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Final Lessons From David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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This is my third and final post in a series I am doing on lessons we can learn from David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. Recently, I shared an article from The High Calling (a Christian blog community) which was an in-depth interview of David Green. Because the article was so long itself, I did not expound on it in that post. Instead, I am taking a more detailed look in this short series of posts.

David Green

David Green

As I said before, I have never met David Green. Maybe one day I will be able to meet him and learn more about his Christian approach to business! Until then, I will simply do the best I can by reading various articles (and soon, his book More Than a Hobby). As I do this, I will attempt to apply what I learn. I will also share it here on this blog.

In reviewing the interview article I mentioned above, I found what I believe to be 15 clear lessons for anyone attempting to integrate faith and business. Though each of us has different situations and challenges, I think you will quickly see that these lessons span across industries and business sizes.

I have already written two posts covering the first 10 of these lessons. Hopefully you have learned something (again or for the first time!) that you can apply to your situation. In today’s post, we will cover the final five lessons.

#11 – Be bold about your faith.

This lesson will likely contradict what some of us have been taught – don’t mix business and religion. However, I think you need to hear exactly what David Green is saying here. Hobby Lobby does not ask about beliefs when hiring. There is not a faith requirement for employment.

However, he is committed to telling everyone – employees included – about his faith. A Christian business is not one made up only of Christians. Instead, it is a business in which the leadership or ownership sees the eternal need in all of us and seeks to share the One that will meet that need!

#12 – Have a clear statement of purpose.

Does your business have a Christ-centered mission statement or statement of purpose? If not, have you thought through the benefits of creating such a statement? I would encourage you to take the time and seek God’s guidance in this area. I think you will be surprised at the results.

David Green mentioned the Hobby Lobby Statement of Purpose. This statement effectively answers the question, “Why does this company exist?” This statement not only serves as a great roadmap for determining strategic direction, but can also be used in making the tough decisions we face every day.

#13 – Trials are good for us.

Two statements that David Green made when discussing the tough times in 1985 stood out to me.

At that time, I learned more than I ever learned in my life.

I know I couldn’t handle all of the success today, if I hadn’t gone through that.

Folks, James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials. This is what he is talking about. David Green makes it clear that he is thankful for the trials. He knows the value they brought him. If we are willing to learn, God can do the same with us.

#14 – Recognize you are a steward.

I am not supposed to choose favorites among these lessons, but I think I might have to at least hint at this one! At the same time, I will resist the urge to take the next 45 minutes of your time sharing my thoughts on this subject.

The Bible says that the earth and everything in it is God’s. We do not own anything! This includes our businesses, regardless of what the stock certificates may reflect. As a result, we are merely stewards of these businesses for the time God gives us. As stewards, we should be asking how God would have us use them for His glory and eternal impact.

David Green and his family have gone to great lengths to make sure this is clear among them. If you noticed, he described how the company is technically in their names, but they have all agreed (and signed) that they have no rights to any money from the stock. They earn their compensation through whatever jobs they hold – not through the value of the stock.

Whether you are willing to go to this length or not, you truly need to recognize that you do not own your business. Begin the mental and emotional process of acknowledging this fact to God and see what He does. I think you will be amazed.

#15 – Trust in God.

Though the above lesson is my favorite in the bunch, this one trumps them all. If you are not able to apply this lesson, then you will not be able to stick it out with any of the others for very long. For you to truly live out any of these other lessons, there are some basic assumptions you must accept first.

    God is good.
    You are a child of God.
    God has your best interests in mind.
    God is perfectly faithful.

If you will accept these truths in your heart, then you will KNOW that you can trust God. When you trust God, you will follow His lead regardless of the apparent consequences – even when others may be advising you in a different direction. David Green made decisions against the advice of some Christian professionals because he knew clearly what God was asking him to do. That is trust!

What lessons would you add from the article?

Which one(s) stands out to you?

What actions do you need to take as a result of these lessons?

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More Lessons From David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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In a recent post, I shared an article from The High Calling (a Christian blog community). The article was an in-depth interview of David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. Because the article was so long itself, I did not expound on it in that post. Instead, I am taking a more detailed look in a short series of posts.

