Tragedy strikes without warning and the average person is usually at a loss as to how to respond.  As Christian business leaders, we cannot afford to be average.  Whether we like it or not, everyone will be looking to us for direction and support.  Our workplace response can have huge ripple effects – both good and bad.  Therefore it is critical we respond in a way that has a positive impact.

Below, I have listed seven areas in which you need to be prepared to act in the event of tragedy at your business.  Of course, “employee tragedy” is a huge topic, so I have attempted to make this a general list.

1. Preparation

What is your plan for an emergency?  Who does what?  Who calls whom (911, chaplain, family, other)?  These are all questions you need to answer for your business.  Consider creating a team of employees to address basic plans for the most likely emergencies. Make sure this plan is communicated to every employee once completed and is an ongoing part of new employee orientation.

2. Prayer

While it may be obvious to some, it may not occur to others in the heat of the moment. Group prayer can be a huge comfort to everyone involved in a tragedy.  It should be permitted, even encouraged, throughout the various stages of the situation.  [When we were going through the death of our sales manager, I gathered everyone nearby to another part of the showroom for prayer.  While the paramedics were doing everything in their power to save him, we were 30 feet away and I was doing everything in my power to keep my emotions together and lead in prayer.  My voice was cracking and faltering, but it was a powerful moment.  This had a huge impact on the employees present.]

3. Leadership

As the leader, you should take charge of the situation…making sure the plan is being followed, the employees are informed, and people are praying.  Other leadership needs to know who else is to step into that role if you are not there.  A critical part of this is informing the employees about what is going on as soon as is reasonably possible.  When they are kept in the dark, imaginations run wild and fear gains strength.

4. Chaplain

The chaplain is an indispensable asset in these situations.  We use Corporate Chaplains of America.  A chaplain is trained in so many areas that are useful in tragic circumstances – counseling & comforting employees and/or family members, applying Scripture, etc.  I cannot adequately describe the incredible strength our chaplain brings to our organization on normal days, but he is absolutely priceless in a tragedy.

5. Compassion

Show compassion!  Employees will be in shock and need attention, support, and time to cope.  A stern, “Get back to work” has no place in a Christian business. Depending on the severity of the situation, this shock could take weeks to pass.  Be patient.

6. Family assistance

Tread carefully here.  While it is easy and natural to consider an employee tragedy as “your” tragedy, it is the family members involved that are at the center of it.  Be sensitive to their needs.  Do your best to set your grief aside and serve them first.  In addition to assistance at the time of the tragedy, depending on the situation, many families will need significant assistance going forward.  [The other dealership I mentioned earlier went the distance and hired a financial advisor for the family, paid off their cars and credit cards, and covered tuition for their children for the remainder of the school year!]

7. Closure

Many times, most employees are unable to go to a funeral due to business hours, so it is a great idea to hold a simple memorial service a week or two later, at the business during business hours, to allow all employees the chance to say a few words, meet the family, and get closure. [Our chaplain led the ones we have done and, in each case, the family was present and appreciative of the opportunity. Depending on the situation, it can also be a great opportunity to present the gospel!]

Have you experienced tragedy in your business?  How did you respond?

Would you go back and change anything if you could?

How far does our responsibility go as Christian business leaders?

I regularly get the privilege of welcoming new employees into our company. As part of our orientation and new hire training process, I go over our company history (three generations!) along with a deep dive of our company’s mission, vision, and core values statements.

In an effort to help you think through your own mission, vision, and values, I wanted to share these components with you. I do not expect anyone to take a look at our mission, vision, and core values and immediately decide to copy them because they are so good! However, I do think someone reading this may get some ideas for their own company statements.

Because I have already covered in previous posts the benefits to creating these statements of mission, vision, and core values, I will not review those here. Instead, I will simply communicate and explain these statements for our company.

Mission Statement

The Mike Patton Auto Family seeks to honor God by impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and community.

We believe that God owns this business and we are simply His stewards of it for a season. We want to make sure that all we do in and through the business honors Him. By the same token, we do not want to do anything that will dishonor Him.

We believe that we are here, and that this business exists, for the purpose of impacting people for eternity. We believe that this is our ultimate goal.

Vision Statement

Moving people.

This statement is short, but is full of meaning. First, it obviously references transportation, reflecting the automobile business we have chosen. But it goes much deeper than that.

