His in the marketplace 002

Philippians 4:19 ESV
And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Need - that's a tough word.  

In business "need" extends across a broad range of things.  From marketing to payroll to customer service - and all the minutia those demand.

This isn't some willy-nilly flesh oriented promise but a boots on the ground, shoulder to the wheel promise.  But more than that, it is a conditional promise.  These needs are provided, "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."  

Now I don't believe there is any such thing as a "Christian" business.  There are Christian men and women who have and do business but a business is not a person and therefore can not be "Christian."

So, it all comes down to, well, you and your relationship with Him.  Certainly if you are a Christian who owns or runs a business the principles of your faith can be the template for that business.  However, if you do business for a company that is not based upon the principles of the faith, it's really just you.

So the primary issue is the efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness of your walk - the living out of your faith.  I have come to believe that defining the "needs" is more important than we have thought.  If we do not define the "needs" of doing business according to our faith we have created a gross disconnect that may well cost us more than we think.

The fundamental need of every believer regardless of whether or not they are in business is to honor and glorify God.  Everything we do should contribute to that end.  If it doesn't, we have a problem.  Which brings me back to you - just you (well, you and Him).

How often do you pray for your business to glorify and honor Him?  The believer I have worked with all pray for the bottom line,  repeat customers, low overhead, expansion, ect. but many have confessed that they have prayed more for these things than for His glory and honor.   

It's not an easy thing - but being His in this word isn't and won't be.  A sound understanding of the faith, an understanding of yourself and an understanding or Him are critical.  So is the practice of the disciplines of the faith.  The, if you will, duties of the soldier of Christ.

Just some questions to reflect on and pray about:
Are you regularly attending worship - even when out of town?
Are you praying broadly enough concerning your business?
Are you growing in your knowledge and understanding or His Word and Will?
Are you supported by other believers in your work?
Are you aware of your dependence (and of course that of your business) upon Him?
Are you tithing? 

Consider those questions prayerfully.  They are some of the main and plain things of the believer's life and so are essential for being His in the marketplace.


Philippians 2:14-16 ESV
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, [16] holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

His in the Marketplace 001

His in the Marketplace  001

It's nothing new that confessing believers find it difficult to "live out" their faith in the workplace.  Even in the book of Acts we can find instances where the "market place" was not a very accpeting venue for being part of the Church.  So what can we do to stay engaged in our faith as we work in the world?

The first thing I would suggest is a ramping up of our private (as the Puritans called them) duties.  Yes, I'm talking prayer and study (not just reading).  If we are not engaged in "practice" we will not do well in the "game."  It is in those one on God exesizes that we hone our knowledge, understanding and skill.  Not to mention realizing more and more fully our dependence upon His mercy and grace.

Being a believer is a work of grace.  Growing as a believer is a work - well, of work.  You will never grow in faith by accident or ozmosis.  You grow on purpose - depending upon Him.  

I'm a fan of Vince Lombardy and find his quotes encouraging.  Of course I've read that his faith was a daily thing - he went to Mass daily.  So I don't find it hard to use his insights as I learn to live out my faith.

Vince once was quotes as saying:
"Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

Now if this is true of football, how much more true is it of our calling?  We did not have to pay a price to become God's children but we do have to pay a price to grow as His children.  

Vince also said:
"Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.”
And
"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

All this he said about football - but underneath it all and where I believe He primarily applied these ideas waas in his exercise of his faith.

“I believe in God.”
“I derived my strength from daily mass and communion.” 

Now Vince and I might never have agreed in the areas of theology and doctrine but I do believe we would have met well when it came to what is required to be ever growing in faithfulness to our beliefs.  We would also have agreed that, though livng our faith is not a "game," we do have an opposing team on the field and they want to beat us.  So we must become proficient in what it takes to face them.

Interstingly the analogy breaks down in that our victory is assured.  So why worry?  Well, it's about the honor and glory of God isn't it?  We have "won" the game - so what's the point?  In our case, it's how we "play" it.  And -- if we are not good at the basics we will really stink at cruch time.

