How To Gain Business Clarity From 3 Simple Questions

clarity

Andy Stanley is a name that is fairly well known in Christian leadership circles. He is senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. He has authored a number of books, is a sought-after speaker, and leads thousands of others through his church and ministry organizations. With all of this, he attributes much of his leadership success to the clarity he gets from a simple 3×5 index card on which he wrote three questions many years ago.

Are You Guilty Of Irresponsibility?

If you look around you today, you will see the effects of irresponsibility everywhere. Your context really doesn’t matter. Whether at home, in a business, in your community, or even in the nation, the effects of irresponsibility are evident. Likely, if you are not aware of this it is only because you have become numb to it over time.

irresponsibility

Irresponsibility Examples

Andy Stanley recently completed a series on this topic. In a very simple way, he defined irresponsibility as not taking responsibility for the those things you are responsible for! That’s easy enough to understand, right? While he didn’t really focus on how irresponsibility affects businesses, I think we can make the connection fairly easily.

Let’s first look at a couple of examples. In a home with teenagers, you will likely find dirty clothes, dirty dishes, empty pizza boxes, and other items scattered around the house. I am not sure how, but this can actually happen in a matter of seconds if you are not paying close attention!

In a business, you might see similar stuff if you look in the right places! More likely, you might notice someone working a shift for someone else who did not show up or maybe apologizing to a customer for a coworker’s lapse.

Look around your community. Is there litter? Maybe you see banners advertising a food drive that ended three months ago. It could even be something as simple as a lack of windshield wash and a bone-dry squeegee next to the gas pump at your gas station! That’s frustrating when you are traveling at night!

I don’t even have to go into detail about how irresponsibility shows up in a nation – you likely already know. And regardless of your political position, you are likely sick of it. At least you are sick of it if you are one of the more responsible ones who end up paying the bill for it.

Not A Neutral Problem

See, this is the whole problem with irresponsibility. Like Andy Stanley says, it is not a “neutral” problem. If one person shows irresponsibility, then another person has to shoulder the burden. Irresponsibility on the part of one person or group creates additional burden for another person or group.

If you read that last part too quickly, then you need to go back and read it again.

Irresponsibility is not neutral. It impacts everyone.

If a towel or dirty clothes are left on the floor, someone has to pick them up. If the restrooms are left uncleaned by those responsible for doing so, the rest of the employees will suffer from it through customers complaining or just leaving and not coming back.

I think you get the idea here. Irresponsibility creates burdens for others. It creates a void that has an effect on everyone involved. Sometimes this burden or void is obvious and other times it remains hidden. Either way, it is there.

What About Us?

Let’s turn this discussion to you and me. As business leaders or owners, we have responsibility for those that report to us. We are responsible to our supervisors or owners of the company.

Our responsibilities may include training and development of our team. Maybe we are responsible for the financial health of our department or company. Our responsibility may simply be to create reporting on the activities of the business and submit it to those responsible for the activities themselves.

Whatever our responsibility, what happens when we fail to do it? What is the impact on our team, department, or company when we are guilty of irresponsibility? Who pays the price?

Only Hurts Me?

As a business owner, I could argue that when I am irresponsible, I simply do not enjoy as much profit as I would if I were fully responsible. While that is certainly the truth, it is not at all the whole truth.

When I fail to do all that I am responsible for doing in my role, others suffer. If I fail in my responsibility to provide the tools and training that the sales department requires for success, then our sales numbers suffer. As this happens, the individual sales people on the team also suffer due to a reduced income.

Their families suffer because they were depending on that income to meet their own responsibilities. Maybe this causes them to save less for their child’s college. Maybe it is worse and they cannot afford to heat their home or put enough food on the table.

I could go on and on, but there is no need. You get it.

Christian Responsibility

Just to make sure you don’t relax, let’s up the ante a bit. Like I said, as a business owner or leader, you are responsible to others. But it gets even tougher because, as a Christian, you are ultimately responsible to God. And His standards are higher!

