Tag Archives: purpose

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Have You Thought About Walking Away?

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Walking AwayI made a new friend recently. During our conversation, he told me about his decision to walk away from a very successful business because he felt God calling him to something different. He did not know where God was calling him, but he knew he had to follow. I think you can draw inspiration from his story – whether you have ever considered walking away or not.

Mark Cress’ Story

In 1993, Mark Cress was part owner of an Inc. 500 company. At 37 years old, he was extremely successful and it appeared he had nothing but blue skies ahead. But then he started to realize that God was calling him to something else. Once he and his wife made the decision to follow God’s call, things changed rapidly. Within months, he was walking away. He had sold his business to the employees, sold his house on the lake, and enrolled in seminary. In less than a total of three years, he had started the organization that is now Corporate Chaplains of America.

Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA) now ministers to more than 800 different business locations. Those locations represent thousands of employees served on a weekly basis. Can you imagine the impact God is having through this organization?

My Story

As I listened to Mark tell his story, I saw a few clear parallels to my own story. At the same time, God sent us down different paths.

All of my life, I had been working toward taking over my family’s business, an automobile dealership group in Georgia. In 2001, I was General Manager of two of our seven locations. I planned to expand and take the company to new heights!  I had visions of grandeur and everything looked like it was headed that way.  But when I began spending time in God’s Word, I realized that everything I wanted and was working for was only temporal.  None of it would really matter in 1,000 years.

My Revelation

I realized I was only giving God the Christian requisite one day per week (actually, just Sunday morning) and an occasional Wednesday evening.  The rest of the time was spent trying to juggle my job in the car business and my family at home.  Even when I added the daily quiet times, God was still not the central focus of my life.  This was not the way He wanted it!

Searching For Answers

I began searching for answers.  If God wanted all of me, what would that look like?  I had heard of people getting “called” into full-time ministry, but I did not feel that call.  I knew of others, like Mark Cress, that were “called” into the mission field, but I did not feel that either.  What exactly was God asking me to do? What was I created to do?

Was I Walking Away?

To tell the truth, I did not have a clue!  I only knew I was not comfortable with the status quo and had to change it. I sat down with my father and explained that I was walking away from the business.  Because I was already in a significant leadership position within the company, I told him I did not want to do it effective immediately.  I wanted him to have time to replace me and make any other arrangements that may be necessary.  This would likely involve downsizing the business and could take a couple of years.

I did not feel God calling me to leave right away, only to let go and be prepared to walk away.  I had no idea where I was going or when.  I only knew I wanted to be spending more of my time working for God – whatever that entailed.

Called To Stay In The Business!

Fast forward eleven years, and I am still in the business! It was almost two years after that conversation with my father that God showed me where He wanted me. Though I thought I was walking away, He showed me that He had placed me in the position I currently held for a purpose and a season. He wanted me to do all I had envisioned in ministry, but He wanted me to do it through the business. As a good friend recently told me, God wanted me in the car ministry!

So that is exactly what I am attempting to do. I have said it many times – I do not have it figured out. Yet I keep showing up. I am determined to allow God to have the eternal impact He desires, through this business. I am only the steward of this business for now. Until He changes my direction, that is the role I will play.

Eternal Impact Either Way

See, Mark Cress followed God’s plan and he is enjoying the fruit of that decision. There is incredible eternal impact coming from his decision to step out of his business and start CCA as a non-profit organization. For me, walking away is not in the cards (at least for now!). God has called me to stay in business and I expect there will be eternal impact from that decision as well.

My point is this…regardless of where God calls you, you can have an eternal impact. There is no reason to think that you have to be a paid staff member of a church to do ministry. Seek God’s guidance, but know that He just may want you doing ministry right where you are!

What would you do?

Do you think this move was too drastic?

Have you thought about walking away?

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10 Pitfalls To Running A Christian Business

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Have you prayed about how you are to run your business?  Have you sought God with intensity on the question of running your business for Him?  If not, I would suggest you not read any further until you do. The pitfalls I describe below will not help you with your decision until you have prayed about this.

pitfallsI know I am probably breaking several “Rules for a Successful Blog” when I tell you not to read further, but I cannot help it.  If you think you can get enough information on which to make a solid decision in this area without first seeking God in prayer, then you are mistaken.  In fact, if you simply look at the facts through your own eyes, you will almost certainly decide against running your business this way.