I guess you can tell I'm not much of a football fan - but I do respect Lombardi's perspective on success/winning.  But I also know that for us success is not about beating or defeating anything or anyone - Christ has done that.  It is about FAITHFULNESS!  That is the measuer of success for you and I.  

Christ will not say, "Well done my successful, winning, victorious, affluent, prosperous, powerful - or whatever - servant."  He will say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."  He makes us "good" - the faithfuness thing has a lot to do with us.  Over and over and over we are called, enjoined even commanded to be faithful.  It is something we can (duhhh-of course by His power) do.  But we have to choose to do it.

We have to begin learning faithfulness in the small things - the intimate things - the alone/just me things.  Prayer and study - study and prayer are like blocking, tackling, passing, catching, etc. in football.  They are the main and plain basics.

I'll be bold enough to suggest that if you're not practicing the basics you're not very good in the "game."  If you want to "act" like a believer in the workplace and you don't "practice" the duties of the faith when it's just you then you are yearning to be a hypocrite.  If your main focus isn't on you and Him then you'll have to fake it when it comes to you and them.

So in this first of the series I challenge you to begin practicing your faith when it's just you and Him.  Prayer and study - study and prayer - you never get enough and there's no such thing as too much - that's the "practice" that leads to excellence.

There are a lot of great books that can help you grow - most of them were published several centuries ago but are still available.  If you want a list, let me know.  for brevity's sake I'll not list them here.  But I will suggest, Keeping the Heart by John Flavel as a good place to start.

Comments and questions are welcome.

sheepdog.ms@gmail.com

BOUNDARIES, EXPECTATIONS and ACCOUNTABILITY

If, in my view, there are three things that good people need in order to grow into great people they are clear (adaptable) boundaries, expectations and accountability.  A lack of boundaries is unsafe and anxiety ridden.  A lack of expectations is just insulting and a lack of accountability is debilitating.  Also a lack of clarity breeds chaos, confusion, consternation and collapse.  

In most working environments there are four element which the B.E &A need to address as clearly as possible:

• Technical
• Administrative
• Relational
• Leadership

Regardless of the specific position or "job" these four areas need to be defined/measured by BE&A's.  Too many times a staff member is evaluated not by any real objective criteria but rather based upon how they have or have not stayed below the radar for the couple of months before the evaluation.  It's usually a matter of, "what have you done for me lately," or "how have you screwed up lately."  Most evaluations are a very unfunny, if not cruel,  joke.

Developing, maintaining and executing a useful set of BE&A's is not as hard as it sounds.  Actually, the more detailed they seem to need to be the more concerned you need to be about the employee.

The BE&A's should be as clear and simple as they can be.  They need to be thoroughly explained to the staff person and a period of "settling in" needs to be provided so anything unclear can be made clear.  

The responsibility for establishing and clarifying the BE&A's lies with the one who will evaluate them.  The dangers of poor communication, lack of clarity and no time to settle into the "box" are all elements that the "leader" must be conscious of and seek to avoid.

This provides the employee and the 'boss' with a "box" that both can use to measure performance, skill, ability and willingness to perform. HOWEVER -ADAPTABLE must also apply to the box.  You need to build the box out of bamboo.  It must be flexible and growing.  

Equally as important as adaptability is ACCOUNTABILITY.  This is two-fold.  Of course the employee is accountable to "get it done right," but YOU are accountable for building the right box, in the right way for each person.  Certainly all the boxes you build will have similarities but they can't be one size fits all - because on size doesn't "fit" all.  You build a crummy box - you're gonna get crummy results.

Once the "box" is built, communicated and understood you have two things to determine.  CAN this person do this job and WILL this person do this job?  If they CAN'T then you bust your behind figuring out what they need in order to do the job (I mean you hired them - it's not their fault).  If they WON'T do the job - then it's clear they don't want the job and you need to do them the kindness of removing them from such an unpleasant circumstance.

Yes, this is short and a little glib and I've made no references to sheep, pastures, etc..  But sometimes one just has to say it plain.