We want to take employees, customers, and those in the community and we want to “move” them from their current position (or circumstances) to a better place. Regardless of where they are in life (financially, professionally, emotionally, etc.), we want to move them to an improved situation. Regardless of how they interact with us, we want them to be better off having done so.

If you are interested in following my process to create your own mission, vision, and core values, then check out my new ebook – Why Does Your Business Exist?

Now Available on Amazon!!!

Click Here For Ebook!

Core Values

Integrity
We do what is right even when no one is watching.

This core value comes first for a reason. Without integrity, we will not have the impact that we desire. We take this very seriously. We will extend grace when it comes to mistakes and errors, giving people a chance to grow and improve in their jobs. We are not as tolerant of violations in this area. We need to know we can trust our coworkers without question.

Excellence
We are constantly redefining our goals, expectations, boundaries, and potential.

Our team’s talents and performance vary from person to person. That is normal. We simply believe that regardless of your talent or performance today, you should want to be better tomorrow. We want teammates that are constantly striving to learn and grow, improving every day!

Employee Development
We strive to create an atmosphere that inspires and enables people to reach their full potential.

As a company, we want to meet our employees where they are as they strive for excellence. Our goal is to provide the resources and inspiration required to “move” them forward on their path. Sometimes this means they advance within our company and sometimes it means they move on to other opportunities. Either way, we want to help!

Spiritual Growth
We provide the opportunity for all to know God and make Him known.

No one who works in our company is required to believe what we believe. However, we make it clear early on that God is the owner of our company. Therefore, all that we do centers around Him. This includes many efforts to sow seeds of faith all around through various efforts. We will not force anyone to believe, but they will certainly have opportunities to hear.

Community Impact
We use our talents and treasures to make a difference in those who need it most.

We believe we are part of the community in which we work and therefore have the responsibility to give back to that community. Whether through benevolence or sponsorships, community service or fundraising, we are going to take the time and energy to give to those who need it.

Your Mission, Vision, And Core Values

Hopefully, you have found this helpful as an example of a good set of mission, vision, and core values statements. If you only gleaned one idea from this, I consider it worthwhile.

If you want to take this further and develop your company’s own set of mission, vision, and values statements, you should check out my ebook – Why Does Your Business Exist? A Christian Business Guide to Creating your Mission, Vision, and Values Statements.

It is now available on Amazon! I believe you will find this ebook to be a solid, step-by-step guide to help your team craft meaningful mission, vision, and values statements to use in guiding your company.

Is your company engaged in a strong mission, vision, and core values?

If not, are you ready to revisit this with your leadership?

Do you see the benefits from having a strong mission, vision, and core values?

Photo by ipopba/iStock

College Test

I once read about a college student that was struggling in a particular class. The end of the semester was approaching and that meant he would have to do well on the final exam if he hoped to make the grade he needed.

In a surprising twist, the professor explained that she would allow a “cheat sheet” to be used when taking the final exam. The professor explained that she would allow them to include all of the information they could fit on one 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper. They could access this information during the test.

Confusing Behavior

When the day of the test arrived, the students were sharing the creative ways they crammed enormous amounts of information onto their sheets of paper. The struggling student did not participate. In fact, he sat quietly in his seat with a blank sheet of paper!

The other students could not understand why he had passed on the opportunity to fill his cheat sheet. They knew he was struggling in the class and would need all the help he could get.

Cheating Perfected

Finally the test was distributed and the class settled down. At this point, the struggling student went to the door of the class and opened it as if he was leaving. Instead, he motioned to whoever was standing out in the hall, inviting them in. Everyone instantly recognized the professor’s TA (Teaching Assistant) entering the classroom.

To the astonishment of the other students, and the professor, the struggling student then took out his blank sheet of paper and laid it on the floor. He again motioned to the TA and took his seat. As he did this, the TA walked over and stood on the blank sheet on the floor.

Surprise Strategy!

When the professor asked the student what was going on, he simply explained that he was exercising his right to access all of the information he could fit on a single sheet of paper. He planned to ask the TA for help with his test!

Of course, this caused a huge uproar among the other students! They cried out that he was cheating. They said, “That’s not fair!” Clearly, they thought the professor would stop this nonsense.

However, after considering her earlier instructions and noting that the TA indeed fit on the single sheet of paper, the professor granted the student permission to proceed with his plan!

Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts at this point? Do you wish you had access to this same type of information as you face the various tests during your business day? Or do you think that simply would not work in the business world?

The truth is that we have this very access. Unfortunately, we often do not realize it or we forget about it. Even worse, at times we use it and then turn right around and ignore it during the next test!

God Has All The Answers!

God created business. He knows all there is to know about our particular business. He knows the applicants we are interviewing. He knows the future we will face and how we need to prepare for it. There is not a question we can ask that He cannot answer.

So why is it that we do not call Him into our tests? Why do we ignore Him as we struggle to pass tests that He could breeze through? What would possess us to continue facing tests without using every resource available to us?

Reasons?

If we are honest, some would say that they are not sure God really cares about our business. Yet I do not understand how He could feel that way when He goes as far as to count the number of hairs on our heads and even give every star a name. It seems to me God is concerned about every detail in His universe. That includes our business!

Others may admit they do not know how to ask Him these questions. Or maybe asking is not the problem, but discerning the answer gives them trouble. I struggle with this issue as well. Fortunately, the more we read and study His Word, pray, and seek Him, the clearer His voice becomes to us.

Draw Closer To Him

When I am closest to Him, I find it easier to know His answers to my questions. When I stray from Him, it is impossible for me to hear what He is saying. Funny, it is always my movement away, never His.

Regardless of your own reasons, I encourage you to give this a try. Start seeking Him on your every decision. Whenever you face a test, force yourself to remember to approach God for the answers. I promise you He is faithful to provide.

Have you tried to take tests on your own?

Why is it so easy to ignore God for answers?

How do you plan to change this?

Photo by Chalabala / iStock

Lots To Read

Let me explain. When I started this blog, I decided I was not going to write about theories or ideas. I had read a lot on the subject of Christian business by authors that I am sure were very well educated. The problem I saw was that some had never actually been in business themselves.

While I understood their theories and ideas (even agreed with most of them), I had a problem knowing they had never actually had to face the challenge of implementing those ideas. They had not faced the “whirlwind” of business that keeps many of us from being as effective as we want to be.

Application, Not Theory

As a result, I wanted to write from the perspective of one who was actually IN the business world and trying to implement the ideas I promoted. I wanted to write about application, not theory.

So that is what I did. I committed to only writing about processes we were actually trying in our business. In fact, I found the writing of the blog posts actually served as a form of accountability, keeping me focused on the application of ideas that otherwise may have faded over time.

Lapse In Effectiveness

Fast forward a few years and I have started to look around again. What I have found is not exciting to me. What I have realized is that some of the very processes and ideas that were once carried out regularly are no longer being performed. Either that or they are not as effective as they have been in the past.

If it was only about me, that may not be such a big deal.

People Depending On Application

However, I have come to find that there are many people depending on me to focus on the application of these ideas. Our entire employee base (whether they realize it or not) is relying on me to ensure the application of these processes. Their family members are depending on this. Our customers are also expecting this.

You, as a reader of this blog, trust that we are actually doing what I say we are doing. If I was promoting this blog as one of theory (not application), then you likely would not care as much. However, since I am saying the opposite, you should expect that the application of these ideas is in place.

Dangerous Clouds

So, the danger I described before, is that over time it is easy to get lost in the clouds when writing a blog. It is easy to get caught up in the coolest new idea that comes along rather than ensuring the application of that idea first.

I want to give an example from Scripture that illustrates this. While the analogy is not an exact fit, I think you will get the idea.

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11

Disciples In The Clouds

In this passage, Jesus has just given instructions to the disciples and has ascended into the clouds, going to heaven. The disciples have things to do and instructions to follow, but what do they do? They stand there gazing into the empty sky.

What they were thinking about, no one really knows. They were probably reflecting on how cool it was to see Jesus ascend. They likely were thinking about what this ascension meant to their future. It is even possible they were wishing they could follow Him right then and skip all they had in front of them to do.

Thoughts Interrupted

Whatever the case, the two men in white clothes came along and interrupted their thoughts. Effectively, these two men told them to get their heads out of the clouds and get back to the tasks they had at hand!

I laugh every time I read this passage! I can imagine being in the disciples’ shoes and wanting to stand there gazing. I can imagine wishing to be following Jesus right then. In fact, to be honest, there are days I DO feel that way!