Not only are you responsible to those around you for the business roles you play, you are also responsible to God for the influence you have with them from an eternal perspective. In addition to your business responsibilities, you are also to live in such a way that points them to God.

Just as I did in my examples above, I encourage you to take 5-10 minutes and think about the consequences of your irresponsibility in the various areas that first come to mind. Think about the responsibilities you have as a parent, business leader, spouse, etc. and then think all the way through what would happen if you are guilty of irresponsibility in any of these areas.

As you think through these consequences, pray that God would open your eyes to see them at the critical moments just before irresponsibility rears its head. Pray for the foresight to see these critical moments as well as the courage and will to step up to your responsibility.

Where do you see your first signs of irresponsibility?

Who can you enlist to hold you accountable in this area?

When are you going to start stepping up?

5 Benefits Of Trials In Business, Part 2

The fact that we face trials on a regular basis is not in question. Everyone agrees with this, but not everyone recognizes the benefits of these trials. In fact, most consider them unfair, destructive, or even get angry at God as a result of the more difficult ones. Fortunately, we can go to the Bible to see a different picture.

trials

Trials Are Pure Joy!

In my last post, we went to James 1:2-12 and discussed the fact that we are to consider these trials as “pure joy!” We are not to view them in any other way, but to thank God for them. In order to do this, it is critical we see the benefits.

It is just like exercising. Many people enjoy exercising and therefore do it for enjoyment. Most others that exercise see it as a necessary part of their life. They don’t really enjoy it, but they see the benefits and accept the exercise as a means to get those benefits.

Trials Bring Benefits

We need to look at trials in the same way. No, they will not be fun or exciting. They are most likely going to be tough, tiring, draining, and sometimes devastating. Just the same, we need to look hard at the benefits, considering the trials as joy as a result.

We have already looked at the first two benefits that come as a result of trials – Perseverance and Maturity. Now lets continue with the other three benefits we find in this passage (and beyond).

Wisdom
It may at first seem odd that James talks about wisdom right in the middle of describing the benefits of trials. Actually, he is not necessarily changing subjects. James is explaining that we need wisdom in the suffering of these trials.

Wisdom can show us how to best survive the trial when in it and how to best use it later when through it. All we have to do to get this wisdom is ask! So rather than praying for the removal of a trial, our mindset needs to be that we pray for the wisdom to use it for our benefit.

This same wisdom is invaluable when applied to business situations. Whether we like to admit it or not, some of the trials we face in business come as a result of poor decisions or behaviors. Applying wisdom in future situations will help us to avoid repeating some of these trials.

Wisdom will also provide opportunities we would not otherwise have. Wisdom allows us to be great mentors to those Christian leaders coming behind us. Wisdom gives us the ability to cut through the chaos in a crisis situation and avoid unnecessary damage. It moves into leadership positions we never anticipated. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Crown Of Life
Skipping down to verse 12 in James 1, we find what may be the ultimate benefit of trials! Let’s look at this verse:

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12

I will be honest and tell you that I do not know exactly what the crown of life is! I simply believe that it is a good thing and that it lasts beyond the trials, beyond this life altogether (Revelation 2:10). It is definitely something we want to receive!

Experience To Teach
The final benefit we gain from trials, and all we learn as a result of these trials, is a depth of experience that we can draw upon as we seek to teach others. This is a big deal!

We are told in the Great Commission that we are to teach all that Jesus commanded. We are told in 2 Timothy 2:2 that we are to teach others that are also qualified to teach. There are other instances where teaching is emphasized. If you are a Christian, you are to be a teacher.

I am NOT saying that all Christians are to grab a class and begin teaching in a group setting. I am not saying that all Christians have a gift for teaching. I AM saying that all Christians are in a position to teach SOMEONE what they know.

Andy Stanley worded it this way – “I am not responsible for filling someone else’s cup, just emptying mine.” When we recognize this responsibility, we will suddenly become thankful for those trials we have faced.

