Happy Day Everyone,
In our class, Business by the Book, we are reviewing a new book named "Now Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D
Our first discussion focused on one of the key premises of the book which invites us to make a fundamental change in our thinking. The authors ask us to focus on and invest in our strengths instead of your weakness. This goes against the traditional viewpoint where we typically identify our weaknesses and make huge investments in correcting those weaknesses. Believe it or not this begins in childhood. A child shows the parents their report card. There are 4 A's and 1 C. What happens? As parents or guardians, we might acknowledge the 4 A's but we spend most of our attention and planning on eliminating the C.
Everyone in our class agreed that this was a true point. We have experienced it. We see this same viewpoint transferred to the workplace. When a person is hired, weaknesses are quickly identified and a training plan is put in place to correct the weakness
The authors asks that managers take another approach especially after reviewing the following evidence which shows some positive results of focusing on an employee's strengths.
“The Gallup Organization asked this question to 198,000 employees working in 7,939 business units within 36 companies – At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day. When the employees answered “strongly agree” to the question, they were 50% more likely to work in business units with lower employee turnover, 38% more likely to work in more productive business units and 44% more likely to work in business units with higher customer satisfaction scores.”
That is great news
Unfortunately, globally only 20% of employees working in large corporation that Gallup surveyed felt that their strengths are in play every day. All hope is not lost because this is a great opportunity for companies to participate in this change of investing in our strengths.
The selection process which will cause the wrong person to be placed in the wrong position or with the wrong responsibility is not something new to mankind. We see an example of it in the bible where workers are not working according to their strength. Let's look at 2 Kings 12 4-6. Joash was king of Judah and wanted to repair the temple so he gives the following instruction.
4 Joash said to the priests, "Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD--the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple." 6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.
Joash had a strategic plan, he had the funding for the project and the priests were willing to prepare the temple but by the 23rd year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the temple.
The priests were not operating in their strength. Joash had to revise his strategy and bring in the people who had the talent, skill and knowledge to repair the temple. Let's take a look at 2 Kings 12:11-14 to see what happened as they changed their plan.
11 When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD--the carpenters and builders, 12 the masons and stone-cutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.
The work was given to the right people who had been given the talent to get the job done. The carpenters, builders, the masons and stone-cutters were the ones who have the talent, skills and knowledge to get the work done.
We encouraged our class members to identify their strengths, their gifts and invest in those talents through continuous improvement in knowledge and skills. This combination constitutes a strength.
Please feel free to come and visit our class, Business by the Book on Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. at Second Baptist Church at 6400 Woodway. We meet in Room 115 in Woodway Village. We hope to see you soon.
God bless you,
Theresa
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Your Calling vs Political Games in the Workplace
During our class we continued our study in the book “No More Dreary Mondays” by Dan Miller. We focused on another scenario that might cause us to dread Mondays. That scenario is political games in the workplace.
Many times when we are fulfilling our passion, our calling and it appears that we are working where we should be, there still can be political games that are played. These games make us feel that we are spending our time watching our backs rather than doing our job or improving our performance. Many times our solution is to find another place of employment. So often, we will ask to be removed from the situation like Jesus asked His Father in Luke 22;42-44. Sometimes God's plan is to have us remain right where we are and He doesn't always reveal His reasons.
If we are to stay at your current place, how should we handle these games? We discussed this during our class by taking a look at Jesus and reviewing how He managed some of the political games He experienced. In John 17, Jesus confirmed that he was completing the work that the Father had given Him. He was without sin and right in the middle of God's will but He was still confronted with the politics of his day from the government and the religious leaders.
Political Game 1 – John 18:1-4
Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples. Judas had spent time with Jesus at this olive grove and he knew where Jesus would be. Judas took the detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees to that location so they could arrest Jesus.
Why did Judas do this? It was for the money. Have you ever had anyone betray you for money or a promotion. It is painful. Jesus certainly knew he would be betrayed but he chose to endure the pain. Judas had no repentance.