We Have Work To Do!

The problem is that we have work to do. Theories are good and we certainly can use new ideas in order to increase our ministry effectiveness. At the same time, the work must continue! We cannot get lost in the theory and forget the application!

It is not enough to say we added a step to our sales process at one time. We must make sure that step remains a part of the sales process for as long as it is effective. Allowing it to fade out while we pursue new ideas…this is a problem!

In the same way, applying something once that we have learned in our study of the Bible is not enough. We must maintain that application over time. It is not enough to say we studied or fasted once. We must keep up these disciplines.

Self-Assessment

I encourage you to do a self-assessment. Where do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to application? Are you guilty of too much theory and not enough work? Have you allowed your gaze to shift to the clouds?

As I mentioned, I have noticed some cloud-gazing myself lately. As a result, I am committing to an increased focus on application. I hope you will do the same!

Where have you allowed application to lapse?

Are you ready to jump back in and get to work?

Where are you going to start?

Photo by Choreograph / iStock

Either you thought of it or someone you know has tossed it up to you.  Either way, it is a valid question.  After all, based on the news and political issues all around us, it appears that the last thing you want to do is associate your business with anything Christian.  It is too polarizing, right?

Barna Group Study

Surprisingly, it is not as big an issue as you might think!  According to a study conducted by Barna Group (check out the details of the study here), the people that may be offended with any Christian connection to your business are actually a very small minority.  Let’s look at the results.

When asked in two different ways about the likelihood of their doing business with a company that was managed according to Christian principles or embraced and promoted the Christian faith, roughly 55% of these consumers indicated they were indifferent!  In other words, the connections to Christianity did not affect their buying decisions in either direction.  Of course, while this is good news, it really does not tell us what we want to know.  Let’s dig a little further.

How about those that would be more likely to do business with a Christian company?  These responses to the question made up roughly 40% of the total responses!  Two out of every five consumers surveyed said that a company’s connection to the Christian faith would make them more likely to do business with them.  In fact, almost 25% said they would be a lot more likely to do so!

Fantastic News!

I see both of these results as fantastic news!  While I do not believe we are to market and advertise our Christian faith in our business (some may argue this), I am glad to know that the vast majority of those who see the connection are either indifferent or more likely to do business with us!

So what percentage of the responses is left over?

How many people are less likely to do business with a Christian company?

According to the Barna Group study, only 3% – less than one in thirty – of the respondents said they would be less likely to do business with a company that has overt connections to Christianity.  Only 3%…is that really a large enough population to cause concern?

Our Experience

While I have not conducted an official study like Barna, I have been outspoken about the Christian foundation for our business for almost fourteen years now.  I have never been confronted by anyone claiming offense at our beliefs.  I have had a couple of email complaints (literally 2 or 3) stating they would not purchase from us due to our Christian witness.  I am also certain that we have had customers walk away, but just not voice their opinion.  I don’t doubt that at all.

But really, how many do you think make up that group?  If your experience DOUBLED that of the Barna study, would 6% kill your business?  Do you really fear the size of that group more than you trust God at His Word?  He promises to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19).  He promises if we will seek Him first, he will add “these things” (Matthew 6:33).  God is faithful to make good on His promises (Deuteronomy 7:9).  Trust Him to do just that!

What are you really afraid of?

Isn’t your God bigger than that fear?

What should be your next step?

Photo by AntonioGuillem / iStock

Single Greatest Opportunity

Lencioni wrote a book called The Advantage. In this book, he describes what he believes to be the single greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage for today’s organizations, teams, and families. He tells how this opportunity is free and is available to anyone. He also says that this opportunity is virtually untapped in most organizations.

What is this single greatest opportunity? Lencioni says it is “organizational health.”

Organizational Health Defined

Lencioni defines a company that has good organizational health as one that meets the following three criteria:

1. There is minimal politics and confusion.
2. There is a high degree of morale and productivity.
3. There is low turnover among good people.

Brutal Intolerance Around Core Values

While there is certainly too much information in his book to adequately cover here in this post, I do want to touch on one critical element of creating good organizational health. This element is what Lencioni called “a brutal intolerance around the company’s core values.” That is to say that organizationally healthy companies do not tolerate compromise when it comes to their core values. They stand fast.