Praise For Trials

It is from these trials and the resulting perseverance, maturity, and wisdom that we can best be qualified to teach those who are looking to us for guidance. When you begin to see potential students around you, you will praise God for the trials you have seen!

Have you noticed wisdom as a result of trials?

What do you think the crown of life means?

Have you had the opportunity to teach someone because of a trial you experienced?

Advice For A New Christian Business Leader

I was recently speaking with someone about using business as a platform for Christian ministry and was asked a great question. She wanted to know what advice I would give another Christian business leader that was just recognizing the mindset of business as Christian ministry. What would I tell them to get them started on the right path?

advice

Start Of A Series!

As I thought about how to answer the question in that context, I also thought about how that would make a great post – even series – for this blog. (I am sorry, but I often get these thoughts in the middle of conversations!) As a result, I am starting a 5-part series on the advice I would give you if you are interested in using your business or job as a platform for Christian ministry.

In this first post, I want to lay the groundwork and then tackle the very first recommendation I have. Hopefully, you will get something out of this series, even if you have been doing Christian ministry through your business for years now. Maybe there is something you can revisit (like me!) or something you never did but can go back and handle today!

Target Audience

I am writing this post to someone who has heard about Christian business and is intrigued by the idea. Maybe you have progressed from intrigue to a real interest in using your business to impact people for eternity. It could be that you have even resisted pursuing it for one reason or another.

Regardless, you are either very close to pulling the trigger and moving forward OR you have just pulled the trigger and realized you do not know where to start! If that describes you, then this advice is for you.

Check My Advice

I will go ahead and tell you that I am NOT an expert. I cannot tell you all that you need to know about this subject. I will say that some of my advice may even be wrong for you. All I can promise is that I have been doing it myself for almost 10 years now and I will share from my heart. You then are responsible for discerning what will and will not work for you.

Now that I am through with the disclaimers, let’s dive in and tackle the first recommendation!

Recommendation #1 – Pray

While I am sure you are in awe over my keen insight and the intellect that must be present in order for me to come up with this advice, I ask you to hold your judgment until I am finished. Maybe this sounds simple and assumed. In fact, I know it does. At the same time, I feel it is so important (and often neglected) that I am willing to risk your ridicule!

When I say pray, I mean several things. Actually, I mean for you to pray about several things. Let’s start with the first prayer – a clear heart and mind.

Different Goals For Prayer

My advice is that you pray first that God would clear your heart and mind of any and all distractions, motives, and desires. Pray that He would erase your preconceived notions of what you are being called to do. Ask Him to give you a completely fresh perspective on whatever it is that He is going to share with you next.

Next, I want you to pray for clarity of purpose. Notice I am not talking about strategy, resources, or results. While these are important, their time will come later. All you want from Him at the beginning is a very clear and compelling purpose to be planted in your heart.

Clear Picture Of Purpose

As you are doing this, pray that He would give you a picture of what should be. Andy Stanley, in his book called Visioneering, refers to the gap between what is and what should be. You want God to put a vivid picture in your heart of what it is He wants you to pursue. For me, it was silhouettes. For Joseph, it was a couple of dreams. For you, it will look different.

Regardless of the differences in our pictures, you need something that you can refer back to over and over as opposition and difficulties come your way. You need to ask God to sow this seed of a clear purpose for your specific Christian ministry. Over time, this vision will grow and His desires for how He will accomplish it through you will become more clear.

Strength And Commitment

Next, you need to pray for strength and commitment. What you are about to undertake is not for the faint of heart. While it seems harmless enough, it is anything but. You are putting on the uniform of Christ and stepping out onto the battlefield for His kingdom.

Not only are you declaring your loyalty to Him, you are also doing it in a realm (the business world) where the enemy reigns for a time. This is not a common position for a businessperson to take and it is one the enemy hates. As a result, you can expect to see more than your fair share of opposition. You need to start praying now for the strength to withstand it.

Give Thanks!

