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I wanted predictability in my life.  If I do my part and do “good things”, God will do His part and my life will be blessed right?  My business will thrive, my family will be healthy, and I’ll live a long prosperous life.. right?  A + B should = C and good things should happen to good people.

So God, what’s the deal?  Have you ever been frustrated with the lack of success in your life?  Here is the Maximizers session from September 9th:

 In case you missed it this past Friday, here is the video of our kick-off of Maximizers, where business leaders meet to discuss how to flex Faith, values, excellence, best practices and more in our community.

Where Faith and Business Collide from Mark Meyer on Vimeo.

This week, September 2, Butch Whitmire will be leading the discussion.  Join us here at 6:15 AM:  View Larger Map

If we believe what we believe, our Faith changes everything and gives us the opportunity to bring excellence to the workplace.  Join the discussion!

On the heels of my previous post of what churches could learn from business, is there really anything that businesses could learn from churches?  I’ll preface it with this, churches don’t have the patent on morality but I would argue that the foundation of values rests on Faith (and studies show well over 90% of people in the US believe there is a God).  From Faith comes beliefs and expections that enter the marketplace… I’ll also leave out my personal belief (in Christ) and keep it generic as large segments of our world are still seeking Truth… so what are they?

• Your leadership matters.  As a owner, leader, or manager of people, you are positioned to make a huge impact and influence scores of people within your organization, your clients, and community.  The stakes are higher than you can imagine and go beyond a P & L statement or balance sheet.  Though you may not hear it at the water cooler, don’t be mistaken, people are watching you and may be forever influenced by your actions (and you may never know).  Lead well! “For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required.” — Luke 12:48
• People matter.  They are more than a number or a task.  Every person at your organization has a story… They’re going home to a marriage in trouble, or issues of health in their families, or kids that have made awful decisions.  It’s easy to say “don’t bring your troubles at home to work” but the reality is we don’t live in buckets or compartments.  Be willing the manage the tension of the bottom line and the realities of what your employees may be dealing with in their lives.
• Life is not about money.  Yes we need to be profitable and be great managers of our financials, but in the end- what really matters?  I once heard a business leader say, “he who dies with the most toys wins…”  Uh, when you die you die and your toys ain’t coming with you.  Money isn’t the biggest motivator for your employees either… Check out here and here for a few other references about what does… one being Purpose…  I Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
• Create Purpose Beyond Gidgets.  So if it’s not about money, what are you creating at your business?  Why do you exist?  What corner of the world are you really changing as a team?  Are you giving your entire organization the opportunity to experience a deeper purpose beyond punching a clock and collecting a paycheck?  If the leaders of industry could take their strategic, management, marketing, communication gifts and apply them to give back to their community… our world would change.The purpose of your organization should be bigger than any individual at your business including any owner, shareholder, or executive.
• You’re not in control.  Sure, you like to make projections, have retirement plans, and “most” of the time you may feel like you’re in control of your own destiny.  That reality just isn’t so.  You don’t control the economy, the next war, your health, the next terrorist attack, or unexpected shift in consumer trends.  It’s doesn’t mean we stop planning but it’s a perspective to keep in check.  (Think of the stories of those who took their own life thinking they had it all figured out when their fortunes were lost…)  Proverbs 27:1 ” Boast not of tomorrow, for you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
• Be authentic.  We live in a culture where it seems true integrity is the exception and not the rule.  Who is the man or woman behind the curtain?  What are your motives?  Do you really have the best interest in mind for your clients and employees?  Luke 16:10 – “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Honestly, if I’m going to clean toilets for an organization, it’s going to be one that has a reason for existing and adds value (all things being equal…).  What would you add?

• Be a hard and smart worker. You’re being given a wage, do everything you can to maximize output for your employer. Are you looking for more to do or looking for ways to avoid additional work?
• Serve others. Without being obnoxious as if you’re doing them a big favor, find ways you can help others behind the scenes and add value to them on a regular basis.
• Admit your mistakes. We’re not perfect, we screw up, we go left when we should have gone right… Be real, admit it and make it right.
• Align with the vision. If it was your company, you can make your own vision…it’s not. Figure out where your leaders are trying to go and start rowing in that direction.
• Don’t talk smack about others. Build people up, don’t tear them down. Be someone who is trustworthy and don’t get pulled into the gutter of gossip.
• Bring peace. When there’s panic or chaos at work, bring peace. It’s said we’re not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough worries of its own… Focus on what your team can control and help be part of the solution.
• It’s about the people. Behind the paychecks, timesheets, and cubicles are a bunch of broken people (myself included). While we may wonder about a future raise, finishing a report, or being frustrated with a co-worker… we’re surrounded by people who are going home to lonliness, abuse, rebellious kids, financial stress, sick family members and more. At the end of the day, it’s about doing whatever we can to love the people we’re with and to fill their tank in any way we can.

While I fail at these seven things, I want to keep taking steps in these areas… The days of preaching at people, cheesy bumper stickers, and cliches’ need to be over… They’re about as helpful as trying to light a match while you’re scuba diving.

On October 1-2, 2009, I will be attending the 2009 Spur Leadership Conference…a unique opportunity to listen to a collision of thought leaders from the church, government, business, technology, and the military. Why?