Core Values Example

Take the example of Southwest Airlines. One of their core values is Humor. They build processes and customer interaction around humor. They hire for it and they inject it throughout their operations. If anyone has ever flown with Southwest, you are aware of this. You just may not have known it is one of their core values.

On a certain flight, one of the flight attendants was running through the pre-flight safety announcements. She made some comment like, “In the event of the need for a water landing, your flight attendant will come by with drinks and towels.” She went on with her funny script and there did not seem to be anything wrong.

Customer Complaint

However, shortly after this flight, CEO Herb Kelleher received a letter from one of the passengers on that flight. She said she was a long-time customer of Southwest Airlines and wanted to voice a complaint about the safety announcements. It was her opinion that the safety of the passengers is nothing to joke about. She let Kelleher know that she felt that she would have to find another airline if that is how Southwest continues to handle safety announcements.

What would you do in this situation? Possibly, you may have written the customer to thank them for their patronage, promising them that your company considers its passengers’ safety a primary concern. Maybe you would have given her a voucher for a discount off of a future flight. Likely, you would have then called someone in training to ask them to tone down the humor when it came to the safety announcements.

Brutal Intolerance

If you would have done any of these things, even close, you would have been a LONG way from what Herb Kelleher did. He did write her a letter. It was not a long letter, though…in fact, it was just three words:

“We’ll miss you.”

What? Is he serious? Isn’t the customer always right? Can he really afford to lose a customer like that?

Evidently, he was serious. Evidently, he understood the incredible power in the core values and he knew it was his job to defend them. Evidently, this strategy works for Southwest in spades! One metric supporting this is their 39 consecutive years of profitability without a loss. Another indicator is that Southwest received 143,143 resumes and only hired 2,188 new Employees in 2010.

Tough Core Values Questions

I have a couple of questions.

Could this strategy work for your company?

What if your company was brutally intolerant when it comes to its core values? What would it look like? What results do you think you would see?

Could it work for you personally?

Take this a step further, what about you personally? As a leader, parent, coach, teacher, etc., what would it look like if you were this committed to your core values…even to the point of death? Would that look like a lunatic? Or would it look more like a true disciple of Jesus?

I promise you I am asking myself the same questions.

Photo by Delpixart / iStock

Of course, even if we understand this and make every effort to live it out, it is easy sometimes to drift. An example of this occurs when we get to the point where we are out of touch with our employees or team members. It doesn’t have to be intentional to happen. Business can come at us at light speed and it is easy to return our focus to the urgent rather than the important.

It Can Happen To Anyone

You really don’t even have to forget this truth to get into trouble here. It may be very clear to you that your team is the most important aspect of your company or department mission. The problem simply may be your circumstances for a season.

When this happens, regardless of the reasons or intent, unrest is often quick to appear. Depending on the culture you have built over time, this unrest may not be a huge factor. A stronger culture can handle a season like this. A weaker culture, however, could quickly deteriorate.

Do Your Employees Say This?

In an effort to encourage you to take a look at this issue before it becomes a problem, I have compiled a list of five things your employees (or coworkers) may be saying about you. I hope you will take the time to assess your current situation and determine corrective action if necessary. I know I am!

1.) “All he seems to care about is _____.”

What is it that you talk about all the time? What do you spend the majority of your time focused on? What upsets you the quickest? The answers to these questions may give you a clue to what your employees think is most important to you.

If the answers you gave relate more to business metrics or results than to the people producing them, then you may be out of balance. Sure the metrics are important, but the people producing them are more so.

Check yourself and see if maybe you have forgotten about the individuals on your team. Begin thinking about and focusing on how to engage them and their passions and you might find out that the metrics take care of themselves.

2.) “He doesn’t know what I go through.”

This is a tough one for most because it is true. You and I do not really KNOW what it is that others are going through. However, that does not mean we cannot attempt to learn and understand it.

Intentionally making yourself available to have seemingly random conversations with your team members about what they are experiencing – at work AND outside of work – can give you incredible insights into their needs and desires.

Just showing an ounce of understanding will give you the connection with them that both of you need. This is the stuff that relationships are built on, leading to opportunities to influence them for eternal impact!

3.) “He’s too busy to talk to me.”

For some crazy reason, we have been taught to believe that moving quickly and with purpose will convince those around us that we are getting things done. We think they will see our hustle and be in awe!

