Quote of the Week

"... business is a legitimate part of undertaking the stewardship of creation to make a human imprint on the earth."

R. Paul Stevens, Doing God's Business, p.24

Making an Impression at Work

I recently read a thought provoking quote by renown pastor, Tim Keller about the importance of integrating faith and work. Here's what he said -
"...when most Christians enter a vocational field, they either - a) seal off their faith from their work and simply work like everyone else around them, or b) simply spout Bible verses at people to get their faith across. We simply do not know how to think out the implications of the Christian view of reality for the shape of everything we do in our professions."

For the record, I don't see very much of (b). With a few exceptions, most Christians in the workplace are too sophisticated, culturally aware and perhaps somewhat fearful, to spout Bible verses ad nauseam. However, the alternative isn't particularly encouraging. In fact, Keller's statement is not only true, it's also a sad commentary on the state of Christian influence in the workplace.

The fact is that for many Christians, the essence of their work life - the motivations for work, the methods and means of work as well as the resulting work - has little in common with the faith they profess. This can be self incriminating in many ways as I examine my own life but as I read Colossians 4:5, I'm also provoked by the daily opportunity in front of me.

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. "

Here's what's exciting - we have an opportunity to walk in wisdom toward those outside of the faith - folks that we encounter everyday in our daily interactions at work. We have an opportunity to both demonstrate and declare the wisdom of the gospel in numerous, small, seemingly insignificant and sometimes mundane moments that make up our days. We can make gospel impressions by the way we treat others, by the quality of our work and by the motivations of our hearts.

Think of your day as a series of gospel impressions over an extended period - weeks, months and even years. Then ask yourself this - what impression have you left with your co-workers?

Pursuing Happiness at Work

Happiness in the workplace isn't something that has typically received much attention. The high tech business world that I work in isn't exactly the most nurturing of environments. People aren't as much concerned about your state of happiness as they are about the status of your projects.

But lately, there's been a "happiness movement" in the workplace. Books like The Business of Happiness written by former AOL executive, Ted Leonsis and Delivering Happiness by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh are just two examples of how happiness in the workplace is taking center stage.

There's no getting away from this reality - if you're unhappy at work, you're probably going to be unhappy in life, especially since the majority of your waking hours are spent at work. What if you don't like your job? Perhaps you're not intellectually stimulated, feel unappreciated or you don't like the commute. Maybe, you're having trouble fitting in and getting along with your co-workers.

The point is - what do you do if find yourself consistently unhappy at work? (other than firing up your resume and calling it quits)

There's no shortage of helpful resources with practical tips on how to get back on track in your work life. If you don't believe me, doing a Google search on how to be happy at work = 576,000,000 results. I'm sure that there's goodness somewhere in the 576 million results but as I pondered this recently in my own life, I came across the following in Psalm 90 -

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" Psalm 90:14

I'm not eschewing the practical advice like "reframing your goals" or "take a 10 min break every couple of hours" but this verse from Psalm 90 seems to be pointing to something different. It's looking for happiness outside of myself or my present circumstance. In fact, it points to help outside of this world - which at times seems like the only place you can possibly find happiness. And, don't miss this - the psalmist is crying out for an experience of God's unfailing love because he believes it to be the essential ingredient to his happiness. He believes that knowing and experiencing God's love - the comfort of His nearness, the treasure of His presence, the faithfulness of His promises - is the key to rejoicing and gladness all his days.

The question for us is whether we're similarly convinced of this.

The Art of Work

I'm reading through Linchpin by Seth Godin, the best selling author and marketing guru. He offers a simple but valuable insight on how work is transformed into art when we invest what he calls "emotional labor" into our daily work.

"Art is unique, new, and challenging to the status quo.... Art cannot be merely commerce. It must also be a gift... Art is not limited to art school, or to music or even to stage. Art is any original idea that can be a gift. It takes art to make a mom happy on the first day of nursery school... It takes art to construct the plans for the English Channel. Most of all, art involves labor. Not the labor of lifting a brush, or typing a sentence, but the emotional labor of doing something difficult, taking a risk and extending yourself."

Seth Godin, Linchpin, p.86

There is something wonderful and biblical about the idea that Godin is advocating. I have no reason to believe that Godin is a professing Christian but he is on to something! So much of work even in Christian discourse is viewed in transactional terms - do a specific volume of work for a specific return in monetary value. When we think of our work exclusively in these terms, we miss the essence of what God intended. We lose the soul of God glorifying work - the opportunity to imitate our Creator God through our work.

