my children
  • Comfortable retirement for me and my spouse
  • Successful career with reputable company
  • Solid reputation with everyone, no enemies
  • Large attendance at my funeral

Are any of these answers BAD?

I think it depends.

Victory Goals or Results?

I think it depends on whether these were your goals or just the results.

Think about that for a minute. If you sought these examples as your ultimate goals, then that means you placed them above any other priorities. Assuming you are a believer, then it means you placed these goals ahead of your relationship with God. That is not good.

If, on the other hand, your ultimate goals related to your relationship with God and these examples came to you as byproducts, then I do not see a problem with them at all. If that is what God blessed you with at the end of a life submitted to Him, then I would say, “Awesome!”

Ultimate Question

I say all of this to come to one central, and very important question. In fact, I would rank it as one of the most important questions any of us can ask ourselves. This is a question few ask, but all answer in one way or another. Whether you stop and ask this question or not, you will end up answering it. Here it is…

How do you define victory in this life?

It looks like a fairly straightforward and simple question, doesn’t it?

Simple Question, Rarely Asked

It may be a simple question, but it is not one correctly answered by most people. Instead, most people never ask the question at all. They simply accept the definition given to them by the world around them.

Most people allow everyone else to define victory for them. Then they spend the rest of their lives chasing that definition. I think this is sad.

Simple Answer

I think it is sad because there is a simple answer to this question. I think it is sad because the simple answer to defining victory is found in the Bible and chasing this definition brings everyone the fulfillment they so desperately crave.

For the question itself, and the answer, we only need to look at Matthew 22:34-40. Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment of all. Jesus is essentially asked how He defines victory for all of us. Here is His answer…

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Simple and Straightforward

There it is. It is very simple and straightforward. We are to love God, our Creator, with all of our heart, mind, and soul and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is God’s definition of victory for all of us. It does not get any simpler than that.

As a result of this Scripture, there really is no longer a need for us to struggle in defining victory. We have it right there in black and white. All we need to do is chase that definition.

Of course, it may be a simple definition, but it is not that easy, right?

More Questions

Once we accept this definition as the truth, many more questions begin to come to mind.

    How exactly does God want me to show Him this love through my life?

    How do my individual skills and talents play into this?

    How much of this victory depends on me and my efforts?

    What happens when I mess up and lose?

I understand. I have the same kinds of questions at times…okay, all of the time! That is not a problem. God likes these questions! When you are asking these questions, it means you are thinking about it! That is exactly what He wants from us. It is so much better than mindlessly accepting the world’s definition of victory.

Over the next several posts, we will be talking a lot more about victory in this life and our roles and responsibilities in seeking it. Stay tuned!

Are you one of the few that has already defined victory in your life?

On what Scripture is your definition based?

If you’ve never thought about it, when will you start?

Posted on

Do You Make These 9 Christian Leadership Mistakes?

by

Over the past seven months, I have been telling you about the various actions you should take in order to run your business based on your Christian faith. I have discussed behaviors and attitudes you need to exemplify if you want to excel in Christian leadership. I have even given you tips on Christian ministry projects you should consider.

Christian leadership

Christian Leadership Contradictions

Too often, I hear about (or even witness) professing believers in Christian leadership positions who are behaving in a way that contradicts their words. Worse, some of these leaders are getting caught in compromising situations or scandals that end with them being removed from their Christian leadership positions.

The fallout from these situations is disastrous. Not only is their career often ruined, but the damage done to those following them is incalculable. The wounds can last for years. I have seen it firsthand.

Something Worse

As bad as these events can be, I think there could be something worse. Consider the 30-40 year career of someone in business. Assume they profess to be a Christian and hold a significant leadership role or even own the business. Potentially, their eternal impact could be tremendous – in a positive or negative way.

Now picture that nothing happens like I described above. They do not get caught in a situation that ruins their career. There is no “Evening News” expose` that causes their reputation to come crashing down. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Something Missing

Unfortunately, I think you could be missing something. Instead of a sudden explosion causing the damage, there is something going on that could cause just as much damage, if not more, over the long haul. Rather than doing anything extreme, they are simply not walking their talk.

From a distance, this person looks like a model citizen. They talk about their faith and preach to those around them about integrity and other Christian values. Their motives are even good. For these reasons, they are more likely to stay in this damaging position for a longer period of time.

But instead of living out what they are saying, they are making some crucial mistakes. Unfortunately, these mistakes, when made over time from a position of Christian leadership, can have devastating effects on those who are close enough to see the truth.

Higher Standard

See, as Christian leaders, we are held to a higher standard. More is expected of us. Right or wrong, when we make mistakes, the price is higher. When we step out and declare our faith in Jesus, we associate our name with His name. We tag His reputation with ours.

Then, when we make mistakes and live in a way that does not reflect God’s love to those around us, we run the risk of turning people away from Him. Even though we may not blow up our reputation with a single news-worthy event, we can do just as much harm. The only difference is that it is spread out over a longer period of time.

What Does Jesus Say?

I promise you, Jesus is crystal clear on what He thinks of this kind of behavior.

