If you are a Christian business owner or leader, then you have faced situations where you had to make a decision. This simply comes with the job. Unfortunately, many of us are not trained in the skill of decision making. Everyone assumes we should know how to do this – no training necessary, right?
I ended my last post about my year end review process with an encouragement not to get frustrated or overwhelmed when you see how far you are away from the standards or goals you seek. Depending on your perspective, it is possible you understood what I meant by that, but I think that concept is critical enough to spend more time exploring it.
Just this last week, one of my daughters asked me to help with the business portion of a presentation she was creating for a school project. She certainly does not realize it, but that was one of the greatest things she could do to excite me – being sincerely interested in something I love and could teach to her! I was on cloud nine!
If you are in leadership in any way, then you have dealt with complexity. Whether it is personnel issues, financial situations, competitive decisions, or moral choices, leadership can be complex at times. This is even more true when there is growth happening. It is during these times that as a leader, you need clarity.
Andy Stanley is a name that is fairly well known in Christian leadership circles. He is senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. He has authored a number of books, is a sought-after speaker, and leads thousands of others through his church and ministry organizations. With all of this, he attributes much of his leadership success to the clarity he gets from a simple 3×5 index card on which he wrote three questions many years ago.
I have a confession to make. Most of you reading this have never met me, but I will tell you that I am highly competitive and hate to lose. I strive to win and succeed at everything I do. Obviously, I am not always good enough to do so! Even worse, I am able to quickly lose my footing and fall into a pit of despair if I see myself losing. Doubt and frustration can set in quickly if I am not careful.
I had dinner with a friend of mine recently and the story he shared with me was eye-opening! In fact, if you have ever experienced a drop in sales, reduced margins, increased turnover, and general frustration among the employees in your business, then his story could have an impact on you as well! It is a story of lost and restored vision.
As I have read the Bible over the years to find examples to follow and lessons to apply to our business, one particular character stands out. You are probably familiar with the story of the rich young ruler, but have you ever taken the time to apply that story to your life and business? Are you willing to let go of your possessions so that you can follow Jesus more fully?
When I mention the word competition, what comes to your mind? For most business leaders, thoughts of rival businesses are the first to appear. While this is not wrong at all, I think there is a competition that deserves more of our attention than these other businesses. It is this competition that renders many of us useless in God’s kingdom. It is this competition that we must destroy by every means necessary!
Have you ever set some seriously strong goals for yourself or your business, only to later find yourself so far from them that you lost hope? Have you done the math and realized you simply had too far to go in too little time? If you have ever set huge goals, it is likely you have experienced this frustration. When you did, how did you feel? What was your overall outlook at the time?