Finally, you need to give thanks that He has put you in a position like this. The tougher roles are reserved for those with stronger faith. While you are not yet completely ready for what you will face, He sees the potential you have and deems it worthy of the job. For that, you should be very thankful!

Stay tuned for more advice to come in future posts!

Have you prayed for God to give you a clear purpose picture?

What other issues should you pray about?

Do you agree with this advice to pray first?

Jeremie Kubicek Book Give Away!

[title color=”orange-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-7em”]Free Book Give Away!!![/title]

Kubicek

Another Free Book Give Away?

You read that right! I am offering a free copy of Jeremie Kubicek’s book, Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It!

How Do You Win?

If you scroll down just a bit you will see the Rafflecopter entry form which outlines a bunch of ways to enter the Leadership is Dead giveaway. Just complete as many as you would like to be entered to win!

Why Am I Doing This?

I started this blog in an effort to spread the message of integrating the Christian faith into our businesses. I want to see more Christian business owners and leaders begin looking at their businesses from an eternal perspective and running them as platforms for Christian ministry.

While I know my posts are written toward this effort, I thought I would try to step it up a notch for 2013. My plan is to give away one book a month for the entire year! All I am asking from you is to follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. As you enter, you will be helping me to spread the word about this blog at the same time. We both win!

This Month’s Book: Jeremy Kubicek’s Leadership Is Dead

Jeremie Kubicek is the president and CEO of Giant Impact and a founding partner of the GiANT Companies. He has been growing and leading domestic and international companies for two decades that value people over processes and integrity above all else.Today he leads the global leadership event and training company and has added key new partnerships with Dr.Henry Cloud, Pat Lencioni, Andy Stanley and Mark Sanborn along with Dr. John Maxwell.

Anyone can make an impact. All you need is influence—the most potent professional asset on the planet. The problem is that influence is also the most underused asset on the planet. This book shows that the key to effective leadership is learning how to influence in a way that engenders greater trust, stronger partnerships, and more impactful endeavors.

Enter The Give Away

Follow the instructions below to enter the Leadership Is Dead contest and then spread the word to others! The contest ends at midnight on Wednesday, July 31st and the winner will be announced on Thursday, August 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Andy Stanley Book Give Away

[title color=”orange-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-7em”]Free Book Give Away!!![/title]

Andy Stanley

Another Free Book Give Away?

You read that right! I am offering a free copy of Andy Stanley’s book, When Work and Family Collide: Keeping Your Job from Cheating Your Family!

How Do You Win?

If you scroll down just a bit you will see the Rafflecopter entry form which outlines a bunch of ways to enter the When Work and Family Collide giveaway. Just complete as many as you would like to be entered to win!

Why Am I Doing This?

I started this blog in an effort to spread the message of integrating the Christian faith into our businesses. I want to see more Christian business owners and leaders begin looking at their businesses from an eternal perspective and running them as platforms for Christian ministry.

While I know my posts are written toward this effort, I thought I would try to step it up a notch for 2013. My plan is to give away one book a month for the entire year! All I am asking from you is to follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. As you enter, you will be helping me to spread the word about this blog at the same time. We both win!

This Month’s Book: Andy Stanley’s When Work & Family Collide

Is Your Occupation Also Your Preoccupation?

Let’s face it. With all the demands of the workplace and all the details of a family it’s only a matter of time before one bumps into the other. And many of us end up cheating our families when the commitments of both collide. In this practical book, Andy Stanley will help you…

  • establish priorities and boundaries to protect what you value most.
  • learn the difference between saying your family is your priority and actually making them your priority.
  • discover tested strategies for easing tensions at home and at work.

Enter The Give Away

Follow the instructions below to enter the When Work & Family Collide contest and then spread the word to others! The contest ends at midnight on Friday, May 31st and the winner will be announced on Saturday, June 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Is Vision Critical to Christian Leadership?

