Jun 6, 2014
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
We have all had assignments that were, well, quite frankly, awful! I remember early on in my career finding myself on special assignment to a plant location that I had been led to believe was a prestigious assignment. Instead, it was wrought with labor strife and involved dealing with some incredibly difficult employee relations issues.
Soon after landing there, I realized just how bad it was. Well, I could have just as easily done my time, made myself look busy and navigated through the assignment for a few months and moved on, letting everyone know that, yes, it is bad, and it is not correctable. But I took a different stance. I looked at it like Joel Osteen would: “I am a victor; I am a conqueror; I can and will do all things through Christ.” I went in head on with passion and determination to fix many of the issues. Yes, in the beginning, I hated the assignment; there’s no denying that. But I worked countless hours counseling both leaders and union members, and, at the end, we came to common ground and both sides thanked me.
I can and will do all things through Christ
So, Christian business leaders, have you got the guts to go head on with determination, taking on the hard issues at hand for your companies? If you do, and you lead with conviction and passion, you will be blessed in the building of a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
Help our community of readers
How do you navigate though the areas of your work that you hate? How have you helped others that have been stuck? Let us know. We love to learn from others.
Mark A. Griffin | Inspiration
Apr 29, 2014
Ecclesiastes 5:6
Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
Have you ever watched one of your best employees produce excellent results and then ruin it all with their arrogance? Have you ever witnessed a senior executive deliver a passionate speech that rocked your world but, at the end, credit themselves and not their teams? If you have, you will know how bad they look and how unfortunate it is that their hard work and dedication was just overshadowed by their arrogance and self-love.
Give credit to the Team, not yourself
The workplace can be challenging in the sense that we are to perform, and that performance is typically measured and reviewed. But that measurement and level of deliverance is between you and your superior, not between you and the entire company!
No one likes a braggart, so if you keep your performance results to performance discussions, and if you are managing your teams to do the same, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization
Help our community of readers
How do you give credit to your employees? Are there some simplistic tools you have used in the past? Let us know. We love to learn new ideas.
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Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
Jan 14, 2014
Exodus 22:25
25If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.
I once worked for a company who, on occasion, would loan employees money when they were down and out. I thought, this is great! This company cares so much about their employees that they are willing to loan them money to see them through hard times. Well, it did not take me long to find out that they were charging interest to these same employees. Not only is it wrong from a personal, moral perspective, but it is also illegal. This, my friends, was a company that, at the same time, professed Christian values! When challenged, the leadership that made this decision simply said they felt they were helping their people by providing a lower rate than a bank would have, and sparing them the hassle of having to go through the loan process.
Are you treating your employees with honor and respect?
Well, rationalizing it as helping employees might make them feel better but, after spending more time at this same company, I discovered they were cheating their employees in a number of ways. Shameful. So, Christian Leaders, ask yourself today: are you caring for your people? If they came to you for a loan, would you humbly offer it to them interest-free, as if it were God’s money and not yours? If you are, you are truly building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
Help our community of readers
In what ways have you witnessed organizations helping their employees? If you had the opportunity to make a difference in an organization as it relates to helping employees, what would it look like?
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
Dec 11, 2013
Proverbs 14:23
23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Hard work. When most people think of hard work, they think of manual work, production and agricultural jobs that require physical strength. Many of the hardest jobs that we began this century doing no longer exist! They have been replaced with robotics and automation. But that does not mean that hard work no longer exists. Hard work is now better defined as work that requires multiple skills and multitasking.
Appreciate and be empathetic with your Team
As we advance our businesses, we must never forget that what might seem easier now might not necessarily be easier; it is done instead with less physical strength but greater amounts of decision-making and dexterity. Do you lead with heart? If you are appreciative and empathetic of your employees’ work, if you know what it is like to walk in their shoes for a day, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
Help our community of readers
What changes have you witnessed and how did you ensure a positive outcome in your workplaces? Share your experiences and make an impact helping others in our reading community.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
Oct 22, 2013
Deuteronomy 30:8-10
8You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
How long must we manage our organizations absent of God before we realize that prosperity comes when we include Him! Having met with hundreds of Christian business professionals, I seem to run into the same common thread: we go to church on Sunday and “turn off” our Christianity on Monday. How long must we all go until we come to the realization that Church is every day?
Christian Business Leaders Are Modern-day Apostles.
Christ ordained his apostles and sent them back to work. Their work included fishing, accounting and even tax collection. Christ did not demand that they stop working; they ministered in the marketplace. So, today, all of us who are Christian Business Leaders are modern-day Apostles. If you’re Christianity doesn’t stop on Sunday nights, if you instead build it into your leadership and your organization’s values, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
Help our community of readers
What has your organization done to bring Christianity to the daily workplace? What steps must you continue to take to break down the barriers? We would like to know, so that our community will grow.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
Sep 5, 2013
Genesis 2:15
5The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
From the very beginning of time we have been blessed with work! Work is an inevitable part of our lives. When we are not working, we are often thinking about work! Work seems to preoccupy all of us. Work defines us, feeds and prospers us. Work is the foundation of our society and our world. Work, my friends, is not going away. If work is inevitable, and we must take it straight on, why does it have to be terrible at most places of work?