Political Game 2 – John 18:16-18; 25-27
After Judas' betrayal, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus had told Peter that this would happen but still the pain had to be devastating. When politics happens in the workplace, you will lose friends. Friends who have been close to you; friends that you have counted on for lunch and fellowship, but now they deny you by stopping the lunch dates or not calling or responding to emails. Their actions say that they don't know you.
There can be good news even after situation like this. Peter repented and received restoration. I have to ask God to forgive me when I have denied Him in the workplace by my silence instead of speaking up against something that I know is wrong. By His grace, He can and will restore me and in the same vein of grace, I must be willing to restore others when they have repented.
Political Game 3 – Matthew 27: 11-18
The next political move that Jesus endured was in front of Pilate who said that he could not find any wrong with Jesus but Pilate left it up to the crowd to choose the one who would not be crucified. The choice was between Jesus and Barabbas who was a rebellious criminal. The leaders chose to let Barabbas go free. Pilate knew that move was a result of envy. Perhaps you have done a great job and performance reviews have been excellent but there is decision to end your employment because of a hidden agenda This agenda may find its roots in envy and it is endorsed by senior management.
All of these political games can cause you to dread Mondays.
How do you avoid having an attitude filled with dread. You can avoid it by knowing that Jesus has gone through the political games that are played. He is now our high priest and he intervenes for us. He personally understands the battles and the pain. The Holy Spirit prays for us when we get to that place when we don't know how to pray (Romans 8). You must put on the whole armor of God each day (Ephesians 6). Know that you will see victory through Him.
If you are going through a tough time in this area, let me invite you to add your prayer request to the comments section of this blog. You can add it anonymously.
Please feel free to come and join us in person in our class, Business by the Book on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at Second Baptist Church at 6400 Woodway. We meet in Room 115 in Woodway Village. We hope to see you soon.
God bless you,
Theresa
Many times when we are fulfilling our passion, our calling and it appears that we are working where we should be, there still can be political games that are played. These games make us feel that we are spending our time watching our backs rather than doing our job or improving our performance. Many times our solution is to find another place of employment. So often, we will ask to be removed from the situation like Jesus asked His Father in Luke 22;42-44. Sometimes God's plan is to have us remain right where we are and He doesn't always reveal His reasons.
If we are to stay at your current place, how should we handle these games? We discussed this during our class by taking a look at Jesus and reviewing how He managed some of the political games He experienced. In John 17, Jesus confirmed that he was completing the work that the Father had given Him. He was without sin and right in the middle of God's will but He was still confronted with the politics of his day from the government and the religious leaders.
Political Game 1 – John 18:1-4
Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples. Judas had spent time with Jesus at this olive grove and he knew where Jesus would be. Judas took the detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees to that location so they could arrest Jesus.
Why did Judas do this? It was for the money. Have you ever had anyone betray you for money or a promotion. It is painful. Jesus certainly knew he would be betrayed but he chose to endure the pain. Judas had no repentance.
Political Game 2 – John 18:16-18; 25-27
After Judas' betrayal, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus had told Peter that this would happen but still the pain had to be devastating. When politics happens in the workplace, you will lose friends. Friends who have been close to you; friends that you have counted on for lunch and fellowship, but now they deny you by stopping the lunch dates or not calling or responding to emails. Their actions say that they don't know you.
There can be good news even after situation like this. Peter repented and received restoration. I have to ask God to forgive me when I have denied Him in the workplace by my silence instead of speaking up against something that I know is wrong. By His grace, He can and will restore me and in the same vein of grace, I must be willing to restore others when they have repented.
Political Game 3 – Matthew 27: 11-18
The next political move that Jesus endured was in front of Pilate who said that he could not find any wrong with Jesus but Pilate left it up to the crowd to choose the one who would not be crucified. The choice was between Jesus and Barabbas who was a rebellious criminal. The leaders chose to let Barabbas go free. Pilate knew that move was a result of envy. Perhaps you have done a great job and performance reviews have been excellent but there is decision to end your employment because of a hidden agenda This agenda may find its roots in envy and it is endorsed by senior management.