Probably one of the top five books I have read in the past ten years is called Visioneering by Andy Stanley. In my mind, this book ranks with classics like Good to Great by Jim Collins and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

vision

In Stanley’s book, he goes into great detail about why vision is so important to Christian leadership. He also gives solid advice about how to go about casting that vision to your organization. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it! I would loan mine to you, but someone borrowed it several years ago and has failed to return it. I am hoping they read this post and get the hint!

This is my third post in the series on Credible Christian Leadership. In this series we are looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. We started with honesty in my last post. Today, we are talking about being forward-looking, or casting vision.

Vision From Two Perspectives

Anyway, let’s talk about vision from a couple of perspectives. First, we need to discuss why it is important as a building block for Christian leadership. Second, we need to address what it looks like in a Christian leader.

People Want A Big Vision

If you read much about employee engagement, you will find that compensation is not always the most important issue affecting job satisfaction among employees. In many cases, the desire to work for something that is bigger than themselves turns out to rank higher than compensation for employees.

People want to be a part of something. That is one reason the Olympic Games are so interesting to people in all walks of life. When they watch the events on TV, they feel a part of the team. Americans, regardless of economic status or job position, feel like they are a part of a national team. It is invigorating to most everyone and the vast majority are not participating in any way other than as spectators.

If you want to tap into this passion with those you are leading, then they need to know you are looking into the future. They need to know you are seeing a better picture ahead and showing them how they can be a part of this vision.

What Should Vision Look Like?

Assuming you want this, let’s take a look at what this should actually look like from a Christian perspective.

For a Christian leader, our vision for the future cannot simply include things like more money and a comfortable retirement. If this is all it is, then we are showing them nothing any different than what the world is showing them. This just cannot be.

Temporal And Eternal Vision

Instead, this vision, coming from a Christian leader, needs to extend into the future on two levels – both the temporal (this life) and the eternal (the life to come). If we can cast a vision of a better future on both levels, we will have people eager to follow we and hear what we have to say.

Just like Jesus did with those He ministered to, we do need to provide for their physical needs in our vision. We cannot expect to lead people with no consideration of their physical existence and the needs that go along with it. If we ignore their physical needs when we are casting our vision for the future, then we will end up walking alone.

Stretch Their Picture

The difference for the Christian leader is that we are not painting a picture for them that only includes their own needs. We are instead showing them a larger picture that includes the needs of those around them. We want to show them that they can be a part of improving the community in which they live. This community includes their coworkers, neighbors, etc.

Eternal Vision

At the same time we are casting the vision for a better life here and now, we should also be casting the vision for a better life to come. As Christian leaders, we should be leading them to consider their life beyond this life.

In July’s C12 segment, the author describes it this way:

We need to believe, in our own hearts, that this earthly life is one of struggle and that the good life awaits us in Heaven. We lead based on the eternal perspective.

If we can cast this dual vision in a compelling way, we will draw people to God. Again, we are not looking for the spotlight. Instead, we are looking to cast that spotlight on Him and give Him the glory for it all.

Do you have a vision for a better future?

If not, are you praying for God to reveal it to you?

If so, are you casting this vision on both levels?

Some Common Objections To Developing An Inner Circle

In my last post, I told you why you need to develop an inner circle of leadership in your company. If you have not read that post, stop now and go back and do so. You really need to be committed to doing this if it is going to be effective.

Now that you know why you SHOULD develop an inner circle of leadership around you, let’s address some common objections to doing so.

inner circle

It Is Not Fair!

One of the first objections that arises at this point is, “But it is not fair to everyone!” The idea here is that those you choose for this inner circle will have unfair advantages and opportunities over the rest of your group. Folks, as Andy Stanley put it in his session at Catalyst recently, “Fair ended in the Garden of Eden!”

It is not your responsibility to give everyone in your organization equal and fair opportunities with your time and energy. Jesus did not pass around a sign-up list to those in the crowd, giving everyone an opportunity to be in His small group of twelve disciples. Nor did He give those twelve equal opportunity to be in His inner circle of three.

Instead, it appears that each time He intentionally chose those with more potential than the rest. Just like the master in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), you should give of your time and energy “to each according to his ability.”