Praying and Thinking

If you are still reading, then I assume you have prayed (and continue to do so) about this decision.  You may have read my posts on the 5 Reasons to Run Your Business According to Your Christian Faith.  It makes sense to you, but you are still not sure whether you should proceed or not.  Good.  I am glad you are thinking about it.  I want you to think about it.

As with any major decision, I believe we are to go to God’s Word.  What does the Bible have to say about making a major decision like this?

For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.
– Luke 14:28-30

Count the Costs

I will tell you, from my personal experience, that this decision is bigger than it even looks.  There are pitfalls, and benefits, that you have not even thought of.  It is just not what it appears.  Therefore, as Jesus taught in this Scripture, we must count the costs.

I realize that your experience in making this decision, and then implementing it, will not necessarily mirror my own experience.  At the same time, because I have already been through this process, I can share about my journey.  My hope is that I can help you avoid, or at least be prepared for, the following pitfalls (as well as those not listed!).

I will give you the list of pitfalls like Solomon might have done it in Proverbs.  Here are ten pitfalls of running a Christian business, eleven hazards you will face when basing your business on your Christian faith…

The Pitfalls

First of all, this is not an exhaustive list.  Secondly, I believe the benefits outweigh these pitfalls!

Now, some of these are self explanatory and some require further clarification.  While I will not do a continuous series of eleven posts on these pitfalls, I will take each of these topics and expand on them in the coming weeks and months.  I hope you will follow along and participate in the discussion as we go.

Do you disagree with any of the above?

Are you truly praying for God’s will in your business?

Are you willing to give it to Him despite the apparent costs?

This post originally published on 9/9/11.

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Tortoise and the Hare

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A Friend’s Transformation

A very good friend of mine recently started working on his own blog. Well, let me put it this way…he is finding out how much he has to learn about the technical aspects of building a blog, website, and the like! He is in the middle of the process and realizes he drastically underestimated the learning curve.

tortoise

At the same time, I know he will come out on the other end of this process with a successful blog. I know this because I have watched him do the same thing in other areas of his life. Before I tell you more about his story, let me tell you what has been on my mind as of late.

Dave Ramsey’s Recommendation

Dave Ramsey, in his recent book EntreLeadership, talked about a great business book someone had recommended he read. Ramsey, like me, loves to read great business books and then apply the truths learned in his own business.

In this case, the recommendation came from a billionaire (that’s a “B”) in business. When someone with this track record recommends a book, you should listen. So, what was the title of the book?

Tortoise [title color=”red-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”oblique” size=”scmgc-1em”]The Tortoise and the Hare![/title]

That’s right! Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare is at the top of a billionaire’s business reading list. In fact, he told Ramsey that he reads it to his top people every year! Evidently, he sees some value in the book, right? As for me, that is enough reason to take time to study it.

Learning From The Tortoise

So, study it I have. And while the moral of the story is simple – Slow and steady wins the race, it is not necessarily common. In fact, I would go as far as to say it flies in the face of the majority of what I see around me today.

In my business, and likely yours as well, the common focus is on 30-day or quarterly results. If you cannot produce results in the immediate future, then you likely won’t have a job for long. Most people just don’t work and wait for long-term results anymore.

Spiritual Hares?

This is not only true in business, but in virtually all facets of life. Take our spiritual lives. How many times have you gone to a conference (like Promise Keepers) or a revival and come away feeling like you are on the mountaintop? We all have! And we have all wished we could stay there.

Even Peter felt this way in Matthew 17:4. We all have a natural desire to rush to the top of the mountain and stay there. We want quick and easy and our society shows it. We are certainly paying the price for this mindset.

Solution: Tortoise Game Plan

So what is the solution? The game plan of the tortoise! Spiritually, it is a daily quiet time and consistent prayer and Bible study that, over time, gets the best results. In business, it is Biblical principles applied on a consistent basis with hard work and persistence.