I am sorry, but that is hogwash. People are not enamored with leaders that rush around all the time. People want and need connections. That is simply not possible if we are always moving so quickly that we are not approachable.

Some of you are thinking that you can’t help it – you are that busy!

If so, there is a problem.

Maybe this is true in extreme situations and for short seasons. For all other times, it simply shows you are not building enough margin into your schedule. Take a couple of responsibilities off of your plate and create margin for yourself and those around you.

4.) “He would be mad if I asked for help with ____.”

There could be multiple reasons for this statement. Maybe you have a problem with #3 above and they don’t want to try to slow you down. Maybe you are impatient and they feel they would frustrate you by asking for help. It could even be something they should already know but were not properly trained to do.

Whatever the reason, they likely see you as somewhat of an expert and would love to be coached by you in one way or another. For you to give the impression that you are not available for help like this only eliminates another opportunity to influence someone.

Work at making yourself more approachable and available. Even in small increments, you may be surprised at the impact that comes out of it! Try it and see!

5.) “He doesn’t care about me.”

Assuming you are a Christian in business with an eternal perspective, this could be the worst of the five. Unlike #1, this statement reflects how they think you feel about them as an individual. This is personal to them.

There are many ways you could cause them to feel this way. In fact, this could be an accumulation of the four issues listed above. Whatever the case, you need to recognize (1) that this can happen and (2) that it is critical for you to address.

The first step – actually care about them! Make sure you are praying for them daily. Pray that God would reveal to you ways you can show them that you care. Think about them as individuals more than you do now.

The amazing thing – they will begin to realize the truth that you DO care about them if you will just start doing it! Be intentional. And get honest feedback about your progress from those you trust the most.

Have you ever been one of the employees making these statements?

Do you think you are guilty of any of these?

What are you going to do next?

Photo by Rawpixel / iStock

In fact, one of my main focuses for this blog has been to write as the one in the trenches DOING ministry in business, not the one on the sidelines TALKING about it. Of course, sometimes my mind wanders and I drift to lessons I am learning (or re-learning!) and I forget to flesh them out with specific examples. I am glad I was called out this time!

As a result, I will make an effort over the next several posts to do exactly that. I will attempt to give you examples of what a Christian business leader should see if he or she has died to self and is living out a life of ministry in business.

Take note that my examples will not be perfect. They will not cover everything. At the same time, they should give you a starting point to determine how your own evidence stacks up. We are each going to experience our call to ministry in different ways, but I hope you will find that some of these examples resonate with you.

In an effort to keep it simple today, I have put together a quick list of things your employees really want to hear you say. Sure, these could also be true of a business leader that is NOT a Christian, but that is not the point. The point is that the business leader who has died to self is no longer focused on their own self, but on others.

Employee Engagement

If you are focused on them, then the list below should be familiar to you – and you should be noticing a healthy level of employee engagement. As you read through it, ask yourself if you are saying these things to your employees on a regular basis. If not, why aren’t you?

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but I think it is a good start toward a top 10. Read through the list and then let me know what you would add or change.

1. “I care.”

Your employees or team members are not going to care how much you know until they know how much you care. You can have the greatest information, tips, and techniques for how they can get better at their jobs. You can have all the desire in the world to teach them how to do their jobs. But until they know you care, they will not hear you like you want them to.

Of course, just telling them that you care is not enough either. To gain true (and enduring) employee engagement, you must show them that you really mean it! This obviously can come in many forms. It can also be abused. Regardless, it is critical that you figure out how to communicate your concern for them if you want full engagement from them. Without doing so, you may get their time, but you will never get their heart!

2. “I have these expectations.”

One of the worst things we can do as business leaders is to set expectations for our employees without communicating those expectations to them! You may think you have done this in the past or that they should just know what you expect. If this is the case, you are missing it. We all need to know what is expected of us in all areas of our lives. This is especially true of our work.

Your employees are no different. If you want them to reach certain goals, make those goals clear to them. If you expect certain behaviors, then describe those behaviors and give examples. Get them to play these descriptions back to you so everyone is clear on what is expected. Ignoring this simply leads to frustration on both sides.

3. “Good job.”

Why is it so hard for some of us to praise someone for a job well done? For some (incredibly misguided) reason, too many of us think our employees will get an inflated feeling of importance if we tell them they did well at something. We think they will ask for a raise or promotion just because we said something positive about their performance.