If work is inevitable, why allow it to be bad?
If we are honest with ourselves, we know the reason, and it is leadership, plain and simple. Any workplace that employees feel is destructive will always point back to a lack of competent leadership. Work does not have to be a utopia; of course it has elements of discomfort because of its very nature — you’re not fishing or at the beach! Leaders make sure work is a good place for your employees. But work should be enjoyable and meaningful to those who go.
If you manage your business with leadership that creates a culture of inclusion, prosperity, and a shared vision, while fostering plain old family love and relationships, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Company.
Help our community of readers
What do you do to make sure your workplace is palatable? If you could make further changes, what would they look like? Share with us and enhance others through your contributions.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
Jun 6, 2013
Proverbs 22:9
9The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
How many companies give thousands away but their employees can’t afford to buy their medical coverage? This happens more than you might realize.
Having worked at a variety of companies, both secular and Christian-owned, has given me the opportunity to witness a similar thread of generosity absurdity. Oftentimes our tendency to be generous involves looking outward to our communities, our nation or other continents. However, we should, as Christian Leaders, look first inward before looking outward.
Take care of your employees and they will take care of their communities
Let me explain in simple terms — help your employees first so they may be prosperous and go forth to help build the Kingdom. Not paying your employees correctly for the sake of having more dollars to give to a foundation, a foreign mission, or local charity is self-defeating. Ultimately, your employees will grow bitter and their fruit will never ripen.
Help our community of readers
What has your organization done to help your employees? Have you set a good foundation for them to grow, support their families, and build the Kingdom in their communities?
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
May 23, 2013
Leviticus 25:14
14If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other. 15You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops.
In today’s competitive world, companies are experiencing pricing pressures like never before. Being a second or third choice of customers will more than likely put you out of business. The knee-jerk reaction to cut corners, short customers, overcharge or underbid a job with the intention of up-charging later is all too real.
Be diligent in your decision-making; be faithful and so shall HE
Every day, you and your employees are faced with making choices, choices to do the right thing even when you believe it may ultimately harm your company. But that, dear reader, is faulty thinking. Organizations that have solid Mission, Visions and Core Values and lean into them during hard times will prevail. When we put our trust in Christ and do the right thing, make the right choices and stay truthful in our business lives, we will outlive the others. Build a “Kingdom Minded” Organization today, trust in Christ, and be diligent.
Help our community of readers
What have you experienced in this area that you can share? Can you witness to us an organization that has fallen on hard times, yet maintained its ethics and, in a brief time, returned to great reward? We would love to hear from you below.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
May 15, 2013
Proverbs 12:11
11Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
One of the seven deadly sins is sloth. Many leaders look at their people and accuse them of sloth-like behavior, yet, if they examined themselves more closely, they would discover that they are equally guilty of being sloth-like, maybe not in the sense of their rate of production, but in the time spent in fantasizing about their business objectives.
Sloth-like leaders dream too much and yield little
We all have lofty dreams — big dreams and pie-in-the-sky thoughts. And organizational vision is paramount to the success of every organization! The problem is that dreaming all day won’t satisfy your customers or get the widgets out the door! As Christian business leaders, we all need some time to ourselves to dream big for the creation of our goals and vision for our companies. Sometimes, though, we have witnessed leaders getting so caught up in big picture thinking that they lose their way in daily transactional business leadership, and their teams go astray, feeling they have no leadership. Leaders: if you find yourself disconnected from your teams and your businesses because of your lack of attention, focusing only on your lofty goals, wake up! If you can balance both day to day focus and big picture thinking, you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
When John Piper Reads “Pilgrim’s Conflict with Sloth”– You realize just how bad sloth behavior can be.
Help our community of readers
Have you witnessed a sloth in the workplace? What was the remedy? What have you done to combat your own sloth behavior?
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
May 7, 2013
Exodus 23:12
12Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.
We, as Christian Business Leaders, have gotten far away from this. We continue our lives and work straight through Sunday. We say things like, “We can’t not work on Sunday; the competition does!” Or, “We have always worked Sundays.” Well, don’t be convinced it is impossible; Chick-Fil-A has been doing it since they first opened! Growing up in Northern New Jersey, all the stores were closed to give employees time to spend with their families. Biblical scholars, pastors, and Bible believers all have their own interpretation of what the Scripture means.
Don’t shoot right through Sunday, without honoring God
I believe that the bottom line is we should honor God at least once a week by spending time relaxing with our families, enjoying the outdoors and partaking in worship. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and, most importantly, God. If you run an organization that honors God by ensuring you honor your employees by not working on Sundays, be blessed in the knowledge that you are building a “Kingdom Minded” Organization.
Help our community of readers
What is your company’s perspective on honoring God? Are there any customs, practices or procedures that you think might make you unique? Let us know and help build our community.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Inspiration