Any questions?  Drop me a line.  msanders.consultant@gmail.com

Remember!!!!!!!!!

A true leader -leads - whether anyone follows or not! 

A New Year, a New Focus

We all are at least tempted to make resolutions for the New Year.  But I wonder how many of those resolutions are self-sources and how many are other-sources.  The difference is “ant to” and “ought to.”  Those we want to accomplish are usually self-sourced.  Those ought to are usually other-sourced.

To make a resolution effective you need two things motivation (reason) and method (plan).  Without these two things the chances of success are severely slim.  Resolutions are goals but if goals have no power and aren’t measurable they are meaningless.

A resolution cannot be some vague, “makes me feel better,” statement.  It must be an, “I will,” statement and needs to be as detailed as possible.  This requires a change of or specificity in focus.  Usually it means a narrowing of focus.  I have made a resolution to avoid refined sugar and weird chemical sugar substitutes.  Fundamentally that mean s I have to, “PAY ATTENTION,” to where I am and what I’m doing.  I can’t “go with the flow,” when it comes to food anymore.   “Just this once,” cannot be an option. 

I’m not a big coffee drinker but I like my coffee sweetened.  How am I to do this if I am going to forgo refined sugar and its imposters?  Well I have to gather information on what I determine are acceptable substitutes and make a commitment to use only them or go without.

You will never fulfill a negative resolution.  OK – never is a strong word but committing to not doing something that has been routine does not work well.  What one needs to do is develop an alternative – a “do” – and commit to that.  Why?  The danger of the default.

The danger of the default is present in every “won’t,” “don’t,” “not,” etc.  Unless we become obsessively attentive we will, in a moments of distraction or inattention, default back to the behavior that has been our “habit.” 

So, you want to make a (or a couple of) resolutions?  Great.  But make them positive and plan them.  Make sure you know what they will require.  Make sure you know where the dangers of distraction are.  AND, make sure – please – that they are something you really want and are willing to pay the price for.

Make sure you know “how” you are going to work on your resolution.  Make sure you have a list of “dos,” as opposed to “don’ts.”  You may use a “can’t” (as in I can’t XXXXX because) but stay away from don’ts.

I’d also, if you have multiple resolutions, strongly suggest you prioritize them.  Over the course of the coming year we have no idea what we will face.  It may well be that a resolution or two become too much of just not possible.  Remember, these are things you want to do for you – they have value and meaning – they don’t belong to anyone else.  Yes, you can dump one if you choose.

Oh, you don’t have to start all of them at once either.  You don’t want to stack the deck so it crushes you.  You can start one a quarter – whatever.

Do you tell others of not?  Tough issue!  My rule of thumb is if someone has information that can help me I may share with them.  My wife is a health-anti-refined sugar and substitutes person.  So I take advantage of her as a resource.  She can pop off a list if healthy substitutes and warn me about products and I won’t have to do all the research.  She is a resource, one of the tools at my disposal to accomplish my goal.  If someone can’t add substantively to my resolutions I probably won’t share. 

Regardless of the “what,” the “how,” is critical.  Without a plan that has a firm foundation and a willingness to adapt and stumble along the way we won’t fulfill even our most simple resolutions. 

For someone in a position of leading others and with the responsibility of helping them improve, it is imperative that the one needing to make changes is provided with the information, training, encouragement and grace to make those changes.  As a leader you have to be able to teach and foster those changes you need from others – if you don’t do this with yourself, you’ll not do it with them.

Time.  Yeah, time.  If there is no time involved in your resolution there is no imperative.  Make your “by xxxx,” gracious.  Make sure you understand and acknowledge it may take a little longer.  Seek to understand and appreciate the causes of delay and address them.  Making changes that resolutions require is not like building with Leggos.  It’s complex, affected by clear and obscure elements within and without.  Time needs to be generously applied and still carefully monitored.

Have a great new year and – be good to yourself – it will change your life – completely.

Shepherding 002

Shepherding 002

Trust-worthiness?  Why start with there? 

