WorkMatters is hosting three sites this year, two in northwest Arkansas and one at WorkMatters Marietta (GA). Over 2,200 leaders will participate in our WorkMatters Leadercasts! We are so excited and so blessed to be used by God in this powerful way to help build more purposeful leaders. And, we are grateful to be able to partner with such a humble and excellent organization as GiANT Impact, who delivers the Leadercast. Here is Sam’s message:

I wanted to let you know how grateful we have been for the prayers all of you have offered over these past couple of weeks.  It is such a comfort to know that others are lifting us up in prayer during this  busy time. 

It’s  hard to believe that all these months of work will come together tomorrow.  We have exceeded last year’s ticket sales now in Rogers, Ar and have surpassed our goal for ticket sales in your first year of hosting the Leadercast in Fayetteville, Ar.  We have more volunteers (100) than ever before serving and have had incredible Leadership teams helping us in so many ways.  It’s good to pause for just a moment in the middle of the crazy busy details of the Leadercast and reflect on all that God has allowed us to accomplish.

WorkMatters has a location in Marietta, Georgia as well that is hosting the Leadercast.  They have blown the roof off their goals as well and are now “standing room only” with well over 500 in attendance.  Praise God!!

If you would just continue to pray today for all the many details to come together for all locations, especially for our brand new location in Fayetteville and our friends in Marietta, Ga we would be grateful.  Please pray that some will experience life change and will draw closer to the Father as a result of attending tomorrow.

We are very excited about tomorrow and truly looking forward to a great day!

This is a story of a leader who found himself in what most people described as a “no-win” situation. Jeff Long had an employee on his team who was an incredible performer. He had achieved almost superstar status from his “customers”. Revenue was at an all-time high largely due to this employee.  The national buzz was off the charts and the future looked even brighter than the past. This is a story that  we often see in the marketplace, isn’t it? As the leader, what do you do?  The only thing riding on the decision is the psyche of a state, a potential national championship and the near-term future of the University of Arkansas.

A good case could be made for forgiveness with discipline. Let’s keep the train on the tracks. Let’s do what most other leaders do. Let’s do what the “world” tells us to do. That is NOT what Jeff Long chose to do.

I have included the full press conference here. If you haven’t seen it, please take time to watch it. You will be amazed. If you have seen it, I encourage you to watch it again. But this time, watch it with your leadership eyes. Go to school on what you see here from a courageous leader.

Here’s a sampling of the leadership lessons I learned:

1. Integrity - Doing the right thing, is never the wrong thing.
2. Wisdom and Courage - have the wisdom to know what to do, and the courage to do it.
3. Compassion - his heart is deeply connected to the mission. He hurt for everyone who lost in this situation (especially the players).
4. Details - a great leader is willing to understand and execute.
5. Decisiveness - his assuredness created a persuasive confidence in the masses.
6. Vision - communicating the future state with confidence creates emotion and commitment.
7. Choices - as leaders we face them everyday. Are we willing to do the right thing no matter what the outcome?
8. Excuses – it was never about Jeff Long. You can only imagine the turmoil he went through. 
9. Passion - do we really care about the mission and purpose of our work? 
10. Influence - last…our work is a platform for influence. Jeff Long made the hard choice. The by-product is an impact in thousands of peoples lives that you can have honor and integrity.

As I enter this new week, I find that I have many competing priorities and most of them feel like they need to get done immediately.  There are times when it seems that it all needs to get done, but often times I get lost in trying to make the decision of what to do first.  (Guess I need to read Steven Covey’s “First Things First” again…).   Yes, I know that I need to focus on the most important things and not necessarily just what seems most urgent.  I sometimes however,  need help knowing which is which because that often changes from week to week.

Our Lord is once again waiting and wondering why I don’t just ask Him about it.   He sees the big picture as opposed to our perspective of not even seeing the next step and will most willingly be our guide if we would just submit to his leadership.   Our plans should be His plans, therefore, we are most likely out of step with His will if we don’t seek Him in regards to our priorities.