In Genesis 1, God worked in Creation by creating the Universe ex nihilo (out of nothing). Imitating Him in our work isn't simply about working ethically - it also includes working creatively. While we cannot create ex-nihilo, we are called to use our gifts to put our world into order, to explore new opportunities and nurture existing opportunities.

In other words, we are called to create art through our work.

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Are you an artist through the work you perform? Are there opportunities for you to imitate God by work creatively and investing emotional labor?

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Integrity - Does It Matter Without God?

I recently read an interesting interview with Michael Jensen, a Harvard Business School professor who has written on the topic of integrity. In the interview, I liked how Jensen defined integrity, not simply as a set of values but as wholeness.

"An individual is whole and complete, when their word is whole and complete, and their word is whole and complete when they honor their word."

Jensen also speaks highly of the importance of integrity, especially for optimal performance or effective "workability". In other words, without integrity, nothing works.

"Integrity is important to individual, groups, organizations and society because it creates 'workability'. Without integrity, the workability of any... person, group or organization declines; and as workability declines, the opportunity for performance declines. Therefore, integrity is a necessary condition for maximum performance"

All good stuff - if there's anything I applaud, it's promoting the high value of integrity in the workplace. Every great organization is built on integrity and Michael Jensen is right - integrity is essential for optimal performance. That's because integrity fosters trust.... and trust is the basis for great collaboration, creativity and teamwork.

However, I think Jensen whiffs on a critical point when he sharply delineates between integrity, morality and ethics.

"Integrity is a purely positive proposition. It has nothing to do with good vs bad. Morality and ethics, on the other hand... deal with matters of good or bad, right vs wrong."

In the interview, he draws comparisons between the law of gravity and the "law" of integrity, insisting that it is devoid of moral component. The problem with Jensen's view is that it simply isn't true - you cannot separate integrity from its moral component and when you do, you're left with a hollow shell. It's the kind of "integrity" that's shaped by pragmatism but devoid of value. It's ultimately weightless and insignificant. If the primary reason for integrity is simply because "it works", we miss the very point of integrity altogether.

There are two primary reasons why I think Jensen has it wrong -

1. First and foremost, the Bible in fact, draws a clear, straight line from God to the very notion of integrity. God is described as a God of integrity. Integrity makes sense for men and women because it radiates from our Creator, who is Himself full of integrity. Integrity is an essential component of who God is. The fact that God keeps promises and deals justly with His Creation are all evidences of His integrity.

God also demands integrity from us. God is deeply interested in just, honest business dealings - "a false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight". He is in fact so committed to integrity that He blesses those who walk in integrity - "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." (Proverbs 11:1, 11:3)

2. If integrity is truly about wholeness of the individual, as Jensen says, then wholeness has to involve more than just keeping your word in one particular area of your life. What would Jensen say about a business man who keeps a high standard of integrity in his business dealings but unfaithful as a husband? True integrity is more than just a collection of actions/decisions, it's about the whole person in all of life.

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Can integrity be separated from morality, ethics or accountability to God? What do you think? What does living a life of integrity mean to you?

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Bill Hybels on Ministry Leadership

Bill Hybels of Willow Creek fame, makes the case that ministry leadership is more difficult than leading in the business world. The article starts with Hybels recalling a conversation with a business executive who arrogantly trivializes the challenge of leading a church. (Unfortunately, when business leaders think of the church as just another organization or enterprise, they expose their own folly.)

However, Hybels goes on to make the case that church or ministry leadership is more complex and challenging than leading in the business world. He offers the following four reasons to make his case. Let me state the obvious - I'm nowhere the equal of Hybels in the arena of leadership and I've had relatively little experience leading in ministry. However, there are elements of his words that really misses the mark - my comments and rebuttal in [ ] below.

1. Every life requires a custom mold. Essentially, he's making the case that church leadership is about people and it's very difficult to lead people without "leverage".

"...Napoleon, de Gaulle, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Patton. They were all the great military leaders....but I've wondered, What would it be like for some of those leaders to have to work it out with deacons before they charged up a hill? ...How would the whole military system work if you took away the leadership leverage of the court-martial? Anyone could build a church with leverage like that!"