All of these political games can cause you to dread Mondays.
How do you avoid having an attitude filled with dread. You can avoid it by knowing that Jesus has gone through the political games that are played. He is now our high priest and he intervenes for us. He personally understands the battles and the pain. The Holy Spirit prays for us when we get to that place when we don't know how to pray (Romans 8). You must put on the whole armor of God each day (Ephesians 6). Know that you will see victory through Him.
If you are going through a tough time in this area, let me invite you to add your prayer request to the comments section of this blog. You can add it anonymously.
Please feel free to come and join us in person in our class, Business by the Book on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at Second Baptist Church at 6400 Woodway. We meet in Room 115 in Woodway Village. We hope to see you soon.
God bless you,
Theresa
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lessons about Our Work and Our Calling
We are now studying a new book named “No More Dreaded Mondays”. The author is Dan Miller - business and life coach.
We started our discussion by asking the audience “to raise their hand if they wake up and say “Thank God, it’s Monday.
We then asked the audience if they believed that God included “Mondays” in the scripture below -
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We all agreed that Monday should be the day that we rejoice and we are to be glad in it. If so, what is the problem.
Many times it is because we have missed or lost the essence of our calling. Our calling should be integrated with our work. Some of our group discussed how they enjoyed their work but there were aspects of it that made it hard to appreciate Mondays. We discussed how the detriment of lost lives in the healthcare field can be tiring and draining; how corporate politics can hinder and Christians may feel as though they are managing behavior that is deceitful in nature rather than using their God-given talents to meet their goals; how being in the wrong position in the right field can cause you to count the days when the assignment is over.
As a result of these things, we can become complacent.
The bible gives us a clear warning about complacency. Complacency should never be your choice. Proverbs 1:32 says:
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
If you are not excited on Monday mornings, we have to find or re-ignite God’s calling in our life. For those who are in healthcare, there is a calling on your life to help restore a person to health here on earth and remind all of the assurance that we have in Christ of spending eternity with Him when our life is over here on earth. I just completed reading the book named "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. It is the compelling book that gives us the story of a little boy's trip to heaven and back. I would encourage you to read it and perhaps share it as the Lord leads you.
We know that the enemy will always try to put obstacles in our way but we must constantly seek to follow the words given to us in 1 Peter 4:10.
1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
Be encouraged today to see your work as a ministry given to us by the Holy Spirit so that others may see the light of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, receive His grace and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
We started our discussion by asking the audience “to raise their hand if they wake up and say “Thank God, it’s Monday.
We then asked the audience if they believed that God included “Mondays” in the scripture below -
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We all agreed that Monday should be the day that we rejoice and we are to be glad in it. If so, what is the problem.
Many times it is because we have missed or lost the essence of our calling. Our calling should be integrated with our work. Some of our group discussed how they enjoyed their work but there were aspects of it that made it hard to appreciate Mondays. We discussed how the detriment of lost lives in the healthcare field can be tiring and draining; how corporate politics can hinder and Christians may feel as though they are managing behavior that is deceitful in nature rather than using their God-given talents to meet their goals; how being in the wrong position in the right field can cause you to count the days when the assignment is over.
As a result of these things, we can become complacent.
The bible gives us a clear warning about complacency. Complacency should never be your choice. Proverbs 1:32 says:
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
If you are not excited on Monday mornings, we have to find or re-ignite God’s calling in our life. For those who are in healthcare, there is a calling on your life to help restore a person to health here on earth and remind all of the assurance that we have in Christ of spending eternity with Him when our life is over here on earth. I just completed reading the book named "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. It is the compelling book that gives us the story of a little boy's trip to heaven and back. I would encourage you to read it and perhaps share it as the Lord leads you.
We know that the enemy will always try to put obstacles in our way but we must constantly seek to follow the words given to us in 1 Peter 4:10.