David Green

David Green

While I have never met David Green, based on the articles I have read, there is plenty there is plenty we can learn from him! In fact, the more I read about the Hobby Lobby story and David Green’s leadership, the more I want to model our business after his. Hopefully you will learn something from this short series of posts as we dig a little deeper into Green’s story.

In reviewing the interview article, I found what I believe to be 15 clear lessons for anyone attempting to integrate faith and business. Though each of us has different situations and challenges, I think you will quickly see that these lessons span across industries and business sizes. In my last post, I took a look at the first five lessons I saw in the interview article. Today, we will review the next five lessons.

Let’s dig right in!

#6 – Learn from mistakes

I bet you have never heard this one before, have you? I know this is supposed to be common sense, but I have not found it to be that common. Too often, we are guilty of repeating our mistakes. At least I am.

Note what David Green said when asked about learning opportunities. He talked about how his company almost lost it all when they stretched too far for growth. He did not dwell on this point, but I will.

They survived that time period, but made the decision that they would be debt free in the future. That is a huge decision that impacts virtually every other financial decision in a business. Sacrifices are made and “deals” are passed up that would require debt. This is no easy lesson.

By the way, what do you think David Green is saying about this decision after what we have been through the past several years. Regret? I don’t think so!

#7 – Simplify your priorities

Again, this is not rocket science here. We hear this a lot, but do we act on it? In many cases, we get so elaborate with our plans, for Christian ministry or business, that we tie ourselves in knots. We start out feeling great about our strategic plans, but before long we are confused and paralyzed.

Instead, David Green tells us that he and his company had three simple priorities for using their cash: pay tithes, grow, and pay debt. Folks, that is as simple as you get. No confusion here, just simple priorities (based on Scripture as well!).

#8 – Plan for the future

In addition to preparing for their future by paying down debt, David Green and company also made sure to set goals and budgets for their future.

I have heard many managers and leaders claim that forecasting and budgeting is too difficult given today’s uncertain business climate. I simply disagree. Sure, it is more difficult! But that does not mean we should not even try!

Even with the uncertainty, there is huge value in laying out the budgets and forecasts and the game plan to back them up. Make adjustments along the way as conditions change, but do not give up the planning altogether!

#9 – Take care of the people

If you will notice, Green spent twice as much time talking about how he is determined to take care of his people as he did in discussing his three uses of cash! That is significant. Without the people, there is no cash!

I am taking special note of this lesson myself. Based on the feedback I received in our recent employee focus groups, there are some areas related to this subject that we need to address.

Our goal here (for all of us) should be to base our decisions here on Scripture. There are many ways to view this subject, but I think it is important we start by looking at what the Bible says. More on this later.

#10 – Have stated personal life goals

David Green had three stated personal life goals: have a strong marriage, be successful at what he did, and for his children to serve God.

He later added two more: for his grandkids to serve God and to tell as many people as he could about Jesus Christ.

I have talked at length about LIFE planning on this blog. If you have followed my posts on this subject, you know that I am a huge proponent of taking the time to state these personal life goals. Some people may be more detailed or complex in their goals while others keep it simple.

Either way, this is not a lesson to skip over. I encourage you to take the time and start this process. I think you will be amazed at what God will do in your heart as you do.

What comments would you add to any of the lessons so far?

Have you learned similar lessons on your own? How?

Which lesson is one you need to act on now?

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An Interview With David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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David GreenWhen I started this blog, I had several purposes in mind. They are listed in more detail below. As I look back at these purposes, I think think I have stayed true to them over the past 14+ months. Yet there are times when I run across a resource that does a much better job of communicating these purposes than I can. One of these resources is an article about David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby.

David Green Article

For today’s post, I am going to do something I have not done before. I am simply going to refer you to that article. If I thought I could do a better job communicating this idea of Christian business better than David Green of Hobby Lobby, then I would try. Since I cannot, I will just allow you to read it directly from him.

I encourage you to read the whole article, though it is longer than my normal posts. Even if you have to save it for later, I promise you it is worth the time and effort.

I hope you enjoy the article!