Shepherding is all about the Shepherd.  It all starts and stops here.  If the Shepherd is not trustworthy then the sheep will be distressed.  So what do I mean by trust-worthy?

This is a tough one and will be more or less difficult depending on the individual’s personal philosophy.  But for my purposes I define trust-worthiness as follows.

One is a trustworthy shepherd when those under your care are secure in their belief that you will consistently do the right thing.

This does not mean you will never be in error and not do the right thing.  It does mean that your personal values are clear enough and proven enough for the sheep to have less anxiety and hence the freedom to perform at their best.

Now there’s the rub.  How do you determine the “right thing?” 

We could engage in a never ending conversation about how one determines right and wrong.  Philosophy, religion and psychology all have their many perspectives.  But the main point is that the shepherd chooses their criteria for right and wrong.

Though right and wrong are commonly subjective to the max, the Shepherd will have to have formulated some basis for their choices and then use them as objectively as possible.

An example of the quandary is the difference between something that is wrong and something that is not liked.  Just because something is not liked does not make it wrong.  I illustrated this to a church group once in reference to applause in a worship service.  I don’t like it – it bothers me – BUT there is nothing wrong about it.  Fortunately they got it and when I was done with the session I got a standing ovation.

There are general rights and wrongs that all Shepherds would subscribe to.  In the workplace, hitting, spitting and yelling are pretty much non-starters.  They are, except in Mixed Martial Arts and Pro Wrestling – wrong.  That’s not a toughie.  But, what about gossip, back-biting and inappropriate criticism?  What about sulking?  What about passive-aggressive behaviors?  Are they wrong? 

What about the powerful personality which, when not checked, runs over others?  What about micro-management? 

Rudeness, cruelty, meanness, in tolerance (of some things) --- are they wrong?

What about other behaviors?

The stress here is, obviously, on those things that effect relationships.  Think this through:

"In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions."   Margaret Wheatly

The Shepherd must be aware of and to a reasonable degree involved in the relationships of his sheep.

A department of highly trained and competent professionals had been in chaos of over six months.  The rupture of a relationship between two of the individuals had so affected the environment that very little was getting done well.  Most of the staff had chosen sides or chosen to escape.  Communication was at best difficult and collegiality was impossible.

Called in to assist in “fixing” the problem I was asked how long I thought I would need.  I proposed three hours.  I had the supervisor (Shepherd) come into the room with me and the two individuals and state, “You will work with Michael to resolve the issue or one or both of you will have to go home.”  Then the Shepherd left.  I met with each individual or an hour and then met with them both for an hour and the situation was “fixed.”

A simple misunderstanding created the rupture which unaddressed affected the whole.  The error?  Not addressing the issue when it first became apparent. 

Though the Shepherd needed to intervene as soon as they were aware of the problem the difficulty is that issue of right and wrong.  Commonly such an intervention is to ascribe wrongness to one party or another, hence the hesitation to engage.  But the greater issue of what was right or wrong for the whole “flock” was ignored until the whole flock was distressed.

Importantly, there was no “blame” to be lain at anyone’s feet but simply a misunderstanding to resolve.  Yes, I know we’re all grown-ups and professionals and we ought to be able to resolve these things ourselves.  But, the fact is we typically don’t and they never fix themselves.

The right thing in this situation would have been for the Shepherd to either intervene themselves or find someone who could – BEFORE it began to affect everyone else. 

Relationally, what do you as a Shepherd hold as being wrong, as being right?  Certainly it is not wrong that co-workers disagree, misunderstand or even argue as long as the goal is to resolve the issue before it damages the relationship.  Sometimes the Shepherd can help resolve it, sometimes the sheep can resolve it themselves and sometimes you need some outside help.  But I think we would all agree that it is wrong to allow ruptured relationships in the flock to adversely affect the rest of the flock.

No, you don’t need to make a list of rules!  But you do need to let the flock know when you view things as wrong.  You are the Shepherd – right?

John and Sam are always taking shots at each other.  They laugh and others laugh with them.  Is this behavior right or wrong?  Remember, this is in the context of the workplace (sheep-fold).