My Friend’s Decision

Back to my friend with the upcoming blog. The reason I know he will be successful is that I have watched him change his entire being over the past 14 months. You see, at the end of 2010, he weighed 300 lbs. and was drinking heavily on a daily basis. He was a believer, but there was no real evidence of his faith.

And yet, one day he just decided he wanted to be someone different. Actually, he realized he was someone different and wanted to go back to who he really was – to who God created him to be. So he changed everything.

Tortoise Transformation

He did not buy a lottery ticket. He did not go to the internet and research the best pill for weight loss. He did not order the Hawaii chair.

Instead, he stopped drinking. Cold. He stopped eating junk and began eating healthy. He started exercising. Regularly.

Now this sounds too easy. It sounds a little too perfect. Maybe, but it is true. I watched him do it. His solution was not an instant one. Nor was it an easy one. It took him a lot of sweat and tears…literally. But he made it. He made it with tortoise-like persistence.

Now, 14 months later, he has lost 115 lbs. and has not had a drop of alcohol since that day. He has participated in multiple triathlons and has a 5 year plan to do the Ironman. He is also spiritually awake and growing each day.

Same Solution

For his blog, the solution is the same. He needs to keep hammering away at the process of learning this new skill. He will most likely not see overnight success in his blog. But if he stays the course and progresses a little each day, he will come out with something he can be proud of.

For now, I am proud of his progress. We can all draw inspiration from his example. When his blog is ready to go live, I will have him guest post and let you get a taste of what makes him tick!

Where are you trying to be the Hare?

Have you seen success with the Tortoise game plan?

Where do you need to be like the tortoise?

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Why Do Business From An Eternal Perspective?

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Healthy Debate

I had a great meeting this past week at C12. We discussed challenges that we are all facing in regards to trying to run our businesses according to our Christian faith. The funny thing is that even within a group like this, opinions can differ. While there is a part of all of us that wants everyone to agree with us, I know that is not possible – or healthy. Engaging in healthy debate, even about things like eternal perspective, is a great way to grow.

eternal perspective

As I attempted to explain my beliefs regarding how we should run our businesses from an eternal perspective, I realized I have never formally prepared a well-thought-out, Scripture-supported basis for my position. I have certainly studied verses and passages that have led me to believe, and therefore act, the way I do. What I have not done is to lay out my beliefs in an organized argument so that I can respond appropriately when asked about my “Why?”

My Project

So, I am going to work on this. I will give you a few of my thoughts in this post, but I promise to come back later with the results of my work. I cannot promise a bullet-proof thesis, but I will present my prayed-over thoughts in a way that you can understand and validate through Scripture.

I do not expect everyone to stop, applaud, and agree with me on every point. As I said before, that is not reasonable. However, I do hope to spur you on to do some of your own thinking. I hope to encourage you to think about the Scriptural basis for what you do. For now, I just want to pique your interest a little and hopefully get some feedback and/or suggestions.

Applying Scripture

First, I realize that it is not necessarily wise (with some possible exceptions) to take one verse, or even passage, and base all of your beliefs on it. An understanding of the whole of Scripture is most often needed before trying to apply single verses or passages to your life. It is for this reason that I have several verses that come to my mind when I start thinking about why I run my business from an eternal perspective.

Basis For Eternal Perspective

Having said that, if there is one central Scripture to my beliefs in the area of doing business from an eternal perspective, it is the following passage from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire. 

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

I did an earlier post on this passage, and I talked about those temporal things so many of us pursue to one degree or another. All of these will burn in the fire mentioned by Paul above. I, for one, do not want to spend my life working for anything that will only last for a short time. I would much rather be focused on producing fruit that will not rot – that will last for eternity.

What Will Survive The Fire?

See, the way I look at this passage, the only things that we can build while we are here on earth that will last beyond our lives here are not things we can touch. Anything I can physically touch will be burned up in the fire. I cannot think of a single item that will not burn up in the fire.

On the other hand, those relationships we build will last. The memories we have will last. The souls we pointed toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will survive the fire. While the businesses we operated will burn, the impact that we had through our businesses will last.

