This week at work, I took a close look at what I actually accomplished in serving others. My personal goal has always been to be able to serve others without making it a task.  It should be something that comes natural and part of my daily routine.  It is so easy to get absorbed in “self” and what we want to accomplish.  This week I’d like to focus on 5 ways to serve others which are a little out of the ordinary that we may not have thought about when it comes to serving.

1.  “Be A Friend to Someone Who Doesn’t Deserve It”.  We know who these people are at work.  What we don’t know is what is going on in their lives.  Maybe they’ve made some wrong choices and need someone to help them get on the right track.  Reach out to them because you know that nobody else probably will.
2.  “Put Away Your Cell Phone in Conversation”.  We are all guilty of having the cell phone right on our desk when we visit with people.  Even if we don’t answer it, if it rings, beeps, or vibrates, we take our attention off the conversation even if it is brief.  Make it a point to tell them you need to turn off your phone because their conversation is important to you.
3. “Allow Others to Speak Before You”.  In a meeting you have scheduled, start by asking everyone to share their thoughts and ideas before you speak.  Let them know you want to hear what they are thinking, listen intently and take notes.  I truly believe taking notes when others are speaking shows a great deal of respect and in turn, they understand how important they are to the conversation.
4. “Buy Someone Lunch”.  Take a day in the next week to look for someone at work that you can take to lunch.  Not the same people you go with on a regular basis, but someone out of your comfort zone.  Who at work looks like they are struggling?  Who always eats in the cafeteria or break room and you know probably can’t afford to eat out?  Find that person and just invite them to have lunch with you.
5. “Hand Write a Thank You Card”.  One of my favorite things to do at work on a regular basis is to recognize someone through a card or note.  It can be recognition for anything as long as it is genuine.  “Congratulations on winning that award, Good Job on the presentation yesterday, I was really impressed with the way you handled that situation, I’m really proud of you for earning that promotion”.

A few weeks ago, one of my fellow co-workers experienced some unexpected major health issues and ended up needing open heart surgery.  It was a shock to everyone at the office as it happened so quick.  In the break room getting coffee the next morning, I heard several people talking about what they should do for him.  Does the family need any help?  Do you think he wants any visitors?  I listened throughout the day to many people asking me questions regarding how he was doing, and was he recovering ok.  The next morning, not as much talk as everyone went about their daily routine and every now and then someone would mention him, but he sure wasn’t the point of conversation today.  Everyone had moved on with their busy lives.

I struggled as well with what to do for those two days.  Heart surgery is a big deal and I didn’t know how I could help him or his family.  The third morning I drove to the hospital and went straight to his room.   He looked up and gave me a smile.   I went over to his bedside and said, “I didn’t know if you needed anything, but I thought I’d drop by and just check on you”.  He was so appreciative and said nobody but his family had been to visit.  He didn’t have the strength to say much and so I just sat in a chair in his room while he dozed in and out for about 45 minutes.

His wife came in, informed me that she had been running a few errands for the kids, and had to leave him alone for a little while.  She didn’t know who she could call to come sit with him since everyone was so busy.  I informed her that I was always available, just to call.  Her words that followed really made me appreciate the time I took out of my day to come see him, “Thanks so much, I didn’t want to interrupt anyone’s day and just didn’t know who to reach out to”.  She called me two more times over the next few days and asked  if I could do small errands for her which I was more than happy to do.

The point is….Don’t ever underestimate the power of just showing up when someone is in need.    During those times, people don’t always think clearly so sometimes you just need to show them you are there for them.  Often they won’t ask for help, but they really need it. This is especially true at work!

I love today’s blog post from Seth Godin! Especially this point…”Caring, it turns out, is a competitive advantage, and one that takes effort, not money.” One of our Core Values at WorkMatters is Excellence. It is also one of the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work. Excellence is so often found in the details. Enjoy Seth’s wisdom below:

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.

A few weeks ago, my brother was driving back from the airport, when he had a blowout on his new car.  The front passenger tire was flat and he pulled off into an empty parking lot as the light of day was slipping away.  He had been out on a business trip the entire week and was tired and ready to get home and relax.  “Could the flat tire have come at a worst time”?

As he opened the trunk to retrieve the spare tire and jack, a beat up old truck pulled in behind with their headlights shining on his car.  The driver door opens and a man in overalls gets out and walks up to him.  Dark parking lot, flat tire, man in a beat up old truck….you can imagine the thoughts and feelings going through his mind. “My 16 year old son is in the truck and would like to change your tire for you”.  My brother immediately asked “Why”?  The man responds, “My son is a boy scout and enjoys helping others”.  Although it sounded very strange, he let the boy change the tire while he stood back and watched.  When he was done, he tried to offer the boy and his father money for their trouble, but they both politely declined. They drove away and my brother was able to go home.