1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
Be encouraged today to see your work as a ministry given to us by the Holy Spirit so that others may see the light of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, receive His grace and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Lessons about Pain - Onward How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul
This week we studied "Pain" which can be a scary topic. I don't find many people who volunteer for a season of pain but "Pain" doesn't wait or expect volunteers. As we review this chapter in the book, we see pain shows itself when it becomes necessary for Schultz to close 600 Starbucks stores as a result of the decrease in sales and the economical downturn.
As Christians, we know that pain can come to us in the form of discipline by our Lord. Hebrews 12:5-13 tells us that God disciplines all of His children and He disciplines us because He loves us. It is important to remember that His discipline is painful for a while but in the end we share in His holiness. We can share in His righteousness if we are trained by the discipline.During the class, we discussed how our motives, our attitude, and our actions can be renewed by our training. We shared how we had complained about having to go to work on Mondays. Some of us lost our job and experienced great difficulty in finding new work that would pay close to our previous salaries. Many have found new work and now we are thankful and our attitude is different and our words express "Thanksgiving" for His blessing. We now thank God for Mondays.Let me share a word of caution. Please note that the enemy may attack you and try to counterfeit God's discipline. Please note that Satan's attack never yields sharing of God's holiness. Satan is only about condemnation. You must pray and ask for God's wisdom about what you may be going through.
How about you? If you are going through a painful time and you are Christian, God has “holy” results planned for you. We are told to be encouraged although it is painful. Your relationship with Him will be stronger.
Please feel free to share your experiences of how your relationship has been strengthened or how you have been trained as a result of God's discipline. Please add them to our comments section. You are an encouragement!
God's blessings to you,
Theresa
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Business by the Book - Love 6/11/2011
It's hard to believe that it has been a couple of weeks since my last post but a number of things have occurred. I have had a week long hospital stay which started as a result of unannounced "bell palsy" episode at church and a trip to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital in Houston, Texas. I am very thankful for all my friends and support, the entire medical team and the wonderful care that they gave me. I am recovering and getting back on track.
In spite of the hospital stay, we did start our first bible study class at Second Baptist Church and discussed Part 1 of the Book - Onward - How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon.
We followed the author's direction and called the first part of our study "LOVE".
It is awesome to understand what your love or passion is. Howard Schultz clearly defines his passion as "coffee" and his desire to create the "Starbucks experience".
On the other end of the spectrum, it is very sad to not have experienced that passion or love. As Christians, we know that God has given us a passion and the talents to fulfill and honor that passion. Many times things in life will fight against the opportunity for you to experience that passion and you will lay it aside because you think it is impossible to attain. I want to encourage you to visit that passion again. I have found that if I allow myself a quick visit, the passion has this unbelievable attracting heat to it and it ignites my spirit anew.
I was encouraged in this part of the book because Howard Schultz gives a glimpse of how his passion plays out. He writes that as the head of marketing for Starbucks, part of his job was to travel and find incredible coffees for the company. During one of his trips to Italy, he had this wonderful experience in a small coffee bar. He was greeted by an older thin man which made Schultz feel as though he was a regular customer. Schultz states that it was as though everyone knew each other in the coffee bar and it appeared to be a "daily ritual." Schultz watched the man as he made the espresso he had ordered and he realized that he was seeing this man's passion. This scenario played out in many coffee bars as he walked the streets. Schultz walks away feeling as though that "the people were more like friends than customers".
Sharing the vision
Mr. Schultz is very excited about recreating the experience in the Starbucks stores in America but his bosses did not share his dream of. His idea was crushed but his belief was so strong that he left Starbucks.
How about you?
Have you every had a great idea and you know that it has value or it can increase the value of the product or service that you are providing. Perhaps it will decrease cost or improve employee morale but then you boss says "No". What do you do? This idea is your passion.