Hopefully you will take some time today at the beginning of another super busy work week and step back to ask for His direction and for His clarity.  As the day/week progresses this constant seeking of guidance will make a huge difference in how you get it all done this week.  You will most likely look back at the end of the week and see that somehow you accomplished much more than you thought you would AND you will realize where your help came from.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.  Luke 12:31

Nine years ago I made a choice. I chose to attend a leadership simulcast at my church. I did it because I love to learn and grow as a leader. I was VP of Sales/Marketing at J.B. Hunt Transport in northwest Arkansas and I needed all of the leadership wisdom and insight I could get. What I didn’t realize was that God had a bigger agenda for me that day.

At the close of the leadership simulcast, an announcement was made. A new marketplace ministry, focused on bridging the gap between faith and work,  was launched. Approximately 18 months later, I became the first employee of this new non-profit organization called WorkMatters!

Since that day, WorkMatters has remained committed to this ONE DAY of leadership development. Because we believe that this one day can make an impact in your life and in the lives of those you work with.

Welcome to the 9th annual WorkMatters Chick-fil-A Leadercast. If you have attended before, you know that the 10 speakers are extraordinary leaders.

Yes…ONE DAY can change (and will) change your life. I hope you will take advantage of this rare opportunity for you and your team. It will likely be the best investment you will make this year.

It is amazing to see people around the office that will step up and serve when the time calls for it.  We all have talents and gifts that can be used in powerful ways if we will just decide that serving is a priority and open our eyes to the opportunities that present themselves all over the workplace.  These opportunities can come from all kinds of directions.  Let me share a story with you about someone I work with who was a real inspiration to me in this way.

We all remember the tornado that went through Joplin, MO last year as if it were yesterday.  It was one of those moments in life you will always remember what you were doing when you heard about the devastation so close to home.  The next day at the office, so many people were asking, “what can we do”?  Several wanted to immediately drive to Joplin to help with the recovery effort, yet nobody was really sure how to get started or what to do.  After listening quietly to all the concern throughout the day, one of our associates, John, asked if he could talk to me in my office.  John lives in Monett, MO, very close to Joplin, and had served as a Missouri State Trooper in a previous career.  In a very short amount of time, John showed me a plan he had put on paper of how many volunteers we would need around the clock to feed emergency workers in downtown Joplin.  The plan included supplies, location, emergency phone numbers, vehicles, and everything else that would have us serving food within a couple of hours.  Once the plan was in place, the volunteers were assembled and a schedule was put together allowing us to serve food in Joplin for the next two weeks.

What started as concern and a lot of uncertainty, quickly turned into action when one person stepped up with a plan.  Over the next two weeks, our entire office staff had taken time out of their schedule to serve emergency workers in Joplin.

Many times in our day-to-day routine, it just takes someone to step up and provide the leadership necessary to make something happen.  So many people around you want to help serve others, yet they don’t know where to start.  As you start to respond to these opportunities, your co-workers will be inspired by the example you set and serving others can become a common part of your workplace experience.

I am reading Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It by Giant Impact CEO Jeremie Kubicek. Jeremie says “great leaders with true influence build relationships by serving the needs of those within their spheres of influence, even as they serve the needs of their businesses.”

It is the “even as they serve the needs of their businesses”  phrase that we should consider. There are certainly numerous opportunities for us to have influence in our personal lives. What about work? In the busy lives that we lead today, how can we be more intentional about influencing in the flow of our day at work?

Here are a few suggestions for you to consider.

1. Encourage – take the time to share with someone what you see in them. Their gifts, their skills. It doesn’t have to be a long discussion. It can follow a meeting where you simply pull that person aside and say, “you are really good at…”
2. Mentor – a big, sometimes scary word. That man or woman 5, 10, 20 years younger than you? Their watching. Show them the way. Maybe you can take them to lunch one day. Pour a little of what’s in your cup, in their cup.
3. Serve - we are pro’s at hiding when we are hurting, especially at work. When you see or hear that someone in your work is going through a difficult time, there is no greater time to serve. Maybe it is an encouraging private word. Maybe it’s an email. Maybe it’s a cup of coffee. Remember those people who came along side of you in your time of need? Now you can use your experience to serve another.

Lord, slow us down enough to notice. Plant the seed in us to be intentional with the influence that you give us, especially in our work. Amen

“You’re here to be light…If I make you light-bearers…shine! By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God…” Matthew 5:14-16

More likely, our landmines look like small choices made every day; how do I report my business results and how they were achieved, or should I expense this or that.  In office environments our landmines are often temptations that take us away from our work.  Maybe it’s fantasy football, endless web surfing, or bidding for that primo iPhone 4 on eBay.  Often these landmines seem very small and insignificant, but that’s EXACTLY where we get blown up.