Article: A Candid Interview With David Green

Hobby Lobby Statement of Purpose: HobbyLobby.com

The Christian Faith At Work blog has several purposes…

  • Enlighten – I am writing this to open the eyes of Christian business owners and leaders everywhere to the fact that we are called to more than just Sunday Christianity. We are called to be disciples of His the rest of the week as well.
  • Educate – I am writing this to share what I have learned over the years and what I continue to learn going forward. I want to share resources that I have found to be helpful. I want come alongside others and learn with them as well.
  • Encourage – I am writing this to encourage others that have chosen a similar path to mine. Whether through relating my successes or failures, I hope other disciples of Jesus will draw strength, encouragement, hope, and wisdom from the content here.
  • Enlist – My hope is that, as a result of reading this blog (and more importantly listening to God), others will decide to take the same path. I believe this is my part in going and making disciples!
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Why Do We Deny Jesus?

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In my last post, I asked some tough questions of everyone (myself included). The main question was the toughest – Do you deny Jesus? For more details about exactly what I was talking about, please read that post before reading further here.

deny Jesus

Why Deny Jesus?

Now that you are caught up, I am assuming that you are among the crowd of those of us who do, in fact, deny Jesus (to some degree) on a daily basis. That being the case, let’s move into the second question of this series – WHY do we deny Jesus?

To help us determine the answer to this question, I would like for us to look back at Peter. Let’s first try to figure out what caused Peter to deny Jesus. Maybe then, we can shed some light on why we do the same thing.

Misplaced Expectations?

It is clear from Scripture that many of the disciples (Peter included) and other followers expected Jesus to rise to some sort of military power and overthrow the Roman rule over the Jews. In fact, many Jews today still believe that way, which is why they do not accept Jesus as the Messiah.

In an effort to attempt to discern Peter’s motivations, let’s look at a couple of quotes from Peter in the book of Luke.

But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
– Luke 22:33

When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
– Luke 22:49-50

Mistaken Identity?

In both cases, it appears Peter is expecting (and looking forward to) a fight! Do you think anything Jesus has said to this point would cause him to think that? Or is it more likely that this was how Peter had assumed (along with virtually everyone else) the Messiah would rise to rule from His throne?

I think the latter is the case. I think Peter truly thought Jesus was going to show His true authority with some sort of rebellion and Peter wanted to be a part of it. If this is the case, how would this affect his behavior when Jesus willingly submitted to His arrest?

Peter’s Thoughts

Do you think Peter was confused?

Disappointed?

Scared he had misjudged Jesus?

I think this would easily explain his fear and subsequent decision to deny Jesus that night. In fact, this idea seems to fit the more I think about it.

However, even if this line of thinking is way off base, I think we can all agree that Peter was afraid of something when he decided to deny Jesus. He may have been afraid he would also be arrested. Maybe he was scared of how his association with Jesus would impact his own family. We cannot really know.

BUT, there is one thing we can be sure of.

Misunderstanding

We can be sure that Peter’s decision to deny Jesus came from one root misunderstanding. It is this same misunderstanding that I believe causes you and me to deny Jesus on a regular basis.

What is the one misunderstanding?

Peter did not fully comprehend WHO Jesus was and WHAT His purpose really was.

Drink that in a moment.

What If…

IF Peter had FULLY understood that Jesus was truly God in the flesh…

IF Peter had COMPLETELY grasped that Jesus created the very earth he inhabited…

IF Peter had TRULY wrapped his mind around Jesus’ mission here…

Do you really think he would have even considered the decision to deny Jesus?

Our Problem!

Please take this slowly. This is not just about Peter. I believe this is OUR problem!

We act the way we do because we have yet to fully grasp exactly WHO Jesus really is!

We go about our every day tasks, errands, and work. We raise our families and hang out with our friends. We do all the things that people do everyday, but most of us do not really behave in a way that reflects Jesus for who He is!

Do we REALLY act like disciples of the Jesus that created this world? Do we act like followers of the One that died in our place? Are we sincerely allowing Him to be Lord over ALL parts of our life (work/job/business, family, school, etc.)?

What About The Difference?

If so, shouldn’t there be a significance between us and those around us? I am not talking about having a fish symbol on your car, either. I mean different to our core!

If you are that different, again I say, “Congratulations!”