But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!
Matthew 18:6

Common Christian Leadership Mistakes

Rather than complain about the too-frequent public scandals, let’s do something about our own contributions to Christian leadership. Take a look at the following list of common mistakes made by leaders like us. Then let’s commit together that we are going to live the faith we claim.

    1. Pray before meetings, curse afterwards

    2. Tell crude, off-color jokes or laugh at those that do

    3. Preach about faith, panic when stressed

    4. Tell someone you will pray for them, forget about it

    5. Promote forgiveness, carry grudges

    6. Require accountability, fail to acknowledge your own mistakes

    7. Expect loyalty, treat the employees like numbers

    8. Demand integrity, cheat on your taxes

    9. Talk about family values, but encourage workaholism

Take Action

I would suggest reading through this list a couple of times. Make sure that you ask God to search your heart and reveal to you any inconsistencies between your words and actions. Then share your findings with someone you can trust to hold you accountable to changing.

Do you agree with a higher standard for Christian leadership?

Do you make any of these mistakes?

Which mistake do you need to work on first?

Posted on

What Joe Paterno, The Titanic, and Christian Business Have in Common?

by

In a little more than a couple of months, we will recognize the 100th anniversary of an incredible disaster. It was just before midnight on April 14th, 1912 that the “unsinkable” Titanic sank, taking with it the lives of over 1,500 victims. Though there are very few people alive today that were alive then, this is not an event that will soon be forgotten. It has been the subject of multiple movies, books, and innumerable lessons on pride.

joe paterno

Even so, I still there is something we can learn from this disaster, as it relates to Christian business and life in general. I have done some very quick “Google” research on this disaster and I think there are some points about which you may not know.

Details of the Titanic

The Titanic was built by 3,000 workers over a three year period leading up to its maiden voyage in 1912. It was built alongside two near-identical sister ships, the Britannic and the Olympic. At a cost of roughly $7.5 million in 1912 (roughly $400 million to build today), she weighed over 66,000 tons. She was roughly four city blocks long and ten stories tall. It took roughly 3 million rivets to put her together (this was before arc welding).

All in all, it is clear that a lot of time, energy, and money went into the construction of this feat of engineering. Unfortunately, the wonder it created did not last long as it sank on its maiden voyage, less than 5 days after departure. So what is the lesson here? What is the most likely cause of this disaster and how does that apply to us in business or life?

More Titanic Information

Well, what is not as well-known about the Titanic incident concerns its construction. Let me add some facts to the story and then we will analyze the lesson.

When the Titanic was under construction, steel was fairly new as a replacement for iron in constructing ships. Steel was much stronger and therefore preferred as material for the rivets that held the ship together. Unfortunately, due to several factors, there simply were not enough steel rivets available. Therefore, iron rivets were used in the less critical areas of the ship’s hull.

Short-Cut With Materials?

The problem was that the iron they used was not the top quality available. As a result, it contained high concentrations of slag. This slag, when exposed to icy salt water, can make the rivets more brittle and prone to fracture. This problem turned out to be critical when the Titanic hit the iceberg.

Original assumptions about the cause of the sinking caused experts to expect a large gash in the hull of the ship when it was finally discovered. Instead, they found six slits between the bow plates where the rivets had failed to hold. It turns out, when all the facts are considered, that the decision to use sub-par materials is most likely the cause of the loss of over 1,500 lives.

Joe Paterno

Joe PaternoSo what does this have to do with Joe Paterno? Even more important, what does it have to do with us as Christian business owners and leaders?

Joe Paterno was a great coach. There is no arguing that. He left a legacy of excellence that many will aspire to emulate. He turned many boys into men and brought immense success to the Penn State football program. He was an intense coach and deserves full recognition for his success.

Tarnished Career

But when Paterno made the decision, for whatever reason, not to apply the same intensity to the investigation of his assistant coach’s alleged crimes when they came to his attention, he made a critical mistake.

Call it a lapse in judgment. Call it an oversight. It really does not matter what you call it, it was a mistake Paterno wished he could undo. It was a mistake that has now tarnished an otherwise brilliant 62 year career.

Application to Christian Business

When you consider all that we have invested in our businesses – for most it is a huge amount of time, energy, and money. While maybe not Titanic proportions – it is a lot to us.

Yet, even if we are fortunate enough to last for decades and build a business that garners praise and renown for our integrity and adherence to our principles, it only takes one small decision to wreck it. It only takes one rivet of sub-standard quality to sink it.

While we are clearly forgiven when we make mistakes like this, we cannot undo the damage done. It is much like hammering nails into a fence post. You can remove the nails, but the holes remain.

Higher Expectations

God has given us a privilege and a responsibility as Christian business owners and leaders, but to whom much has been given, much is expected. We must be diligent to live up to His expectations. We cannot forget that we not only represent our own names and reputations, but we also represent Him.

I encourage you to remain diligent in your decisions and the way you operate in business. No matter how small the decision appears, do not give into the temptation to take a short-cut or compromise the truth. It is never worth it.

(For additional reading, go to Proverbs 4:10-27)

Have you seen an example like this during your business career?

Have you been tempted in this way and remained strong?

What protection do you have against this type of failure?