In my last post (you really need to read it!), I explained how Pastor Julio, a man I had just met, had listened to my story about following God’s lead in my family business. He listened to me tell him how I knew I was on the right path and committed to it regardless of the cost. He paid attention while I described the hardship I was enduring. Then he asked if he could give me some advice.
I regularly get the privilege of welcoming new employees into our company. As part of our orientation and new hire training process, I go over our company history (three generations!) along with a deep dive of our company’s mission, vision, and core values statements.
In business, we are constantly being tested. Whether it is tough personnel decisions, investment opportunities, or even when hiring new team members, we are consistently challenged to have the right answer. For Christian business leaders, I think there might be more to each test than we realize.
Writing a blog can be a dangerous undertaking! No, there have not been any threats on my life or people coming after me because of something I have said. The danger is not actually a physical one, but a spiritual one. Instead of finding myself in peril, the problem is one of theory versus application.
Have you ever been to the beach on vacation? One popular activity with children is to build sand castles down near the water. You will sometimes find the parents helping them, but more often the parents are sitting back watching or reading a book. I believe it is a subconscious dislike of meaningless work that causes this. Have you considered that?
A couple of great friends of mine visited the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove for a Corporate Chaplains training conference. One of them told me about the various displays at the center and the interesting facts about Graham’s ministry. As he talked, I thought about how I would love to have the impact that Billy Graham has had for eternity.
Have you stopped to take in the view on the side of a mountain road and wished you had such a view all the time? Have you ever been to the beach for vacation and wondered how the people that live there year-round ever get any work done? In fact, the more you notice the people that appear to live there, the more you realize they seem to ignore the opportunity to stare at the view.
I am fortunate to be around very wise and godly people on a regular basis. In fact, much of the material for this blog comes from their mouths, whether they realize it or not! I recently heard one of them say something that stuck with me. It was especially impactful for me because it was convicting! While the phrase “to honor God” is part of our company mission statement, I have strayed from this idea as my central goal. My friend’s quote made this obvious to me.
I believe it is critical for Christian business owners and leaders to live out their leadership differently than those who do not claim the Christian faith. We are called to die to self and should, therefore, look different than the rest. One way we do this is to focus on others – our employees or team members – and their needs before our own.
Most likely, you have not spent much time thinking about where an ambassador works when they are on the job. Unless you have read my last two posts, you may not have thought much at all about ambassadors. Either way, I want to encourage you to think about them today – and how their work impacts you as an ambassador for Christ!