Methods Vary

Obviously, the way we choose to impact others will depend on the way God designed us and the choices we make. Some may impact others through teaching, others may choose serving. There will be those who give and those who comfort. God wired each of us differently.

However, while the method can vary, the fire will not. It will be the same test for all of us. No one is exempt from the testing fire. If that is truly the case, then I think it makes the most sense for us to focus our energies on maximizing our efforts in areas that will produce fire-proof, eternal fruit.

My Application

For me, that means I make every effort to run my business in a way that produces the eternal fruit, not the kind that will rot or burn.

As I said before, stay tuned for a more detailed and organized argument for doing business from an eternal perspective. If you have any feedback either way, please submit it! I would love to have perspectives from other people. When possible, tell me the Scripture on which you are basing your belief.

Have you thought through why you do business the way you do?

Is your motivation based on Scripture or something else?

What do you think will last through the fire?

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Celebrating This Blog’s Six Months Anniversary!

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six months

Six Months Anniversary

Incredibly (to me!), it has now been a full six months since I started this blog. A lot has happened in the past six months. I am really excited about all I have learned and the people I have met. If you had described all of it to me last fall, I would have called you crazy!

I have to be honest. When I set out to do this blog, I was not sure how many people would actually read it or get anything out of it. I certainly did not expect to get much exposure outside of my immediate circle of influence.

My Purpose

From the beginning, here was my purpose:

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    I have started a new blog called Christian Faith At Work. I am writing it to business owners and leaders who are trying to figure out how to integrate their Christian faith into their businesses.
    By including the resources I have accumulated over the past eight years of learning to use my business as a vehicle for ministry, as well as real-life examples from my experiences, I will teach the readers how to run their business from an eternal perspective.
    They will not only learn from the resources I have gathered, but they can also interact with someone who is actually doing it, learning from my mistakes and victories.

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I knew this purpose resonated with me, but I did not really believe it would do so with others. However, as you will see in the stats below, I was wrong! I want you to know how much I appreciate all of the encouragement and feedback you have given me over the months. I have truly enjoyed the time and would not trade it for anything. I look forward to the coming months (and hopefully, years!).

Statistics

Below, I have listed some of the incredible statistics that have accumulated during the six months since I started at the end of August 2011.

six months

When I consider some of the popular blogs that I read myself, I know these stats are not that impressive. However, I am still proud of what God has done here in such a short period of time. If anyone reading this right now is considering doing something similar, I want to encourage you to start! If I can get here, so can you!

Top Posts

Below, I have listed the ten most popular posts from the past six months.

1. Why I decided to walk away from the family business…

2. Pursue The Gifts You Have, Not The One’s You Want

3. Reason 2 (of 5) to Run Your Business According To Your Christian Faith

4. 10 Warning signs you are NOT a good leader – part 1

5. Taking Action – Owners Manuals For Life!

6. Why Acknowledge Christ In Christmas?

7. Reconcile And Forgive Immediately!

8. “Go Make Yourself Useful!”

9. How To Create A Life Plan Document

10. Do You Have A Strategic Plan…For Ministry?

Once again, I want to thank all of you that read this blog. I am enjoying it and I hope you are getting something out of it, too!

Do you have a favorite post listed above (or even one that is not)?

What about your own blog…what was your top post?

If you are thinking of starting something similar, what is holding you back?

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Great Advice From A Voice Of Experience

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Would you jump at a chance to get advice from someone with an incredible career in both business and Christian ministry? I got that chance!

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

My brother and I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours this past week with business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. I first met Mr. Reese when he was a speaker at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta this past October.

After attending his session, I sought him out and we spent a few minutes talking about the integration of faith and business. It was then that I asked for the opportunity to visit his ministry, Atlanta Mission, and get his advice on how he thought I could better use our business as a platform for Christian ministry.

advice

Though we have been working at this for over eight years, we know there is still so much to learn! We know we have just barely scratched the surface and therefore are always on the look-out for opportunities to learn. This was clearly one of those opportunities. In fact, we came away with much more than we could have hoped.

