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Choices

November 27, 2011 by WorkMatters

Excellence is about choosing how we do things. I’ve been suggesting that it’s about doing the right things with excellence in order to BE excellent. But let’s not forget that it all comes down to our choices.

I saw this great quote on my home page the other day: “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die or when. But you can decide how you’re going to LIVE NOW.”- Joan Baez

Pretty simple idea. The hard part is getting the distance from the turmoil of the moment to allow our clear, rational decision making process to work. For most of us, if we can get to that better place, we can remind ourselves of what we want from our lives, and from our work.

May I suggest that when the turmoil around you seems to be such that you are being blown about so that you feel the circumstances are controlling you more than you are controlling you take a few deep prayer breaths. For example:

Inhale: Lord you are almighty
Exhale: Guide me now.
Inhale: Lord you made me
Exhale: What should I do?
Inhale: Lord you will never leave me
Exhale: Or forsake me.
Or be really candid:
Inhale: Lord, this is a mess.
Exhale: Redeem this mess.

It all starts with a choice, and our best choices usually start with prayer.

Posted in Choices, Excellence, Faith and Work | Leave a Comment »

Thankful in All Things

November 23, 2011 by WorkMatters

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  (1Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

I believe it’s easier to find excellence in our work when we are also thankful in our work.    And as Christians, this should be our attitude in all things.  Or that’s what the Apostle Paul says.  Why?  We know, better than anyone, what we deserve and what we receive.  We deserve death, but we are given life, and life abundantly (Romans 6:23; John 10:10).

 I know many people are dissatisfied with their work: underemployed, underpaid, underutilized, or under-appreciated.  But let us remember those who do not have a job, or can not work because of disabilities.  Let us remember how our work provides for the livelihood of us and our families.  Let us remember that we agreed to the contract of our jobs.  Let us remember we have opportunities while being employed to grow in our  responsibilities and influence.

 Sometimes the grind of the day mars our attitudes.  But when we recall that we should have an attitude of gratitude in all circumstances, then seeing the potential in all circumstances suddenly becomes much easier.

  Make sure during this Thanksgiving you also give thanks for your work and whomever pays your salary.

Posted in Faith and Work | Leave a Comment »

Begin with the End in Mind

November 22, 2011 by WorkMatters

Trying to define excellence is like trying to say how long a string is.  I’ve talked a little about the process of determining our strengths, understanding our job, and defining expectations as a process to excellence.  And so, excellence will be different for everyone.

But I’m reminded of another way to approach this.  One of Steven Covey’s 7 habits (from his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) is to begin with the end in mind.  This can apply to an immediate task, a career, or even your life.  In fact, he suggests a mental exercise to help with this by imagining you are a witness to your own funeral.  What would you hope people say about you?  Specifically, your children, your spouse, your friends, your co-workers, your boss?

            John Piper, in a blog last month called “Desiring God” was talking about funerals, and how the idea that we have a limited time on earth tends to give us focus on what’s important.  He writes about Steve Jobs, and how Jobs’ cancer focused him.  He cites this excerpt from an interview with Walter Isaacson: He talked a lot to me about what happened when he got sick and how it focused him. He said he no longer wanted to go out, no longer wanted to travel the world. He would focus on the products. He knew the couple of things he wanted to do, which was the iPhone and then the iPad.

Piper goes on to say: The wisdom Steve Jobs learned, he said, was this: Do a couple things, and do them well. You don’t have time for much. And most of things are not lasting. So do two or three things, and do them amazingly.

            But Piper goes one step further and reminds us that as Christians, those things we do should also be under the authority of the Lord and pleasing to him.  He reminds us of a verse from Paul’s writings:  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  (1Corinthians 15:58 NLT). 

            Therefore, if we focus on excellence, and do so under the authority of God, we will not only excel, but the work we do will be useful for the Kingdom of God — whatever we do.  We can have excellence, and work that matters.

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Excellence, Faith and Work, Goals, Planning | Leave a Comment »

The Excellent Hedge Hog

November 16, 2011 by WorkMatters

WorkMatters founder Tom Frase taught on the pillar of Excellence at our November Eight to Five.  He will continue to share his thoughts over the next few weeks defining more clearly how we achieve excellence in our work.