[I wish that Hybels had a more realistic view about how effective business really run. They don't operate that differently from the church leadership scenario he speaks of. Yes, the CEO is the one "in charge" but in most organizations, effective leadership still involves leading by influence, building consensus and casting a compelling vision. And, no, we don't have the threat of court martial either. ]

2. The church is voluntary.

"But in the final analysis, we have little or no leverage, no real power over anybody we lead...To mobilize an utterly volunteer organization requires the highest kind of leadership. We cannot compel people; we must call them."
[Yes, but sustained leadership in any arena isn't about compelling people, it's about calling and engaging them]

3. The church is utterly altruistic

"When leading a business, you can hire a bright, energetic, young employee and say, "...Here's your salary, your perks, your car...If you work hard, in five or eight years we're going to make you a partner...And when we sell this place in fifteen or twenty years, we're all going to walk away wealthy...Are you interested? But as church leaders, what do we tell prospective church members? "You're a depraved, degenerate sinner who's in trouble for all eternity unless you get squared away with Christ."...Oh, yeah, you get no parking place, no reserved seats, no special privileges, no voting rights, no vacation or retirement program. You serve till you die. But trust us: God's going to make it right in eternity."

[Ministry isn't about altruism, nor should it ever be. It's about gaining a reward greater than the best the world has to offer. If we miss this, we miss the heart of gospel centered service. "Serving" God is a gift, not grudging sacrifice. It is our joyful opportunity to participate in what the Eternal God is doing on this earth. No business can compete with that. Effective ministry leaders remind us of that reality as often as they can, not to manipulate us for service but because there's nothing better we can give ourselves to]

4. The church has the highest calling.

"We can no longer afford to leave people leaderless in the arena of the church...May the church be the one place where people who come out of leaderless homes and schools and jobs and athletic teams discover, maybe for the first time in their lives, the excitement of being valued, of being included, of being told that they are indispensable for the achievement of a common vision. "

[I'm not sure it's correct to view ourselves as "indispensable" to the achievement of God's work. God can use anyone. Often, it truly baffles me why he would use me...but it's my privilege to participate in His work. Should we be incredibly grateful? Certainly. Are we indispensible? I don't think so.]

Here's one more unique advantage the church has - it is the only institution that God guarantees will be there on the Last Day and throughout eternity - it will not fail, its purpose will stand. No business will last that long nor will its pinnacle be as glorious.

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What do you think? Is ministry leadership really more complex as Bill Hybels says it is?

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Vocational Advice for Twenty Somethings

In a prior post, I've mentioned the work of Gideon Strauss, the editor of Comment. Comment is an online publication focused on promoting a Christian worldview on work and public life. In a recent issue, Gideon addresses the challenges facing 28 year old Christian professionals in big corporations. Here's Gideon's take on their dilemma -

"...some of the people.... who have the hardest time, vocationally speaking, are 28-year-olds working in big corporations. They are no longer novices....but they don't really have any significant institutional power yet.... they must conform very closely to institutional expectations if they want to keep their jobs and build their careers. They have limited opportunities to offer leadership or take initiative . . . and their dreams of changing the world—of making a difference—are turning a little stale."

In the article entitled Finding our way to great work: called to work and live in the city, Gideon solicits advice on how to sustain a vision for working and living in the city. Here's a sampling of what some of these older, wiser voices offered to the 28 year old Christian professional:

"Being salt and light in big organizations and big cities comes with all the challenges of climbing a mid-size mountain. You need a good community of close friends with you to help you make the climb...These close friends, nearby and across the miles, are committed to living a shared way of life and longing for "Kingdom come" in the face of frustrations and broken systems. With these kindred spirits I can taste the life that is really life at work, at home, and in the world."

Stephen Lazarus
Director, Civitas Programs for Leadership in Faith and Public Affairs
Center for Public Justice

"Consider yourself to be in a time of training and preparation: Life has many seasons, and it is important to grow in each one of them...There are some wonderful opportunities to thrive where you are, and build a base for future growth...You are also in an ideal time of life to learn "followership," although our fallen nature seems to cause us to fight this. Great leaders know how to follow well, and know the value of submitting to authority... Being a good follower means watching the culture of your organization and learning from its patterns, but it also means that you must never, never, never compromise your values or your faith. "

