For several years, he has talked to me about working and living in “air-tight compartments”. Honestly, I never paid much attention to this idea. But recently, I shared with him how challenging our preparation is for the annual WorkMatters Chick-fil-A Leadercast. Once again, he said, ”air-tight compartments Dave”. This time, it stuck. It was just what I needed to hear.

I found myself sharing the idea with our WorkMatters team, then with my son who was going through finals in his freshman year in college, and finally with my nephew who works at Tyson Foods. That’s when I received this picture. His visual reminder of this important concept.

So what does it mean and how do you use it? It’s pretty simple. In our crazy busy life, identify those tasks or projects or high priorities, that you must focus on. Then, when it’s time to work on them…put them in an air-tight compartment. Totally focus JUST on that critical task. It may be a 15-minute task that is critical to execute, or it may be a three-day project for your boss or a major client.

This simple phrase, and the visual image that comes with it, helps me focus. It challenges me NOT to wander off on other things that need my attention, as well. It’s not fool-proof, but it is a great tool to help us do our work with excellence!

Love to hear your comments as you implement this idea.

Closing the gap between faith and work,

David

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

I have always been a person that enjoys having stuff on….my radio, TV, stereo, laptop, iPhone.  Often all at the same time if possible.  Not sure why, but a couple of months ago, I started turning stuff off…not everything all at once, but here and there and from time to time.  Somehow I have found that I don’t miss it all as much as I thought I would.  As it turns out, turning off the noise has been a blessing and has allowed me to simplify my life.

I wondered about what was happening to me.  I still enjoyed my music, my sports talk radio, my Food Network shows, etc, but found that all that noise  kind of deadened me to other things going on around me calling for my attention and thoughts.

I have found that turning stuff off has been a blessing in many ways that I was not expecting.  Most of all, I have felt that I have been able to hear and discern that still small voice of my Creator which most often is heard in stillness and silence.

Most of you probably are way ahead of me on this.  But I also know many who like me, the noise has become so much apart of our lives, that we don’t even realize how much it has drowned out many other important sounds that can only be heard when we turn it all off.

Take a few days and just try it…what you may hear instead might amaze you!

Our 2013 Chick-fil-A Leadercast is about learning how to simplify your life in order to strengthen your leadership. Hope to see all of you there!

Here’s how Webster defines them:

• Excellent: very good of its kind : eminently good : first-class
• Perfect: being entirely without fault or defect : flawless

I’m not so sure about “good”. “Great” makes sense to me. “First-Class” makes sense to me. That sounds like “working with all my heart as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). But being entirely without fault or defect? We are all sinners. Only one was perfect.

So together, let’s continue to pursue excellence in our work and in our lives. But let’s all (especially me) keep a watchful eye on striving for perfection.

God, please give us the wisdom to see the difference between excellence and perfection in our work, and the courage to push up to excellence but step back from perfection. AMEN

I was reminded of this when a young professional friend who I co-lead a Leadership@Work Nehemiah Study with, started a new job on Tuesday. Josh Richardson moved from a global corporation serving Wal-Mart, to a super cool, high growth small company, also serving Wal-Mart. Talk about a 180. Here was his tweet yesterday: Day 1 at the new job was amazing – better than I could have ever imagined. Praise God for his sovereign timing, purpose, and design!

Josh’s experience reminded me of the sometimes bitter sweet experience of changing jobs. Here are a few simple ideas to consider:

1. Commit to a six month increase in work life focus – before you say yes to the new gig that you are so excited about, make sure you deal with this reality. Your work life WILL need more focus and time. This is especially critical if you are married and/or have children.
2. Finish strong where you are – in both execution and relationships.
3. Enjoy powerful growth with God - because He makes things  ”brand new” (Isaiah 48:7) in a new job, fear and anxiety can be very real. It’s a perfect season to sit daily in His lap.
4. Be hyper focused – focus with intensity to build new relationships, learn the business,  and find small opportunities to add value to the business.
5. Enjoy the new adventure - it will be stressful, but it will also be an exciting adventure of personal, spiritual and relational growth!

Have fun,

David

I won’t expose any more of the plot here. Suffice to say that you have a man who is very well respected in his ability to do his job. In fact, he is hailed as a hero at work! But he is living with extraordinary difficult circumstances in his personal life. And guess what? His personal circumstances spill over into his work life. Of course they do! We don’t live compartmentalized lives.

As I sat in church, I couldn’t quit thinking about this movie we had watched the night before. The pain of his addiction. How many people come to work with secrets. With personal issues that are impacting their lives and work in monumental ways. How should we handle these issues? How do we help a co-worker who is suffering with an addiction or an illness? And at what point do their circumstances intersect accountability?

I don’t know the answers. But I know this. There are people all around us suffering at work. Maybe, just maybe, we can help.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.”

Maybe we can share some amazing grace at work.

But first this…the faith@work “market” has changed dramatically. Do you sense it? For many leaders living their faith@work is no longer a misnomer. It’s staring them right in the face. Life is too fast paced. They have too many pressures. And their work is killing them. There has to be a better way!

So building a bridge between faith and work is no longer the “market” need. The need now, is “help me close the gap”. I need no gap. I need to live whatever faith I have (large or small) in all aspects of my life, especially my work!