Extensive Experience

Not only has Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry. His leadership is taking the Atlanta Mission organization to new heights.

I could take the rest of this post telling you how gracious and helpful Mr. Reese was in taking the time to pour into us. He clearly has a passion for what he does and is very willing to share that passion. We will not know the full impact of this short visit for many years to come, but I can tell you that it will be huge!

His Advice

Below, I have listed the first of five main points I gained from our conversation. I will discuss this first one in detail today and the other four points in my next posts. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #1:[/typography]

    [typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]You must redefine success.[/typography]

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Secular Company

In a publicly-owned corporation, success is most often defined as an increase in shareholder wealth (stock price). Maybe revenue growth is a close second. In private business, net profit or net cash flow probably leads as the definition of success. Growth may also take a top spot in some of these businesses as well.

Since virtually all of us have worked in a secular job for a non-Christian company at some time or another, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. I do not know the statistics here, but success in most companies is defined this way. I am not judging them (not my job to do so). I am simply pointing out the facts.

Christian Company

But when you step out and say that your business is God’s and you are just a steward of it for a time, then you must redefine success. The normal business metrics will not work for this purpose. Instead, you must determine what is most important to God for His business.

Of course, the best place to look for this is in the Scripture. You may need to translate what you find into various specific definitions of success for your own business based on variables such as type (manufacturing, retail, services, etc.). It may be different specific results for different businesses, according to God’s will for each, but I guarantee it will be related to the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission.

When Jesus says that all of the law and prophets hang on loving God and loving others as ourselves, then you can bet your success definition needs to be founded on this. When Jesus’ last words on earth charge us to go and make disciples of all nations, then you need to include this as well.

Redefining Success

I will not attempt to give you a single rule of thumb for redefining success for your business from an eternal perspective. This is something that you need to determine for your business through searching the Scriptures and fervent prayer. I will tell you that I think it is solid advice to redefine success for your company.

By redefining success from an eternal perspective, you will change the way you make decisions. You will hire differently. You will invest your time, talents, and treasure differently. When you have redefined success, your motivation changes and that picture of success begins to permeate your thoughts, actions, and words. Success redefined is a powerful force!

What is your definition of success in business at this point?

How have you prayed about this?

What do you feel God is leading you to do?

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Are You Making This Common Mistake With Your Life Plan?

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LIFE Plan

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a series about the process I use in creating and maintaining my LIFE plan. I have received a great deal of feedback from a variety of sources, mostly positive! I have been told this was the first time many of you have even considered doing a life plan or something similar.

For others, a life plan seems daunting and too time consuming. Regardless of which way you lean, I encourage you to read on and think about how the following illustration applies to your situation. Are you making this common mistake?

life plan

Read the following illustration from Herschel Hobbs’ My Favorite Illustrations….

River vs. Canal

    Have you ever looked down on a river while riding in a plane thousands of feet above the ground? If so, you know that the river’s course winds here and there like the track of a large serpent. This is because, in its formation, the river followed the path of least resistance.

    On the other hand, a straight canal calls for advance planning, toil, and suffering as those who make it dig and blast their way through the terrain.

    Lives are like that. Crooked or unrighteous lives follow the lines of least resistance. They twist and turn as they adapt to the changing mores of society. In doing so, they wander aimlessly with no certainty as to their final destination.

    Like those who dig a straight canal, the righteous determine their goal and pay the price necessary to achieve it. That is the way of Christ.

Just think about this for a minute and then take a look at your own life.

Do You Have A Destination?

First, do you have a certain destination or purpose in mind for your life?

The river has no specific destination and therefore any path will do. So many people today make a critical mistake and just take life as it comes, with no real plan or idea of why they are here. Others have plans, but they change with the winds. As shiny objects catch their eye, they run off in a new direction, seeking the newest pleasure or escape.

The canal, on the other hand, is designed with a specific destination in mind. For most of us, we were not handed a road map in school with the destination or purpose of our life highlighted for us, along with the directions to get there. Instead, we have to determine it for ourselves. For the majority of the readers of this blog, the desire is to base this path on the Bible.

On What (Whom) Is It Based?