Collins in his book Good to Great says that great companies find their “hedgehog idea.”  If you’ve not read the book, let me explain the idea briefly and inadequately.  (You should really read the book.)  He says that great companies find where three different ideas converge: What they can be the best in the world at; what drives their economic engine; what they are deeply passionate about.  He says that where those three circles overlap, that’s your hedgehog idea – that’s the idea that you always stick to, and that’s the idea the makes you great.


I think this can apply to our personal lives as well.  But with a bit of modification.  I would argue that the three circles for an individual seeking excellence in their work are: Our unique gifting (strengths), Our unique circumstances, Expectations from those we serve, both employers and customers.  When these three circles converge, we can demonstrate excellence, even in a job that perhaps is not our favorite job in the world.  That means that a street sweeper, or marketing manager, or third shift supervisor can demonstrate excellence in their work, even it their work is not their dream job.

Now I also believe that we should strive to find the job that we are best at in the world, that we are deeply passionate about, and that someone will pay us to do.  That makes excellence easy, but in reality, most of us will not find that in our work.  And it’s because work is never going to be paradise.  I am blessed to feel like I am working in my calling, working in my strengths, and I have an organization willing to pay me for the work.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t have frustrations, stress, failures and fatigue.  Work will always be work.

But we should show excellence regardless of how “perfect” our job is for us.  We may be under employed, have a terrible boss, difficult clients or a declining market.  Nevertheless, if we can align our gifts and talents with a clear understanding of how we see excellence in our job, and in line with the expectations of those who pay us and those we serve, we can demonstrate excellence.  And when that happens, we have a much better chance of making a difference in our world as well as our future.

Posted in Excellence, Faith and Work, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Integrity in our Words

November 9, 2011 by WorkMatters

Our final guest blog on INTEGRITY comes today from John Roberts, CEO, J.B. Hunt Transport. John has begun blogging inside J.B. Hunt to share ideas and create a dialog between associates. He agreed to share this thinking with you today.

We have talked a great deal about our Team and the People that make it work.  Each day, every one of us makes commitments and promises to other people no matter what job we are doing.  These vows we make to each other drive us forward.  The company has been built on that principle of integrity from the very beginning.

It is said that you don’t need to add incremental promises to your word by swearing an oath.  You word is good enough on its own.  A good line is…”your word is the only thing you can give and keep at the same time.” Every day, we are a surging mass of connections and commitments, all working together.  That means that we are entirely counting on each other to do whatever it is that we said we would do, every time.

I will work hard to do my part.

John

Posted in Integrity, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work, Words | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Leading the Next Generation

November 2, 2011 by WorkMatters

A quick off-ramp from our Integrity focus for a word on Influence from our close friend, Steve Toth.

As an up-and-coming young professional, I just wanted to fit in.  Specifically, I wanted to fit in with the president of the company, and the rest of the over-achieving workaholics he ran with.  Work was my #1 idol, and making money, the bling-bling fruit of my labor! Work hard-play hard was my motto; but frankly the “play hard” part got lost somewhere…  I was consumed by the cash and status surrounding my definition of success at work and in life.

Much like me in my early career, the young professionals in our workplaces just want to “fit in”, as well. Maybe they have a role model parent to emulate, or maybe a leader at work they choose to identify with.  They might choose the path of the workaholic, placing work on top of their list of idols. Who will help guide them?  It has to be us (the 35+ crowd)!

So, what’s our role? What are we doing to encourage the next generation of leaders to pick a healthy, contributing, and sustainable path? More specifically, what steps can we follow to lead the next gen to a better life and career?

  1. Choose to invest. Making this simple choice will help you recognize opportunities to influence as they cross your path. This is very easy; just decide!
  2. Move your feet – invite a next gen to lunch and get to know them. You won’t get permission to speak into their lives if you don’t know them and they don’t know you.
  3. Be transparent; those watching you will find your honesty attractive and enduring. You may even find a new level of humility in the process…

We have a job to do, and it’s a job beyond our daily deliverables. Jesus wrote “To whom much has been given, much is expected.” (Luke 12:48)  One of our life’s most important roles is to help lead the next generation to find their greatest contributions …

In the soup with you,  Steve

Resource: Becoming a Coaching Leader  – Daniel Harkavy

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.