If not, like me, then something needs to change! We need to be about the business of learning WHO this Jesus truly is. I am not talking about the Americanized Jesus. I am talking about the real Jesus – the One in the Bible.

Let’s take the time to completely understand the real Jesus and His mission (and by extension, ours) here. Let’s agree to no longer deny Jesus and start boldly acknowledging Him in everything we do!

I promise you that He deserves it.

What are your thoughts at this point?

Am I off my rocker or does this make sense?

What am I missing?

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Are You Navigating By True North?

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At Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, I was fortunate enough to hear a message from Bob Goff, attorney and best-selling author of Love Does. During his lively message, Bob shared the following story about his first long-distance sailing trip and true north. I think we can learn something from his experience. Below is his story, as I remember it, from his perspective.

true north

True North or Magnetic North

    I decided I wanted to sail from Long Beach, California to Diamond Head, Hawaii. The trip, just under 3,000 miles in total, would be my longest as a sailor. I decided to go to the marina and ask for a map. I knew I was in trouble when the clerk there told me it was not called a “map,” but was instead called a chart!

    Next, I put the “chart” on the table and drew a straight line between my home marina near Long Beach, California and the marina at Diamond Head, Hawaii. I thought that should be simple enough, right?

    Finally, I packed my supplies, including my trusty magnetic compass. Just before I was to leave on my trip, I decided to have a friend of mine check out my “chart” and make sure I would not get lost. Boy, am I glad I did that!

    His first question, after making fun of my straight-line path, was whether I was navigating based on “true north” or “magnetic north.” I had no clue what he was talking about! I showed him my compass and he started laughing! I waited for him to bless me with his knowledge…

    He explained that “true north” is based on the North Pole, which is in a fixed position. Magnetic north is not a fixed position, but is based on the earth’s magnetic field and shifts, depending on where you are on the planet.

    Evidently, the difference is greater when travelling long distances. If traveling from here to the parking lot, the difference in destination may only be a few inches. When travelling from California to the Hawaiian islands, the difference could cause me to miss the entire island chain! Boy am I glad I got that last minute advice!

No Laughing Matter

Folks, while I think this story was told somewhat in jest, I think the truth behind it is no laughing matter. In fact, I believe the truth behind this story could mean the difference between life and death.

If we are living our lives by chasing all that glitters and anything that brings us pleasure or fame, then we are following “magnetic north.” This “magnetic north” draws us to it and is tempting to use to navigate our lives. Unfortunately, by following this north, we will miss the whole point of this life we have been given.

True North

Instead, by following Jesus and using His life as a pattern for our own (1 John 2:6), we are following the “true north” and will hit the target we seek – the ultimate fulfillment and use of our lives. There is no substitute for this “true north.” I encourage you to check your “chart” and make sure you are not following the wrong compass!

Are you following true north in your business?

When have you been fooled by magnetic north and gone off course?

What do you need to do to get back on course with true north?

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How Does Busy Impact Your Impact?

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Are you so busy at work that you do not feel you are accomplishing anything for God? Is your work situation causing you to question how you will ever impact another person for eternity? Do you wonder if this period of time will ever end? Are you even questioning the job itself – whether God may want you somewhere else? If you have ever asked similar questions, keep reading!

busy

Too Busy For My Job?

In my last post, I described how I had recently experienced a period of time when I felt I was too busy to do my job. A key executive leader had left our company and I was forced to take on many of his responsibilities. I knew it was only for a season, but I knew that season would make it difficult for me to fulfill my true God-given job description – to impact others for eternity by pointing them to God.

Eternal Job Trumps All

Based on Scripture (Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20), this true job description should trump all other job descriptions. This fact is accepted by most Christians as being the truth. In fact, we usually describe it by saying our priorities are God, Family, Job – in that order.

Unfortunately, there are times when our busy-ness on the job seems to crowd out any opportunity for us to carry out this eternal job description and impact others as we should. This is especially tough when the busy-ness is not within our control – when others have the most influence on how we spend our time.

Many Treat It As Separate!

The problem is that though most agree our God-given job description is top priority, too many people also think it is also completely separate from the job description their employer gave them. Most people fail to realize that God’s job description for us is to be fulfilled IN CONJUNCTION WITH the other job descriptions we have!