The truth is that they will look for that…somewhere else…if we do not praise them. Forget the fears you may have about giving them a huge ego with a simple, “Good job!”. Step out and try it. Make a habit out of it and see what happens! I think you will be surprised at their response. Employee engagement does not happen without praise and recognition.

4. “I need you. You matter here.”

In a similar way to the fears mentioned above, too many business leaders think they will show weakness if they acknowledge to an employee that they are needed and important to the team. Why is that? Do we really think that they will suddenly turn on us and hold us hostage with unreasonable demands? Do we think that the acknowledgment of their importance will put us in a vulnerable position?

What will put you in a vulnerable position is failing to consistently recruit and develop a deep bench. Give attention to this part of your job, but don’t fail to tell those on your team that they are important. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Let them know you think they are – that is essential to employee engagement.

5. “This is how to improve.”

Our employees need to know what a good job looks like and to be told when they accomplish it. At the same time, they need to know what parts of their jobs are not meeting our expectations and how to grow. You can’t just keep telling them that they are not getting it done without also telling them how to get it done.

Granted, some will not get it even when you tell them. Maybe they are not a good fit for the job. There could be many reasons. That is a topic for another post. Regardless, you need to do everything in your power to get through to them on how they can get better. If one method does not work, try another. Just don’t expect them to figure it out on their own. You hired them. Employee engagement will increase when you take responsibility for developing them.

Have you said any of these phrases lately?

What would you add to this list?

Do you disagree with anything on this list?

Increase Your Decision Making Odds!

In light of that, I have been sharing a set of five questions from a C12 segment. These questions are NOT guaranteed to give you the right decision every time. That is simply not possible.

However, the use of these five questions, in conjunction with prayer, can dramatically increase your odds of getting the best results from your decision making process. In my last two posts, I have shared the first three of these five questions. Today I will give you the final two questions in this decision making process.

Question #4

If you do this, are you likely to become more or less dependent on God as a result?

Will it encourage you to trust relatively more in God or mammon?

Critical Decision Making Question

The first question here is a critical one. There are so many things today upon which we can place our dependence. Many of us find ourselves depending on the success of our business for our identity. Others place their full dependence on their spouse or group of friends.

Regardless of where you place your dependence, if it is not fully on God, then you are mistaken. Sure, God gives us our businesses for ministry and provision. He gives us our spouses for support. At the same time, He does not want our dependence to be placed upon these instead of Him.

He is to be our provider and sustainer. He is the One to whom we should turn first when feeling alone, threatened, weak, etc. He wants our whole heart to be focused on Him! (Psalm 23)

God Or Mammon?

Of course, the follow-up question gets more specific and asks whether the decision will make us lean toward God or money. This is probably the one area that trips up most Christian business owners and leaders. Because so much of our world is ordered around money, we often place our trust in it.

Our decision making process needs to take this into consideration. In asking these questions, we are protecting ourselves from very common pitfalls!

Question #5

Will this decision have a beneficial long-term impact on those currently under your leadership?

If this decision results in destroying the ministry flowing through the business, what eternal impact will this have on your stakeholders?

Leadership Is A Privilege!

In addition to the privilege of owning or running a business, God has also given us the responsibility of leading people. For some of us, this is not a huge number. For others, God has given the responsibility of leading hundreds or thousands.

The number is irrelevant. The critical idea here is that we were not given our businesses for the sole purpose of providing wealth and comfort for ourselves and our families. We have been placed in this position of leadership for the purpose of leading others toward an eternity with God.

As we find ourselves in various decision making situations, we must remember this responsibility. It was not given to us flippantly and we are not to treat it as such. Instead, we must consider the impact of our decision making on those we are leading.

No Perfect Decision Making Process

As I have said before, these five questions will not solve your every problem with decision making. There will almost certainly be situations that cannot be easily resolved even after going through these questions.

Unfortunately, there is not likely to be one decision making process that will accomplish this feat. Even when fervently praying through your decisions, there will be times that you simply cannot discern the best path. I assume you already know this to be true.

What this decision making process WILL do, when executed alongside sincere prayer, is reduce the risk of making a bad decision. While you will still make mistakes, you will make fewer of them when using these questions.

Apply And Report Back!