It may be OK with John and Sam.  It may be OK with everyone else.  But is it OK with you?

Do your sheep know your boundaries and expectations and can they trust you to hold them accountable to them.

Of course I have to provide a disclaimer.  Someone who is in leadership and is, relationally, morally and/and ethically impaired or bankrupt is not a Shepherd.  

They are a Wolf.

Shepherding 001

Shepherding 001

A shepherd is wholly responsible as well as dependent upon his flock.

Sheep do not lead themselves.

Sheep are the shepherd’s renewable resource.

Sheep are his living and to some extent his life.

Sheep, their health and wellbeing, are critical to the shepherd’s success.

No sheep, no shepherd.  No shepherd and the sheep are just dinner.

A shepherd shares all the dangers and hardships with the sheep.  He is neither isolated nor insulated from their environment and the elements.

The shepherd can be talented, wise, smart, strong and fun but if he is not willing to do the hard work, the messy work, the dangerous work, he will not be a shepherd for long.  No sheep, no shepherd.  This has to be a choice.  Taking up the shepherding model of leadership has to be a choice as well.

So, the first thing you need to do is to decide if you’re willing to do the hard, messy, dangerous, etc., work of shepherding.  Are you willing to start and keep going?  Are you willing to do it poorly as you learn to do it well?  Are you willing to step out of the fold and into the field?  Are you willing to share with the sheep what the sheep face as sheep?

This isn’t about steps, keys, secrets or anything magic.  It is about hard work – constantly done better and better.  This isn’t about emulating anyone or imposing a system.  It is about risk and reason and reward.

So the choice is yours.  Do you want to lead your people (or even yourself) or would you rather drive them?  Is yours the LONG view or the short?  A healthy flock can provide for the shepherd and others for a lifetime. 

First question.  Are you trust worthy? 

Why is your answer what it is?

Who would disagree?

Who would agree?

Why?

Challenge:  Write “Am I trust worthy?” on a 3/5 card.  Write YES on a second card and NO on a third and MAYBE on a fourth.  Take about 12 sets of these and give them to 12 people who know you.  Then, provide a way for them to get either the YES or the NO card back to you anonymously.

MS

ms@msandersconsultant.com

Why?

Why this blog?

For more than 20 years I have worked with individuals and organizations as they seek to achieve their goals.  Whether an individual or a large organization, the one issue that repeatedly comes to the forefront is the issue of leadership.  Not management, not supervision but leadership.

There are hundreds of models available to choose from.  Over the years I have come to believe that the model of the shepherd is perhaps the most comprehensive.  Blending both discipline and care this model allows the individual leader to see and interact with those under their leadership to have the security and provision to grow in their ability to contribute to their part of success.

The stand I take is that one manages things, supervised processes and leads people.  If you have to pay someone to see that your staff does their jobs, someone needs to go home.

If you measure your success or the success of your organization only by the bottom line of a financial report then you and/or your organization is functioning on the edge of failure.  Yes, the bottom line is a valid measure but it cannot be the only measure.

There is one absolutely critical element for leadership and that is trust.  Without it all kinds of toxicity flows through the organization.  Without trust, trust in the leader, there is fear, suspicion, anxiety, resentment – ad infinitum.

In this blog we will explore the leader as shepherd.  The most critical thing will be to examine the expectations of the shepherd by and for the sheep. 

This is not some “touchy-feely” model, although touch and feel are important.  Rather it is a deadly serious model that will challenge the leader deeply and powerfully.  It is not about making the sheep happy, although that’s not a bad thing, rather it is about taking responsibility for and with the sheep so the human resources stay healthy and grow stronger.

The greatest challenge will be to the individual who has accepted (chosen) the role of leadership.  You will have to work hard to develop or strengthen those characteristics that can make you a good leader while rejecting and refusing those characteristics which erode the trust that needs to exist.

This will not be fun but it will be effective.  I hope you’ll subscribe and join us on this journey.

“A cowboy drives cattle, a shepherd leads sheep.”

Michael