You see, God has placed you in the job you have for a reason and a season. He knows all there is to know about your job and the circumstances surrounding that job. He is not surprised by the sudden busy-ness you are experiencing. Nothing about your job is surprising to Him.

Both At The Same Time!

Instead, God is watching to see how you are living out the eternal job description He has given you while you are carrying out the temporal job description given to you by your employer. It is NOT one or the other, but BOTH at the same time.

Folks, this is really great news! This means you do not have to “steal” time from your employer to carry out your eternal purpose! It also means you will never be asked by God to ignore business needs so you can work on His requests. The cool thing is that you can do everything God wants you to do WHILE carrying out your job for your employer or running your business.

My Recent Example

For a concrete example, let me describe my approach to this recent season of busy-ness I had. Before I do this, please know that I did not execute this perfectly! I am no better at this than you can be…I screwed it up plenty of times. As you read about my intentions, just be aware that my actions did not always match up.

If you will do your best to follow these same steps, God will honor your efforts as He did mine!

Step #1 – Gain & Maintain Perspective

    Fortunately for me, I was headed out on a family vacation when my busy season started. I say fortunately because it allowed me to step away from my job for a week and use the time to regain the right perspective. The “right perspective” is an eternal perspective. I had to remind myself that God knew what I was about to endure and all He wanted was my best, with a focus on the eternal impact of my actions.

    To maintain this perspective, I renewed my commitment to a productive quiet time (it had gotten stale). I began a new study of Joshua (see resulting posts here) because I saw him as a leader that followed God’s commands even under extremely tough circumstances. I knew I would learn perspective from Joshua.

Step #2 – Pray (like never before)

    Along with a renewed commitment to an effective quiet time, I dedicated myself to sincere, blank-canvas prayer. I gave God the brush and paint while I stood back and waited for Him to create the picture for me. Though it had the potential to get repetitive, I continued praying day after day for Him to paint the picture…I did not want to lose this perspective!

    Folks, I am not a good pray-er. This is especially true when I get busy. I lose focus and my mind wanders. I get off track and start listing my trivial requests before I realize what I am doing. During this time period, I fought through this weakness. I stayed on my knees for an extra 15-20 minutes when necessary, but I was not going to give up on this prayer.

Step #3 – Triage (and eliminate) Where Possible

    While being inundated with “stuff” from everyone that normally got their answers from the leader that left, I realized I was not physically capable of doing it all. Something had to fall through the cracks or I was going to crack!

    I made the decision to triage my tasks like the Emergency Room does when overloaded with injuries. Those non-critical issues were put to the side. Even “good” things I was doing in the past were put aside in favor of the “best” things. I prayed for wisdom as I did this and promised those affected by these decisions that I would return to these tasks when (and if) time permitted. In most cases, they understood.

Step #4 – Pursue Excellence in Everything

    As I described in Step #3, I allowed the non-essential “good” stuff to be delayed or eliminated altogether. I did this because I believe we are called to Excellence in whatever we do as Christians. Busy is no excuse for falling short. Rather than be mediocre at the whole range of tasks coming at me, I chose the most critical and tried to complete them in an “excellent” way.

    This was not always the way they ended up. I missed some things. I messed up on others. But I maintained this strategy and (for the most part) it worked. I will probably look back and beat myself up for some of the things I put off, but today I feel I did all I could.

Step #5 – Pray (some more)

    Finally, I continued praying. I prayed that God would make up for my shortcomings. I prayed those around me would be given more patience for my weaknesses than they normally had. I prayed for endurance to keep up the increased pace and duration of my working hours. I prayed my family would give me grace through it all.

When all is said and done, this busy season appears to be coming to a close for me. I am sure there is another just around the corner, but I am thankful for the learning from this one. I hope you can get something out of my experience as well.

Do you think these steps will help you when you get busy?

Which one(s) will be the hardest for you?

What steps would you add to this list?

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Are You Too Busy To Fulfill Your Job Description?