Second, on what (or whom) are you basing your life’s purpose decisions? Are you striving for something you have seen on TV or in a movie or magazine? Are you chasing the wind?

Or are you following a plan based on One who designed you and knows the best for you? It’s up to you, but I know my choice!

The destination I have set at the end of my canal is to hear from Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Are You Still Following It?

Finally, if you have determined the purpose or direction of your life, are you still on track or have you reverted back to following the path of least resistance?

Are you allowing outside influences to determine your course or are you working hard, with advance planning and sweat, to overcome outside influences and stay on course? For the short term, just winging it may seem easier, but over the long haul, that method will bring more hardship and disappointment.

However, intentional effort and decision-making toward the right purpose can lead to fulfillment and contentment.

Do you have a certain destination in mind for your life?

Are you digging a canal or following the path of the river?

Have you allowed outside influences to distract you from your canal?

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Are You Doing God’s Work or God’s Will?

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Have you thought about this before? Is there a difference between doing God’s work and doing God’s will? If so, what is it? Is it really that important anyway?

I think there is a huge difference and I think it is critical to know what it is.

God's will

Let’s first take a look at Scripture to see what it says about this.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 5:16

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 6:1

Confused?

If you only looked at these two verses, then you could get confused! Which is it…do deeds before men or not?

Notice in Matthew 6:1 a brief phrase that makes all of the difference. The phrase, which describes the motive for the deeds, is “to be seen by them….” Jesus is telling us that we should not do His work with the motive of being seen, and honored, by men.

Is there a similar indicator in 5:16? Take a look at this phrase, “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Instead of having a motive of being seen by men, the desire here is to bring praise to the Father. That is why these deeds are encouraged.

Difference Between God’s Will and God’s Work

The whole difference between doing God’s work and doing God’s will is in your motives.

If you do God’s work for the purpose of having people see you and think highly of you, then you are not in God’s will. God tells us often (Amos 5:21-23; Isaiah 1:11-15; Psalm 51:16) that He hates our rituals and sacrifices when they are not genuine. He does not want us to do hundreds of hours of charity work and give millions of dollars to the church unless our motives are right.

If this is the case, and Scripture certainly makes it clear that it is, then how do we determine the right motives so we are in God’s will?

Determining Right Motives

Great question! Fortunately, I think I have the answer for you! Let’s go back to the Bible…

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37-40

Do you see that last phrase? It says that “All of the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Based on this, I think it is safe to draw a connection between these commandments and our right motives. If our motives match up with loving God and loving others, then I think they are good. If not, we need to beware.

Having established this, what are your motives in business? Do you approach business for your own purposes or for God’s? Have you thought about the results God expects from your business? Do you think they are eternal or temporal? Do your motives match up with His desires?

Have you thought about your motives as they relate to your work?

Are you doing more of God’s work or God’s will?

What do you need to change first?

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Unrealistic Expectations: “You’re Just Not That Good!”

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You know how you can learn big ideas in the most mundane situations? If you pay close attention to life around you, you can usually pick up on truths that God is dying to share with you. It happened to me once when I was playing golf with a business associate, John, several years ago. It had to do with expectations.

Golf Frustration

expectations

John was telling me of another time he was playing golf with a friend of his. John had not been playing as well as he would have liked and his behavior was showing it! After several bad shots, John slung himself back into the cart with clear frustration. Bill finally spoke up.

“John,” Bill said with a pause, “You’re just not that good!”

John was stunned, he tells me later. But then it hit him what Bill was saying. See, Bill was trying to help John recognize that going to the golf course once a week did not give him the right to get upset over not-so-great shots. Bill knew it would take much more work and dedication than John had given so far before he could rightfully get upset at his less-than-stellar results.

Expectations vs. Commitment

John wanted to see exceptional results from less-than-exceptional commitment. Like many of us, his expectations were unreasonable when he considered what he had put into the game.

Now, how do we apply this at work and with our faith?

Simply put, we need to match our expectations with our commitments.

You could start with your expectations and let them lead you to the commitments you need to make. Or you could begin with your commitment levels and then determine reasonable expectations from them. You could even use one method for certain areas of your life and then switch to the other method for the rest.