Posted in Influence, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Navigating the Integrity Minefield

October 26, 2011 by WorkMatters

Ethics training often comes to us as hypothetical scenarios that barely resemble anything we see as “regular” workers, and hardly provides a map to navigate the hazards challenging our integrity at work.  Most of us will never experience an Enron scandal, or a Madoff ponzi scheme at work.  People familiar with these matters must have been pros at navigating around the landmines planted by the choices of their leaders…

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.

Posted in Faith and Work, Honesty, Integrity, Judgment, Leadership, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Do I Make Sad Choices?

October 21, 2011 by WorkMatters

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.

My wife and I have young kids.  When they make decisions that don’t go well, we call it making “sad choices”.  Dragging your sister around by her hair is a sad choice.  Our kids are not bad, but sometimes their choices are sad…

It’s likely that most people who get caught up in a workplace scandals are not “bad”, but more likely they just make incremental sad choices.  In yesterday’s WSJ, there was another story about an executive who abused his company’s expense policy, and found himself “dismissed”.

How did this deposed leader get there?  Did he have a career of perfect adherence to policy and then one day decides to start making sad choices?  Who knows, besides him?  Regardless, sad choices may have ruined his career. We all know similar stories, don’t we?

What about you?  How do you protect yourself against making sad choices in the workplace and ensure that your words lead us AWAY  from sad choices and into the light?  Here are some practical tips to improve your odds:

  1. Use crisp messaging. Extra words for effect can easily open the door for black and white to turn to gray. Don’t be tempted to color a story for effect. Jesus said to let your yes be yes and your no be no.
  2. With regards to money or results, don’t round. $3.50 is “three point five”; not “three” and not “four”, regardless of the zeros attached.
  3. Purposefully give credit where credit is due. Let others reap the benefits of their work and results.  You will get your rewards in due time.

The Psalmist implores us to “speak the truth from our heart … utter no slander … and cast no slur on others.”  Psalm 15

All His, Steve Toth

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Faith and Work, Honesty, Integrity, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work, Words | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Do you have Markers in your Life?

October 13, 2011 by David Roth

Eight years ago today, I became the first employee of a start-up marketplace ministry called WorkMatters. It was a leap of faith that only God can orchestrate. The challenge, camaraderie and income of my VP, Sales and Marketing job at J.B. Hunt Transport was now fully in my rear view mirror. The excitement and fear of this incredible new journey was now front and center.

It has been an indescribable eight years at WorkMatters. Everything about it has been new. Everything about it has stretched me. Everything about it has tested and pushed my faith.

It is such a joy to reread some of my journal notes early this morning from September and October of 2003. To reflect, just for a moment, on this day eight years ago.

What about you? What are the markers in your life? Do you write them down? Put them on your calendar as recurring every year? This is more than birthday’s and anniversary’s. These are life changing moments.

If the answer is yes, take the time to meditate on those days when they arrive. Some are incredibly exciting, some are heartbreaking. All are a major part of your life, who you are, how God is moving you closer to Him.

If the answer is no, maybe now is the time to get started. Think back about your life markers. Put them on your calendar. Maybe it’s time to buy a journal. Keep it with you. Jot down the moments worth remembering. Use it to see what God is doing in your life.

Last…thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part (large or small) of this WorkMatters marker in my life. It has been an extraordinary blessing to be used by God in the marketplace!

For Him@Work,

David

Posted in Calling, celebration, Change, Faith and Work, Fear, Goals, God, Journaling, marketplace ministry, Purpose, Trust | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

What if there was no Jesus?

October 10, 2011 by WorkMatters

We are blessed to have ESPN Basketball Analyst, Jimmy Dykes, share today as our guest blogger.

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

Posted in Jesus, Leadership | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

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