I remember my brother stating nothing like this had ever happened to him before and he was amazed someone “just wanted to help”.  He has now looked for opportunities to serve others since someone was willing to serve him.

There is no end to the opportunities that you will find around you at work to reach out and serve someone.  Yes, at times is will be inconvenient and might detract you from your  agenda, but you will  find that somehow you still get everything done.   God has a way of honoring the time you spend serving others.

Serving others is contagious!  Once you start, it’s difficult to stop.  Start today – a simple spark can turn into a big fire.

Why are people generous? What makes someone want to give? Is it how they were raised? Or is it in their DNA? Is it because they have excess riches? Or is it a product of their heart?

I don’t pretend to know the answers to these questions, but I have experienced first hand the incredible blessings of generosity.

WorkMatters has been a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for eight years. We have had the opportunity to help bridge the gap between faith and work for thousands of people largely due to the generosity of people in northwest Arkansas and across the US. Each year we faithfully share our vision and our needs…and you give. Each year we are challenged to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

On November 1, 2011 WorkMatters launched One Day at a Time to pray and work to raise $120,000 by December 31. Because of the faithfulness and generosity of many of you, we not only achieved the goal, we exceeded it!  We now begin 2012 with great confidence to continue to grow and impact more leaders through the marketplace.

Thank you! We are incredibly grateful for each of you who prayed and invested in this mission and vision.  Lives are being impacted, culture is changing.

2012 Challenge

I want to challenge you to make your faith at work a priority in 2012. Don’t compartmentalize your faith. Explore what it means to take whatever faith you feel you have, and live it equally in your work.

WorkMatters can be a powerful and valuable asset in your journey. Study the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work. Determine where you need to concentrate first. And let us know how WorkMatters can impact your life and work in 2012.

Blessed and excited,

David

Proverbs 11:24 – One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

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

Jesus said “It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life…” John 5:24  (MSG)

In Luke 9:60 (MSG) Jesus said “First things first. Your Business is Life…  And Life is Urgent: Announce God’s Kingdom!“

While our work demands a certain sense of urgency to accomplish our objectives, having a sense of urgency regarding our influence can have a life changing impact.  As I go through my daily work, the challenges of work stay relatively constant.  But due to multiple reasons, challenges and circumstances, all too often the people we work with change.  We change.  Life at work changes daily.

I believe that’s why Jesus stressed having a sense of urgency around influence …right now, at this very moment be influential for God’s Kingdom.

The time for influence is… now.

Workmatters first pillar of faith at work is Relationship…abiding with God at work.  Everything starts there doesn’t it?

Last week we discussed the pillar Influence.  One of the keys to how we influence others is to choose to let God influence us first.  We need to lean into our Relationship with Him.  But how do we do that at work, specifically if we are faced with a challenging situation and we are just not sure what to do?

Listening to Andy Stanley the other day gave me some insight.  He said following the crowd may be easy, but their noise may filter the reality or voice of God.  Instead, he said to seek God’s influence or to hear God speaking to us, we should listen to our most trusted advisors.  Each of us have a small group of people we are plugged into for advice.  If they are aligned with God, we can Trust we will be influenced by the right voices and their light can help guide us to make the right decision.

The Message version of Proverbs 16:13 says… Good leaders cultivate honest speech; they love advisors who tell them the truth.

Their influence matters.

            Who we are, and whom we represent, even in our work, means what we do reflects on more than ourselves.  As Christians, we have an association with the Lord, and so our actions, including how we do our job, reflect on that association.  Let me give you two ways Paul talks about this.  First, Paul speaks of us as belonging to God as a slave belongs to the one who purchased them.   He writes: “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.”  (1Corinthians 7:23 NLT) In Romans, Paul says we are part of God’s family: “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs.” (Romans 8:15-17 NLT)  Both of these share the same idea.  In the time of Paul, the household you represented meant everything.  If you disgraced yourself, you disgraced your household as well.  Therefore, when we work, we reflect the household to which we belong.  As Christians, we our work reflects our Lord.

So for me, whatever I do, I should excel at it.  That does not mean that I do everything with the same quality or intensity level.  Rather, it means that I try to figure out what I’m good at, what my job is, and what expectations are upon me.  So when Paul made tents he might not have kept the cleanest shop in town, but perhaps he did make excellent tents at a fair price. Ultimately, if you pay someone to make you a tent, you don’t care quite as much about how often they sweep up their scrap as you do about the quality of the tent maker measurements, cuts and stitches.

Determining what would make us excel in our job and demonstrate true excellence will be different for each of us.  Excellence is as diverse as we are uniquely gifted and in unique circumstances.  But figuring that out puts us on the road to excellence, and I believe the Lord will be pleased with his child’s work.