If we agree that the small things are the most likely to challenge our integrity, what can we do to protect ourselves and bolster our decision-making all week-long?  Here are a few practical tips for navigating the minefields at work:

1. Follow the manual. Nearly every employer has a handbook of sorts. If they don’t (or even if they do), use Proverbs 11 as your guide.  It’s all spelled out there!
2. Weigh the consequences.  Sad choices can ruin careers.  Are a few extra bucks in your pocket or praise you didn’t earn worth risking your career or reputation?  Not likely!
3. Ask “what if Jesus was watching me?”  If you had to submit your reports to Jesus, would they stay as-is? Hey, He knows the truth anyway…

Truthfully, the real landmine damage is actually done to your fellowship with God.  He wants all of you at work and wants you to experience all He has planned for you.  Remember that “…God tests the heart and is pleased in integrity…” (1 Chronicles 29:17) and that He has your back at work.

Honor Him with your eight to five and He will honor you for a lifetime.

In the minefield with you, Steve

This is a guest post by Steve Toth. He is a husband, father of two wonderful children, and the business unit leader at Novar. He was the marketplace teacher at our recent Eight to Five event focused on INTEGRITY, one of the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work. His teaching is available to you now in Video, Podcast, and Executive Summary formats.

This past weekend, I was watching a college football game, when a coach was asked at halftime, “How does the loss of your starting quarterback affect you?” The coach answered quickly, “nothing changes,” and walked away.

Maybe that coach was not completely honest, maybe he was. But the thought did occur to me that we often find the value we place on something, after it is gone. If that is true, how would you answer this question if asked at this point of your life:

“If there was no Jesus, how would it affect you?”

Would anything really change? Would how you live your life be altered at all? Other than a possible weekly routine of going to church, would your life really be different?

Before rushing to a quick answer, think about it… If there was no Jesus available for the rest of your life, would it really make a difference? Or would your  answer be just like that head coach’s…”nothing changes”?

If that starting quarterback truly was a difference maker, and that coach was able to be completely honest in his answer, you would expect the response to be something other than, “nothing changes.” You would expect words like:

• Everything is different,
• he was our hope,
• our leader,
• our difference maker,
• everything we did was centered around him,
• if we don’t have him….we really have no chance,
• we could afford to lose anything else, but not him.

A coach would never say that on national TV for obvious reasons, but I have to think at times, that would be their honest, authentic response.

What would be our honest authentic response? Is Jesus really our difference maker, hope, leader? Is everything we do centered on Him? If we did not have Him, would we really have a chance? Could you afford to lose anything except Him?

Take time to think about this question. Then think back over the course of the past 2 weeks. Is there enough evidence in your life to support your answer? Is Jesus more than just another player to you? Or would your answer honestly be, “nothing changes,” and then slowly walk away?

God Bless, Jimmy Dykes

One statistic seems to get lost in the blessings of altering the journey of those between jobs. Over 40 leaders have volunteered their time to teach and inspire hundreds of people between jobs! Today we asked 12 of them to make one last return to coach and challenge and encourage a roomful that needed it.

What has amazed me over the past 2 1/2 years, is how passionate these leaders have been about serving those between jobs. They not only come and speak, but they hand out their business cards and beg people to call them. They ask what else they can do. A leading Recruiting firm’s leader said to me, “our entire company is at your disposal!”

I found it fascinating to watch these 12 influential leaders arrive at 8:00a.m. for breakfast, speak on a panel, then stay and work the room until 11:00a.m.

What does that say to you?

For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve…  Mark 10:25

One of the great leaders of the Bible was exceptionally good at inquiring of God before he made big decisions. And God so often directed Joshua’s path. But in Joshua 9:14, we learn that in one instance they did not “inquire of the Lord”. And it cost them. They were tricked into signing a treaty with neighbors against God’s directions.

Some suggestions:

1. Read this story of Joshua 9:14.
2. Begin praying in the morning for the “major” decisions you face each day.
3. Write it in your journal.
4. See what God does.

It may feel like you are slowing down in making big decisions, but if you get it right do you care?

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.   Joshua 9:14