L. J. "Sam" Helgerson
Writer and consultant
Great Ridge Group, Inc.

"...I have accepted that it is not through my work that I necessarily wish to be remembered. I am, first and foremost, a husband and father, a neighbour, and a friend. These things mark more decisively who I am, and how I wish to be remembered. Gideon Strauss has a motto on his website that includes these sentences: "Enabling whole-hearted work. Equipping worldchanging organizations." For some, these two are one in the same. But for most of us, especially those in the corporate sector, they are two distinct tasks. Yes, our work matters, but we can change the world right where we are—in our homes, our neighbourhoods, our churches. "

Brian Janaszek
Computer programmer

"To the kind of person you describe, I would say the following: God has positioned you to be a salting salt in our culture, even though you may think that you presently have little scope for making a difference for his kingdom. Be faithful, and settle in for the long haul. In the mean time, seek out contact with other believers in a similar situation to yours for mutual encouragement and inspiration. "

Al Wolters
Professor of Religion & Theology, Redeemer University College and author of Creation Regained

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What kind of advice would you offer a 28 year old seemingly "trapped" in a corporate environment? How can the young Christian professional find inspiration for daily work?

Make Meaning

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Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, business author, and former Apple marketing whiz, talks about how to successfully launch a startup. According to Kawasaki, the most important part isn't your business plan, it's the desire to "make meaning".

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Here's part of what he says:

The core, the essence of entrepreneurship is to make meaning...

Many, many people start companies to make money. I have found the companies that are fundamentally founded...to make the world a better place, that make meaning...they are the companies that succeed

If you make meaning, you'll probably make money but if you set out to make money, you won't make meaning and you probably won't make money either.

Kawasaki goes on to say that there are three ways to make meaning:

1. Improve quality of life
2. Right a wrong
3. Prevent the end of something good

I have no idea if Kawasaki is a Christian but his challenge to make meaning in what we do is provoking. There is something about his challenge that seems to resonate with me - I believe God wants us to live and work with eternal purpose.

If you're starting a new company, non-profit or ministry initiative (or if you're just interested), you need to check out the entire video clip. It's only a couple of minutes long.

I'd only temper what Kawasaki's message in the following way:

We cannot "make meaning". I believe it is God who "makes meaning" in this world - we can only discover meaning...but we can experience joy as we give ourselves to it.

What do you think of what Guy Kawasaki says?

Why Pursue Humility in Business?

Last week, we discussed how humility in business is often motivated by a utilitarian ethic. For many in business, the pursuit of humility is encouraged because humility works and perhaps it's even good for business.

But is this sufficient or even acceptable motivation for the Christian? I think we all know intuitively that it isn't. We know that humility pursued simply for the sake of gaining influence or advancing career goals isn't real humility at all.

If we're not meant to pursue humility in this way, how then should we be motivated for humility? I know it's a strange question to ask - why should you pursue humility in your daily work?

Should humility be pursued for it's own sake? Or does the Bible offer us particular motivations to seek humility?

Here are a few thoughts from the Bible regarding humility and why we might be motivated to pursue it.

• We seek to be humble because we want to experience God's favor. A prime motivation for humility is that we want God to look upon us - we want His favor upon us - we want more of His grace - we desire more of Him.

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 63:2

• We seek to be humble because we know that God is opposed to the proud. Unlike the pragmatist, we seek to be humble because we fear God. The following words ring true to us and we take them seriously upon our hearts -

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another,
for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

1 Peter 5:5

• We ought to pursue humility because our Savior exemplified humility for us in every way. This is one of the rare occasions in the New Testament that we're encouraged to look to Christ's example as a point of motivation. Paul lends weight to his exhortation for humility by pointing to Jesus' ultimate condescension for our sake.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility
count others more significant than yourselves...
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.

Phillipians 2:3-7

• We also pursue humility because we trust that God will reward us. This is different from the utilitarian view because it looks to God in faith. It doesn't view God as a vending machine dispensing career advancement or riches, simply by slotting in the coins of humility. Instead, it looks to God, trusting that He will provide the reward in His own time, in His own way.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

1 Peter 5:6

• We demonstrate humility in our dealings with others because we have received much from God. Have you had success at work? Undoubtedly, you've achieved it because God has provided help through others. If you have skills to apply to your work, it because God has equipped you for it. Are you well regarded? It is God who has granted you favor.
  
  Most of all, you have received mercy and grace from God such that you no longer labor under God's wrath but under His pleasure.
  