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As I posted last week, I recently hired a COO for our organization after a lengthy hiring process. It was a huge win for our company, but also for me personally and spiritually. The reason I say this is that this hire effectively ends a long period of time where I was entirely too “busy” to do fulfill my God-given job description. I did not feel I was able to impact others for eternity like I wanted to.

job description

Before I explain what I mean by being too “busy” to do my job, let me first tell you about my job as I see it. As President and co-owner of my family business, I have certain duties and responsibilities that are required of me. These are certainly PART of my job. But when I really look at the job that I have been given, there is so much more to it than that!

God-given Job Description

You see, I believe my job has been given to me by God for a season. As a temporary steward of God’s business, I believe that I am in this role for a specific purpose – to impact other people for eternity by pointing them to God. If I had to boil my job description down to one line, that would be it. In fact, I believe that is your job description as well.

Whether you are a President, a Manager, or in an entry-level position, I believe you have this same job description. It comes from Scripture (Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20). If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you have this purpose in life and in work – there is no difference, except location.

Busy vs. Job Description

Having said that, there are times that our job “activities” begin to take our focus off of our eternal purpose, our real job description. In some cases, these times are only temporary and have a clear beginning and end (like my recent experience). Other times, it can be the nature of the job itself. There are even times when we take on too much and create our own prison of busyness.

Regardless of the duration or cause, these times of being too busy can dramatically impact our ability to fulfill our God-given job description. If you have been a disciple of Jesus for any period of time, you have likely experienced this problem. If not, congratulations on keeping your focus on your true purpose in life!

What Do You Do?

For the rest of us that either bump into this problem occasionally or actually feel like we have set up camp here, lets’s discuss what we should do when this happens. For this discussion, there are two possible paths.

Self-Created Busyness

The first path is for those times when we have created the busyness for ourselves. The busyness could be the result of an over-zealous appetite for responsibilities or maybe a lack of intentional scheduling. Either way, we have brought this on ourselves and we need to correct the problem. In the cases I am referring to here, shedding these additional responsibilities would not have an effect on your employment.

To do this, I am not necessarily recommending breaking any commitments, but I am saying that you need to recognize that you are putting the temporary ahead of the eternal. As a result, you need to correct the imbalance as quickly as you can. This will likely take time and energy, but it is worth it.

As you are doing this, you need to begin putting intentional habits in place to prevent returning to this position. I suggest starting with a LIFE plan. By creating a LIFE plan, you will establish the priorities by which you will make future decisions on responsibilities you will and will not choose.

Externally Imposed Busyness

The second path is a little more difficult to correct. This is mainly because the cause of this path is usually beyond our control. It could be the loss of a key employee (as it was with me) or it could be change in management above you. It could even be related to the overall economy as it has been since 2008 for many businesses.

Whatever the cause, the solution is not as simple as it is for the first path. In these cases, there may not even be an immediate solution at all. If that is true, then what are we to do? How are we to continue fulfilling our God-given job description when we are overwhelmed with busy?

For that answer, tune in to my next post!

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4 Simple Questions For Your Life Plan

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It is coming up on that time of the year when I begin thinking about my LIFE plan for next year (Read the series here). I know…it is only September, but once Halloween hits, the end of the year flies by. Before you know it, it is mid-January! As I begin to think about this, I become more aware of articles and tools that I think might help me in that process. I want to share a good one with you today.

life plan

Eric Liddell – Missionary

Many of you probably know the name Eric Liddell. It was his story that was featured in the movie Chariots of Fire. What many people do not know is that after his gold medal in the 1924 Olympics, Liddell became a missionary to China. While there during World War II, he was sent to a prison camp with roughly 200 others determined to be “enemy nationals.”

Liddell spent the last two years of his life in that camp. Many years after his death in 1945, a manuscript of The Disciplines of the Christian Life was published. It is in this book that you will find the material I want to share with you today.

Life Plan Questions

The following material from Liddell’s book only consists of four simple questions. However, a lot of self-examination can happen when answering these four questions. I plan to use these very questions in the preparation of my LIFE plan for next year. I encourage you to do the same.

Let’s get started. Before you read through these simple questions, I encourage you to pray that God will open your mind and heart to hear what He has to say to you. Try to completely clear your mind of all distractions so you can focus on the depth of these questions.

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1. Am I truthful?

    Are there any conditions under which I will tell a lie? Can I be depended on to tell the truth no matter what the cost?