I am an Operations Manager of a technology firm and just recently am the Online Church Director for Granger Community Church. Everyday my worlds collide with real challenges, how to have faith at work, providing leadership to a team of 58 people, strategizing growth plans, and there are no boxes to compartmentalize. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As leaders:

• Churches struggle to tap into the strengths of leaders in their communities… what could the Church learn from the expertise’ of industry that sit in their seats every Sunday morning?
• There are leaders in your church waiting for a mountain to climb. Are you working to find BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) opportunities for these entreprenuer leaders to jump in with renewed purpose?
• There are business men who struggle with how to effectively apply their faith into the culture of their organizations. Paralysis can set in…what’s appropriate? What’s too much? What’s effective?
• As a business leader, I need to be reminded it’s not all about profits and growth. My pendulum can drift into spreadsheets and away from real people with real lives and needs.
• Business leaders cringe at the inefficiency of many churches and would naturally seem wired to think, “why would I want to invest resources there?”. Note to non-profits/churches: effectiveness, excellence, and great management of gifts matters.
• Marketplace leaders need to be reminded that “to those who much has been given, much is expected…” While building your organizations, have you given as much focus to your “give back” initiatives? What might you be able to do in your community to make a real difference?

Straddling the blend of marketplace and ministry can be daunting. I need tools to help me manage on the front lines… There are only a few events a year that offer this unique mix, I hope to meet you there!

You and your team can register here.

It’s easier to be a far right whacko. Whacko in the nicest sense of the word…

For that matter… any belief systems, sets of rules, political bent (whether far right or far left) that gives me my marching orders to live by regardless of the reactions and input around us is an easier road.

• If I alienate people around me, it’s OK because my “cause” is bigger than them- it’s OK if they think I’m a whacko because they’re just wrong
• Slowly the people that disagree with me will gradually fall away and I’ll be surrounded with people that think just like me
• If I do enter conversations, it’s primarily to “help” people understand why what they believe is wrong with a smile on my face
• It eliminates confusion because EVERYTHING is black and white

What’s harder?

• To live in the conversation. Am I creating more conversations or shutting people down when talking about my faith or issues?
• Building a friendship. Am I seeking to understand and learning about a new friend or am I offering premature, drive-by opinions?
• To be silent. Am I willing to process and filter statements made or do I feel the need to always speak my mind?
• Having my actions speak louder than my words. Am I living a life and carrying myself at work in a way that’s attracting people or am I repelling people because of my engrained, rigid beliefs?
• Crossing the line and mistakes. Living in the conversation has me on a line at times that I screw up in what I do or say (and regret). Sometimes I can be too loose and managing the edge can be very difficult.
  

I believe we can be strong, bold and effective. I believe I’m forgiven for my mistakes. I want to genuinely love and care for people. But this is the much harder road.

If you’re stuck on the word “whacko” still- point made.

For those who happen to read this blog and are not “Christians”, people of faith, religious, or whatever else you want to tag it with… thanks for stopping by and keep seeking Truth and asking the big questions in life…

For those who consider themselves “Christ Followers”, what does it mean to live out our faith at work? Views on this range all over the map but I’ll share my filters (and to be upfront, I fail at these often but keep working to fail forward):

What it is:

• Strive to be the hardest working person in my organization to give my employer an honest day’s work
• Be “for” my co-workers- helping them in their roles when asked, serving, building-up, encouraging them, and celebrate their promotions
• Promote team, collaboration, unity, and bring positivity to the group
• Show up on time, be a good communicator, and not be the one to leave at 4:59
• Admit my mistakes and be honest with what I know and don’t know
• Focus on building real “relationships” with some of the people I work with to really get to know them, their families, their dreams
• My actions should cause people to be drawn to me, be favorable, and trustworthy
• I should be unique and model the gifts of the Spirit. If I’m not different, who cares?
• Help those who are hurting
• I can be candid and strong about roles, responsibilities, and vision
• Bring peace in times of turmoil and uncertainty (Is this not true now more than ever?)
• Ask, “What is the next right thing” inside (employees) and outside (clients) of my organization when facing decisions and areas where right and wrong may seem gray- be an example of integrity within my company
• I fear no one or no thing. I can have a backbone and not worry what others think about me when it comes down to doing the right thing for people. I do need to be effective in how to communicate this however.
• Choose love over lecture

What it isn’t:

• Being pulled into the negativity and gossip that exists in all organizations
• Telling everyone around me what their problem is, what they need to fix about themselves, and that they’re going to Hell
• Pushing them to go to church when I don’t know anything about them and have no relationship with them
• Looking for manufacturing opportunities to share my faith… (speaking of Microsoft Word, have you met the real Word?)
• Cheating clients and justifying it
• Competing unfairly with co-workers, “shading the truth” when asked about their performance for my own personal gain
• Weak, spineless, “I’m just going to take my ball and go home” mentality
• Going around people and not following proper protocol. If you have a problem, tell the right person.
• Being a virus in an organization, out-of-line with the company vision, and be a gossip (all in the name of doing the right thing)
• Trying to convert people
• Seeking martyrdom. Sidenote: I don’t understand why people seek out persecution for their Faith (wearing Jesus pins, t-shirts, I love Jesus screensavers, etc) in clearly hostile work environments. Yes it’s bold. But effective? I think not. There’s a time a place isn’t there?

People at my work generally know that I go to church and most know where, I don’t hide it but I don’t broadcast it either. If asked or if it comes up in conversation, I’m fine with sharing it. When in doubt, I default to “do” and “be”. Do the right thing consistently and be a person that people want to know what’s different about me.

If people find me approachable and want to ask me more, then maybe I’m being who I’ve been called to be. For me, this is the challenge and measure of success of living my Faith in the workplace. And if it never happens? Am I a failure for living with integrity, working hard, and trying to do the next right thing for all the people around me? I think not.

People are ALWAYS watching us, what are they seeing?

Oh…and if you love the T-shirt pictured, you can find it here…