For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

1 Corinthians 4:6

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Why do you pursue humility? Anything I left out?
Please share your thoughts with us.

Humility in Business

A couple of months ago, after listening to a sermon on the topic of humility, my friend Mike wondered what humility would look like in the workplace. So I thought I'd ask you for examples of humility in the workplace... but that's next week's post.

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Before we venture into examples of humility in the workplace, I thought we'd explore the topic of humility in a slightly different angle. Mike's comment led me to do a little research (I was googling, but research sounds so much better) on the topic of humility in business. Here's what I discovered:

Humility can be good for business. Partly driven by the popular Good to Great book by Jim Collins, many are taking a fresh look at humility as an essential virtue of the effective business leader. In fact, in a 2004 interview, Stone Phillips of NBC News actually asks the question "Can humility be good for business?". Here's part of the opening quote -

"...there is a movement in America that insists arrogance, greed and selfishness don't have to be the hallmarks of business. It's a model of business management that's catching on with corporations today, called servant-leadership. Can humility and faith be good for business? Was Jesus the ultimate CEO?"

Make no mistake about it - this is hardly mainstream. However, there is growing awareness that "humility" can lead to success in business. Some are looking at the example of Jet Blue's CEO handling of a corporate crisis and lauding his humble response.

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So, here are my questions -

• Is this utilitarian emphasis on humility as a core virtue of the successful business leader something that Christians should embrace?

• Should a Christian define humility differently? After all, humility is a trait that most religions tout as virtuous.
  

• How would you define humility and what motivates you to pursue it?
  

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Stories We Love to Tell

In today's blogging, social networking, web 2.0 world, word of mouth marketing is now turbo-charged and ready for prime time. From his How to Change the World blog, Guy Kawasaki writes about the Nine Best Story Lines for Marketing. The substance of the post is taken from Lois Kelly's book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing.

I haven't read the book but I was intrigued by Guy Kawasaki's post. Apparently, Lois Kelly outlines nine types of stories that people love to talk about and promote by word of mouth. Here are the story lines that tend to gain momentum through word of mouth, along with Kawasaki's comments [and mine] -


Aspiration and beliefs - "More than any other topic, people like to hear about aspirations and beliefs."
[I'm not sure why, but I think God made us this way - we love to hear stories about those who aspire to more than their own selfish ambitions, with a belief in something beyond themselves]

David versus Goliath - "Rooting for the underdog grabs our emotions, creates meaning, and invokes passion. We like to listen to the little guy talk about how he’s going to win and why the world—or the industry—will be a better place for it."
[Never mind that David and Goliath isn't really about the underdog but you get his point. It's the staple of every good sports movie...it's why we love Hoosiers and why the Miracle on Ice in 1980 captivated a nation. As a GMU grad, this is a great time to remind you once again, of the Patriots' historic Final Four run in 2006]

Avalanche about to roll - "This theme taps into our desire to get the inside story before it’s widely known."
[I think of this as the "bandwagon effect" - we can't help it, we love to get a jump start on the "next big thing".]

Contrarian/Counterintuitive/Challenging Assumptions - "Contrarian perspectives defy conventional wisdom... The boldness of contrarian views grabs attention"
[Thinking differently, challenging assumptions and changing status quo isn't just about creativity, it also takes courage....and willingness to look foolish. Perhaps that's why we love to talk about these stories]

Anxieties - "Anxiety... is more about uncertainty than an emerging, disruptive trend."
[Think Y2K - remember how that story got transmitted? Our sinful hearts tend to fear and unbelief ...and we can't help communicating our anxieties to those around us]

Personalities and personal stories - "There’s nothing more interesting than a personal story with some life lessons to help us understand what makes executives tick and what they value the most."
[Think about how Jim Elliot's story inspired a generation of missionaries]

How to stories and advice - "...people love pragmatic how-to advice: how to solve problems, find next practices, and overcome common obstacles....[but] how-to themes need to be fresh and original"
[Diet fads thrive on this principle, as do superstitions and folklore]

Glitz and Glam - "Finding a way to logically link to something glitzy and glamorous is a surefire conversation starter"
[Sadly, this is only too true - the plight of Dafur got real buzz when Bono got involved.]

Seasonal/event related - "Last, and least interesting but seems to resonate, is tying your topic into seasonal or major events."
[Seasonal: This summer, I'm learning to sail. Spread the word ... and warn all sailors!]