2. Am I honest?

    Can I be trusted in money matters? in my work, even when no one is looking? with other people’s reputations? with myself—or do I rationalize and become defensive?

3. Am I pure?

    Am I pure in my habit? in my thought life? in my motives? in my relations with the opposite sex?

4. Am I selfish?

    Am I selfish in the demands I make on my family, spouse, or associates? Am I badly balanced, full of moods—cold today and warm tomorrow? Do I indulge in nerves that spoil my happiness and that of those around me? Am I unrestrained in my pleasures, the kind I enjoy without considering the effect…to take reasonable rest and exercise? Am I unrestrained in small self-indulgences, letting myself become the slave of habits, however harmless they may appear to me? Let us put ourselves before ourselves and look at ourselves.

(Liddell, Christian Life, 29-30).

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Write Your Answers

As you go through each of these questions, write down your answers. As you have cleared your mind beforehand, write down anything that comes to mind. Maybe it does not seem particularly profound at the moment. At the same time it may strike you differently when you go back to review your answers later.

Assume for a moment that God speaks to your heart about something in particular as you answer these questions. What should you do next?

“Start Doing” List

My thought at this point is that you create two lists for your LIFE plan. The first is a “Start Doing” list. On this list, you add things that God prompts you to add – actions or habits that you need to start.

Maybe, when asking, “Am I selfish?” you answered that you have been selfish about your health and you know you need to take action to improve it. You recognize that your family and those with whom you work are getting short-changed because your health is sub-par. In this case, put “exercise plan” or “improved diet” on your “Start Doing” list.

“Stop Doing” List

The other list for your LIFE plan is your “Stop Doing” list. While it sounds simple, very few people create one of these lists. Obviously, this list consists of actions or habits you need to stop doing.

Take the “Am I honest? question. Let’s say you answered that you have been holding back at work. You realize that your effort has not been your best because you have lost your passion for the job. You know you could give more, but you just don’t have the fire anymore.

This issue may require that you add something to both lists. On your “Start Doing” list, you would add “begin praying for passion at work” or “learn new skill at work.” On your “Stop Doing” list, you might want to add “stop staying up late watching TV” or even “give up distractions like social media” while at work.

Multiple Options

There are so many ways you could take action in response to these four questions. The creation of these two lists is simply one idea. This one works for me as I will be using the results in my LIFE plan for next year.

You can likely come up with your own ideas. The main point of this exercise is to do a self-examination (with prayer) and to identify areas of improvement. You may not like the idea of using this for LIFE planning, but may instead incorporate the questions into your quiet times. You could even use them as accountability questions in your small group.

The options are endless. I think you get the idea! It is now up to you as to what you do with them…

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Is Competence Really Critical In A Christian Leader?

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Over the past 60 days, I have been going through a lot of resumes for key positions within our company. In doing this, I have realized that our discussion about the key building blocks to Christian leadership is a very timely topic for me! Depending on the position, I am likely looking for these very characteristics in the candidates I interview.

Christian leader

Credible Christian Leadership

This is my fifth and final post in the series on credible Christian leadership. In this series we have been looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. We started with honesty, followed by being forward-looking, or casting vision. Then, in my last post, we looked at being inspiring. Today, we will focus on the fourth and final building block, competence.

Some Incredible Claims!

As I mentioned earlier, I have been going through stacks of resumes to find the right candidates for some very key roles in our business. As I go through these resumes, I marvel at the variety of ways people can express incredible, performance-based claims. Reading some of these, you would think the candidates would be better served writing fiction than they are in managing people!

Don’t get me wrong. Not all of them are like this. Some are very factual and some even back up their claims with various means of proof. Some don’t make the outrageous claims. They simply state facts about their work experience and accomplishments.

What is my point?

Competence Is Critical

Well, my point is this – I am looking for solid leaders, those that others will want to follow. I am looking to fill roles that are critical to the success of our company, and by extension, our ability to impact eternity. If I hire only for honesty, vision, and inspiration – forgetting about competence – then I am doomed to failure!

On the surface, many of the resumes I have reviewed look good. However, I obviously won’t choose them based solely on this. I must find out if they are competent as well. If not, the people in our organization will not follow them. The truth will come out quickly.