It really is not important which one you use first. The key is to make sure they match. High commitment levels and low expectations will likely cause you to fall short of your potential. High expectations and low commitment levels will probably create frustration as it did with John.

LIFE Planning

Soon, I will be sharing with you the methods I use to determine my expectations and commitments during my own personal LIFE planning each year. My intent is not to show you the only way to do so, but simply the way I choose to do it.

If you already have your own plan, I hope you can find something worth adding to your own method. If you have never done this before, I want to give you some ideas that can get you started. Either way, I strongly encourage you to take time to plan your year.

If you do not fill your schedule with your own priorities, other people will fill it in with their own!

Are your expectations reasonable in light of your commitment levels?

Where do you need to change your commitment or expectations?

What can be your next action step toward making this happen?

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Must Do: Personal Goal Setting With Employees!

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This past Saturday morning, I participated in what is likely the most powerful meeting I have seen in my history with our company! I know those are strong words, but I can back them up. In fact, if you asked any of the other participants, they would confirm it for me. The purpose of this meeting was to allow everyone in our Sales Department to share their own personal goal setting results for 2012.

personal goal setting

Brief History

Before I go into detail about what made the meeting so powerful, I want to give you a brief history of what led to it. Back in October, as I have mentioned often in this blog, I attended the Catalyst Conference. I learned more during this conference than I have at any other I have attended.

personal goal settingToward the end of the conference, every attendee was given a cardboard cut-out of a “call-out” like you would see in a comic strip or cartoon (see picture at left). We were told to write on this cardboard call-out any commitment(s) we were making as a result of what we had heard during the conference. Then, at the end of the last session, we were all to hold up our call-out commitments for everyone to see.

Applied to Work

Because I thought this was a great idea, I brought a blank one back to work with me. We had duplicates made and gave one to every employee in the sales department. Everyone was told to come back a week later with their personal and professional goals written on the cards, ready to present them to the group. We gave examples of what they might write, but left it wide open.

All week, our sales managers worked with the salespeople in planning their performance goals for 2012. They also helped the salespeople think about their personal goals, asking questions to help prod them to think bigger. We encouraged them to “Get A Bigger Frying Pan!” as it related to their performance as well as how that could impact their lives outside of work.

Exceeded Expectations

I have to be honest, knowing that many of these people had never spent any time planning out their income, performance, or personal goals before, I was not expecting much. I was hoping for a few bright lights to make the exercise worthwhile. Even then, I was not convinced I would not be disappointed. My expectations were not reflective of the quality of the people, just their lack of experience with this kind of thinking.

As I alluded to at the beginning of this post, I was flat blown away. Folks, I simply cannot describe to you the power I saw in this exercise. This is one of those times where my vocabulary and lack of professional writing skills fails me (and you)! I just cannot do it justice.

Genuine Personal Goal Setting

What I witnessed was a group of 25-30 co-workers pour their hearts into sharing with the group what their real desires were for the new year. I saw souls bared and masks removed. I saw people looking to others for true acceptance and encouragement, seemingly without fear of rejection. I saw real, raw life goals come out in virtually every single presentation.

One young lady shared that she had been in a bad car accident over a year ago and only recently began driving again due to severe anxiety and fear. Her goal: to make enough money this year to buy a car for cash…not only for the purpose of having a car, but to overcome the fear and put it behind her.

Another young man has been unable to be involved at all in the life of his 5 yr old son until the past few months. His goal: to make enough money to be able to take that son on vacation for the first time ever.

One of the older salesmen has set a goal for increased income so he can better support a local family of 14. The unusual part is this: he is not related to them. He simply wants to give back out of his abundance.

Use This Idea!

personal goal settingI could go on and on, but I do not have the room here. Trust me that I witnessed the early signs of some lives changing in significant ways. I must encourage you in the strongest words possible to take this idea and implement it. It is simple and virtually free, but the effects can be monumental.

I cannot wait to report back on these goals next year!

Have you ever done personal goal setting like this with your employees?

What kind of results do you think you would get?

Why would you not try this idea?