I Don’t Have Anyone Qualified For An Inner Circle

What if you feel you really do not have anyone qualified to be in your inner circle? Well, there are several ways I could answer this.

First I will assume you have enough people from which to choose, but you do not see any clear stand-outs. In this case, remember you are looking for those with the most upward potential. You may have to start very small and do a lot of developing. You may have your standards too high or you may need to relook at your hiring process! Regardless, it will be worth it.

What if you truly do not have anyone with even a remote hint of potential for this type of group? What if you are such a small company that an inner circle would have to include all of your employees to be considered a group? In these cases, I would advise two things. First, find someone else to mentor you and help you develop as you grow your organization. Second, keep this inner circle in mind as you hire. Do not hire people that could not eventually be considered for this opportunity.

But I Am Not An Expert!

Another argument may be that you do not yet feel like an expert yourself. You do not feel worthy or qualified to gather an inner circle around you for furthering their development. Good point. You are not. Unfortunately, you will never be qualified! If you wait until you are, it will never happen!

To again quote Andy Stanley, he said “It is not your responsibility to ‘fill their cup’, only to empty yours!” You are not an expert, and as long as you keep learning, you never will be! But you do not have to know everything there is to know about your job or role in order to teach them what you do know. Empty your “cup” of all you know – that is your only responsibility here.

Lack of Time

You may object to developing an inner circle by saying you do not have the time to pour into them. This could be a legitimate short-term argument because some leaders truly do not have the time right now to spare for something like this. However this argument virtually ignores the long term necessity and benefits of doing so.

Instead of accepting your current situation, you need to take immediate action to work towards creating this time in your schedule through delegation and elimination of less-critical tasks. By replacing these less-critical tasks with leadership development of an inner circle, you will actually free up more time in the long run than you can imagine!

Do you already have an inner circle? Is it working?

If not, are you now convinced to start working on it?

What is your next action step? Have you prayed about it?

(Originally posted 10/18/11)

11 Killer Resources For Free Christian Leadership Material

When I first began attempting to run a Christian business, I was lost. I wanted to be a Christian leader, but I did not know exactly what that looked like. As the leader of the company, I knew I had to model what I wanted our company to look like if I expected it to change. I wanted Christian leadership material to read, but I had no idea where to go to find it.

Christian leadership

No Easy Search

Unfortunately, I did not find a website that listed a bunch of resources. Instead, I had to stumble across each of these resources one at a time. In some cases, one resource led me to another. Over the years, I have put together quite a reading and listening library of Christian leadership material.

In an effort to make it a little easier on you, I have put together my top 11 resource sites. I have tried to mix it up a little between blogs, podcasts, videos, and whitepapers. This list is most certainly not exhaustive, but it is some of the best you will find.

11 Killer Resources for Free Christian Leadership Material

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Key Christian leadership bloggers

Podcast and video sources

White papers, articles, etc.

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Christian Leadership Is Not Automatic

It really does not matter if you are at the top of your company or just getting started in your career. If you want to grow in Christian leadership, then you must take action on your own. Very rarely is anyone going to do it for you, and even then it will not work. You have to want it on your own!

You need to commit to digging into just a couple of these Christian leadership material resources listed above. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, but commit to reading or listening to something from one of these sites on a daily basis. Even if you only carve out 15 minutes a day, you will still see a difference.

Others Will Notice

Not only will you see a difference, those around you will see a difference. I am not an expert in Christian leadership – not by a long shot. However, when former employees make it a point to tell me that I do not appear to be the same guy they worked for several years ago, I know something is working.

I know to give God the credit. But I also know that He is not going to increase my Christian leadership ability without my participation. I must want it and I must be willing to do something about it! If I do my part, He will honor my efforts.

Act Now!

Do me a favor and check out these sites. Spend some time and invest in your own Christian leadership so that you are ready when God calls your number to make the big play! You will not regret it!

Which of these are new to you?

Do you have a site that should be added to the list?

What is your commitment to grow?