If you are a Christian business owner or leader, then you have faced situations where you had to make a decision. This simply comes with the job. Unfortunately, many of us are not trained in the skill of decision making. Everyone assumes we should know how to do this – no training necessary, right?
As Christian business owners and leaders, we are often faced with major decision making opportunities. Unfortunately, these situations do not always come with much warning and often carry significant consequences. Though these opportunities are critical functions of our leadership roles, we are seldom adequately trained in how to execute them – especially from a Christian perspective. In light of that, I want to share a simple set of decision making questions that can help you make God-honoring decisions.
As we near the end of this year and the start of a new one, I think it is very appropriate to take some time to look in the mirror and consider our own leadership journey. Ask yourself the following questions – Is my leadership about me? Does my leadership come from a humble or proud heart? Am I really THAT good at leading or am I leading from a heart focused on God’s will?
For the first time on this blog, I am going to spend a little time discussing recent political events in the U.S. and how I see they apply to the Christian in business. I am not really interested in digging deep into the actual politics of the now-complete election, but I do want to offer practical advice for all of us to follow – especially regarding how we are seen by our enemies.
If you are in leadership in any way, then you have dealt with complexity. Whether it is personnel issues, financial situations, competitive decisions, or moral choices, leadership can be complex at times. This is even more true when there is growth happening. It is during these times that as a leader, you need 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.
Do you recognize the name Samuel Pierpont Langley? I am sure some of you do, but most people have never heard his name mentioned. Yet, if you lived at the beginning of the 20th century, his name would have been one you would quickly identify. Unfortunately for Langley, it was his “Why?” that is most likely responsible for his anonymity. The ideas in this post come largely from a TED talk by Simon Sinek in 2009.
I had dinner with a friend of mine recently and the story he shared with me was eye-opening! In fact, if you have ever experienced a drop in sales, reduced margins, increased turnover, and general frustration among the employees in your business, then his story could have an impact on you as well! It is a story of lost and restored vision.
Have you ever done anything you are ashamed of? Are there stories from your past that you would not want as headlines in the news? If we are honest, I would bet that the vast majority (if not all) of you would have to say “Yes” to these questions. In light of that, let me ask another question. Are you ashamed of Jesus?
Have you ever set some seriously strong goals for yourself or your business, only to later find yourself so far from them that you lost hope? Have you done the math and realized you simply had too far to go in too little time? If you have ever set huge goals, it is likely you have experienced this frustration. When you did, how did you feel? What was your overall outlook at the time?