Folks, we simply cannot get by with mediocre if we truly want to be Christian leaders that point others to God. We cannot accept just showing up for the job. Even if we have great personalities and extensive knowledge of the industry, we are not going to succeed if we are not competent at what we are called to do!

What Action Do We Take?

So, what does this mean to you and me? Assuming we agree on the absolute need for competence in our roles as Christian leaders, what does that mean we need to do about it?

The bottom line is that we are to be learners. We are to be students of our industry. We should be investing time on a regular basis to grow our skills and our understanding. We can not pass muster if we are not growing constantly.

There are too many resources available today for any excuses. If you work at it, you can even find plenty that will not cost you a penny! All you have to be willing to invest is your time! Don’t let complacency slip up on you…go learn something!

Summary

I pray you have gained something from our discussion of the four building blocks of Christian leadership. I also pray that you are taking something you have learned and are applying it. I have a quote stuck to the bottom of the monitor on my desk. Here is what it says:

Knowing is not enough; I must apply.
Willing is not enough; I must do.

What 3 leadership books have you read this year?

Are you working on your competence in your job?

Do you require the same from your team?

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Where Are The Christian Leaders?

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How many of you are disillusioned by the overall lack of Christian leadership in our world today? Where are the Christian leaders? First of all, I recognize there are exceptions. Folks like Dan Cathy (CEO of Chick-Fil-A) are still out there standing up for what is right, but they are clearly the minority.

Even in our government and schools, there are exceptions. These are not the people I am talking about today. They are doing their part.

Christian leader

Where Are The Christian Leaders?

My question is really targeted at the Christian business leaders today. Why are there so few bold Christian leaders in the business world these days? Why is Dan Cathy’s stand so uncommon? What has kept potentially bold Christian leaders from stepping onto the field and making a difference for eternity?

I must confess I am not sure of the answers to these questions. It could be fear on several levels. Maybe it is uncertainty about what to do and how to do it. It could even be simple laziness. I really do not know.

What To Do About It?

The better question for us is this – what are we doing about it?

See, I get a lot of grief from my extended family because I really do not pay much attention to the news. I am frequently the last to know about things going on in the world around me. When I learn about current events, they are not so current!

Right or wrong, I am like this because I feel like it is mostly a waste of my time to watch things happen when I feel I have no opportunity to influence them. I would rather spend my time working on things I can impact. I would rather read or learn something that I can apply tomorrow in a way that impacts someone for eternity.

Get Intentional!

I am not advocating everyone boycott the news (necessarily), but I am saying we all need to spend more time intentionally becoming the people God created us to be. I do not believe God created us to be people who know all that is going on in the European economy, but are doing nothing here to impact people for their eternal life.

So…having said all of that…let’s get back to the question at hand:

What are we going to do about the lack of effective Christian leadership in the business world today?

We Are The Christian Leaders!

It is my humble recommendation that we do everything we can do to add one more Christian leader to our own surroundings – ourselves! We cannot shirk this responsibility and hope someone else sees the need. That has not worked so far!

No, instead we must become the most effective Christian leaders we can be with the talents and strengths God has given us. For some, you are in a position of leadership over hundreds or even thousands of people already. For others, you may be the only person under your leadership right now. For most, you are in between.

A Journey That Takes Time & Effort

We do not become effective Christian leaders by climbing on a desk and announcing to the world that we are finally ready to take on that role. No, the process of becoming effective in your Christian leadership is one that takes time and effort. In fact, there is seldom an announcement. More often it sneaks up on you after years of preparing.

Please remember that our model for this journey has never been on TV, has not written any books, and is without a social media platform. Those people that had waited generations for Him to take the helm as their leader instead rejected Him almost as quick as He opened His mouth to cast the vision. The ones that ended up following Him were mostly rejects themselves.

If you are up to the task, follow along with me for the next several posts. We are going to be looking at material from the C12 Group that will give us some basic building blocks of effective Christian leadership. While there is no silver bullet for becoming the leader God designed you to be, the building blocks I will share with you should get you headed in the right direction.

Are you on the path to becoming a Christian leader in your circles?

What are you doing to intentionally move down that path?

Can you give an example of a Christian leader you are modeling after?