I hope you have found some value in this five-question decision making process. I also hope you will actually put this process into practice in the near future. If so, please report back to me with the results. I am eager to hear how it goes!

Do you see the decision making value in these five questions?

Are you ready to apply them to your next decision making opportunity?

Can you add a question or two that have helped you make crucial decisions?

Photo by g-stockstudio/iStock

[NOTE: I will continue my series on a Godly Decision Making Process next week.]

200 Years of Success!

The United States has successfully managed a peaceful, mostly civil, transfer of power from one President to the next for over two centuries. That is truly an amazing feat if you stop to think about it! Few companies ever truly get this transfer of power accomplished once or twice, but our country will have done it 44 times after today. This is a big deal!

Of course, you don’t come here to read interesting perspectives on U.S. history. So, what does this have to do with you as a Christian business leader? Why should this transfer of power be so important to you? For the answer to those questions, let’s take a look at why this has worked so well for our country AND how the Bible shows us similar examples.

Intentional, Detailed Plan

First, there is a very simple reason that the United States has successfully managed a peaceful transfer of power for over 200 years. There is a very intentional, detailed plan in place that we have followed closely over this same period of time. We don’t have the time or need to go into all of the details of that plan, but it is clear that the plan works. Regardless of whether you believe the best candidate has always transitioned into office, there is no arguing that the transition works.

So, what about the examples from the Bible? Why are those important?

Why Is Transfer Of Power Important?

Before I answer that, let’s make sure we are clear as to why this topic is important to you as a Christian business leader. It is my belief (more recently learned and understood) that our most important responsibility as leaders is to ensure the vision of our company or organization continues successfully beyond our tenure as leaders.

In other words, it is up to us to make sure someone comes behind us in leadership, takes up the God-given vision of our company, and continues to lead in that direction.

Have you ever stopped and thought about that?

Have you considered what that should look like for your organization?

A Bigger Problem Than You Realize!

If you are like me, you have probably allowed the chaos and concerns of the present to keep your focus from the more important future. Unfortunately, too many leaders wait until it is too late to begin thinking about a successful transfer of power in their organization. As a result, it either does not happen or it does not happen well.

For some, this is due to pride and arrogance. For others it might be paranoia or fear. For most of us, it is simply a matter of misplaced priorities. We just do not see the eventual transfer of power as something to be worked on today. We may intellectually acknowledge the importance of this transfer, but we put it to the back burner to work on “later”. Unfortunately, this is a much bigger problem than many realize.

Examples From Scripture

So that you do not think I am making this into more than it should be, let’s take a look a just a few examples from Scripture. I don’t have the space to expand on each one, so I encourage those you who are serious about your leadership to read each passage on your own. Hopefully, you will see from these examples that this responsibility is huge AND that it is YOURS!

• Moses to Joshua (Num. 27:18–23; Deut. 31:7–8; 34:9)
• Elijah to Elisha (1 Kings 19:15-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15)
• David to Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-4)
• Jesus to the Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22; 28:16-20; Luke 6:12-16)

Intentional Time And Effort

As you can see from these examples, Scripture directs us as leaders to ensure the God-given vision does not die when we exit our position. Instead, if it is indeed a worthy vision, then we must ensure it continues beyond our own leadership.

I also hope you noticed that in each example the leader did not simply choose a successor and hand off the baton. Instead, each example shows us a leader who spent intentional time and effort with their successors. In each case, he (or He) spent extended time with the successors, doing life with them and teaching them the skills and mindset they needed for future success. The leaders also taught their successors that the ultimate guidance should come from the Lord.

Not Optional

We MUST follow these examples. This is NOT something we can put off until later. It is NOT something we can leave to someone else to figure out. I encourage you to begin praying for guidance on how you can start now in creating an intentional, detailed plan for transfer of power in your organization.

In closing, check out this quote from What Makes A Leader Great by Russ Crosson:

A good measurement of whether someone is really a great leader or just a great contributor to an entity is what happens after the leader is gone. Does the mission carry on or does it die? If the entity doesn’t carry on, then that person wasn’t a great leader in the biblical sense. He or she was simply someone who was very good at what he or she did. They had fans, not followers.

---

What is your current plan for leadership succession?

Do you see the long-term benefit of the necessary short-term effort?

What needs to happen next to create or improve your plan?

---

Photo by carterdayne/iStock

]]>