That’s our focus now at WorkMatters. We are all about helping leaders close the gap. All of our “programs” have changed to better focus on this mission. And this incredible story says it all. Hear from Adam White, an Engineer, a young professional, talk about his journey to close the gap:

Like most professionals, the idea that faith and work were correlated never dawned on me the first few years of my career.  I was your typical recent college graduate.  I had been fairly involved in campus ministry, but was struggling to carry that momentum into the workplace and had developed the “Me against the world” mentality.  Instead of using this struggle as a chance to embrace my faith, I chose to give up completely and walked away from the Church.  

A few years ago, my boss invited me to a young professionals gathering hosted by WorkMatters.  I didn’t know a thing about WorkMatters, but I saw it as an opportunity to network with other young professions, so I decided to attend.   Thankfully, the WorkMatters vision of fusing faith and work peaked my interest just enough that I signed up for a small group, where I learned the biblical connections between faith and work.  I started regularly attending WorkMatters events, and soon it felt like my faith was snowballing inside of me.  I got back into the Church, started serving in the community, became more pleasant around my peers, and shed the “Me against the world” mentality.

Today, I can comfortably say that God is involved in everything I do, especially my work.  I owe a large part of this to everyone at WorkMatters who helped stretch my spiritual limits so that I can share the virtues of faith, hope, and love in all aspects of life.

Inspired? Ready? Let’s close it…

David Roth

President, WorkMatters

As I wrote down some thoughts and graded myself (yes, I am that analytical) on my faith, marriage, children, work, etc., it beautifully prepared me for 2013. Just as a business forecast comes from historical data, so can the forecast for our lives in 2013!

Let’s keep this simple today. I have shared in the past these basic ideas to help you shape your 2013 to live with more purpose. Let me encourage you to block some time, find a quiet place, buy yourself a cup of coffee (or other stimulus), and just think and listen. Write down what comes to you.

If you are a person that needs some structure, try this on for 2013:

• Purpose – a simple statement that describes your focus for the year.
• Word – one word that  summarizes your purpose.
• Verse – a single Bible verse that supports your purpose.
• Goals – this can be as short (4-5 goals) or as long (family, work, financial, serving) as you wish.
• Book – this is a freebee…go to Amazon and buy a book that you really need to read. Here’s mine.

I pray that your 2013 focus will intentionally include closing the gap between your work and your faith. That’s WorkMatters purpose and passion for your life!

Let’s do this,

David

I have always believed strongly in using the end of the calendar year as an opportunity to both reflect and project. The Bible tells us that “God will call the past to account“ (Ecclesiastes 3:15 NIV). Knowing that God will be “reflecting”, don’t you think  we should, as well?

Think about your faith, your family, yourself.

What were the highlights, the memories, the markers that altered your life? Did you check an item off of your bucket list?

What were the lowlights, the things you are still struggling with, the things that were so bad but you are now seeing some good?

How did you grow in your faith? What did you intentionally do to make that happen? Did you get more or less involved in a church? Did you read the Bible? Pray? Did you spend time with other men or women sitting in a circle growing?

How about your work? Did you catch a new vision for why your work matters? Did you begin to close the gap that exists between your faith and your work? Did you take a step towards God …attend an event, read a book or a blog, participate in a biblical leadership study?

Let’s stop right there. This is not a guilt trip session. This is a time for honest reflection on both the incredible blessings of 2012, as well as the struggles and missed opportunities of 2012. We can see our God in both of them as we learn from the past to prepare us for the future!

2013 can be a fresh start. It’s a new opportunity. We’ll talk more about that tomorrow. For today, make sure that you invest some time learning from 2012. It will bless you in ways you never imagined.

Closing the gap,

David

Mark was driving through the drive-thru of a national burger chain. When they handed him his food, the worker at the window cheerfully said, “happy holidays!” Most of us would simply say “you too.” Not Mark. Being a very intentional marketplace Christian, Mark casually replied, “I’m curious, why do you say happy holidays instead of merry Christmas?” The young girl, being caught a bit off guard by the question said, “well, that’s just our policy. You know, we don’t want to offend anyone.”

Without being rude or pushy, Mark’s response was classic. “Well, I’m a Christian and that offends me.”

I’m not trying to start a debate about companies replacing Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. But Mark’s story was a powerful  reminder to me that even in the marketplace, without Jesus, there is no “happy holiday.” If you are a follower of Christ, December 25th is your holiday! It’s a holy day to celebrate the birth of the man who gives us hope.

So for the next 15 days, each time you walk into the marketplace, be proud of your holiday. When you say “Merry Christmas”, say it with pride and meaning and purpose.

Merry Christmas!

But not anymore! Churches are beginning to get it. Books have been written. Marketplace ministries are emerging. Universities are beginning to teach it. Simply bridging the gap is no longer good enough.

So this year, as we approach our 10th anniversary in 2013, we have changed our mission to closing the gap between faith and work. I know, it’s only one word, but it’s an enormous change in our focus.

Now we must push into the next generation. We must push beyond just sitting in rows at events where we learn – to sitting in circles in groups where we grow. We must continue to encourage each other. And increasingly, we must equip each other to actually live biblical leadership principles in our work and then export those principles to others in the process.

So our mission to “close the gap between faith and work” is both timely and intentional.  In the coming weeks, you will be introduced to some cool new opportunities from WorkMatters. Opportunities that can take your work and your faith to a place of increasing purpose and significance.

Our passion is to help you live a Matthew 22:37-39* life at work in 2013. Are you ready?

David Roth

President, WorkMatters

* Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’…”