Not Now
This may have happened to you a long time ago and you have forgotten your passion. You have tucked it away. I encourage you to "Wake It Up." Some of you have may have experienced that scenario very recently. I say to you "Don't be discouraged". I believe that God is simply saying "Not Now". Things are not right; conditions are going to change; your faith is being tested; stay steadfast. If this is your God' given passion, opportunity will seek you out.
Howard Schultz left Starbucks and started his own company. Sixteen (16) months later, the owners of Starbucks had decided to sell their Seattle stores, roasting plant as well as the wonderful "Starbucks" name.
God's "yes" showed up 16 months later. His "yes" for you is on the way. Hang in there with God; but as you wait, please make sure that everything that you are doing now, do it as unto the Lord, do it with excellence and don't let anything steal your passion.
Talk to you next week,
In His Grace
Theresa
In spite of the hospital stay, we did start our first bible study class at Second Baptist Church and discussed Part 1 of the Book - Onward - How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon.
We followed the author's direction and called the first part of our study "LOVE".
It is awesome to understand what your love or passion is. Howard Schultz clearly defines his passion as "coffee" and his desire to create the "Starbucks experience".
On the other end of the spectrum, it is very sad to not have experienced that passion or love. As Christians, we know that God has given us a passion and the talents to fulfill and honor that passion. Many times things in life will fight against the opportunity for you to experience that passion and you will lay it aside because you think it is impossible to attain. I want to encourage you to visit that passion again. I have found that if I allow myself a quick visit, the passion has this unbelievable attracting heat to it and it ignites my spirit anew.
I was encouraged in this part of the book because Howard Schultz gives a glimpse of how his passion plays out. He writes that as the head of marketing for Starbucks, part of his job was to travel and find incredible coffees for the company. During one of his trips to Italy, he had this wonderful experience in a small coffee bar. He was greeted by an older thin man which made Schultz feel as though he was a regular customer. Schultz states that it was as though everyone knew each other in the coffee bar and it appeared to be a "daily ritual." Schultz watched the man as he made the espresso he had ordered and he realized that he was seeing this man's passion. This scenario played out in many coffee bars as he walked the streets. Schultz walks away feeling as though that "the people were more like friends than customers".
Sharing the vision
Mr. Schultz is very excited about recreating the experience in the Starbucks stores in America but his bosses did not share his dream of. His idea was crushed but his belief was so strong that he left Starbucks.
How about you?
Have you every had a great idea and you know that it has value or it can increase the value of the product or service that you are providing. Perhaps it will decrease cost or improve employee morale but then you boss says "No". What do you do? This idea is your passion.
Not Now
This may have happened to you a long time ago and you have forgotten your passion. You have tucked it away. I encourage you to "Wake It Up." Some of you have may have experienced that scenario very recently. I say to you "Don't be discouraged". I believe that God is simply saying "Not Now". Things are not right; conditions are going to change; your faith is being tested; stay steadfast. If this is your God' given passion, opportunity will seek you out.
Howard Schultz left Starbucks and started his own company. Sixteen (16) months later, the owners of Starbucks had decided to sell their Seattle stores, roasting plant as well as the wonderful "Starbucks" name.
God's "yes" showed up 16 months later. His "yes" for you is on the way. Hang in there with God; but as you wait, please make sure that everything that you are doing now, do it as unto the Lord, do it with excellence and don't let anything steal your passion.
Talk to you next week,
In His Grace
Theresa
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Servant Leader: God Lesson on Servant Leadership
Servant Leader: God Lesson on Servant Leadership: "Servant Leadership is a principle that God honors and we have evidence of it throughout the Bible. During our “Meet and Greet” Networking Ev..."
Business by the Book - New Class - June 5, 2011 - Second Baptist Church
Have you ever thought about something that you wanted to do but you have never taken the first step toward doing it. You are now looking back at the last 2 or 3 years of your life and you wonder why you didn't at least try it. At the time, the questions in your head seem to overwhelm the answers and the few answers that you had to some of those questions seem to be childish, risky or perhaps foolish.
It is not too late. Perhaps the setting has changed and your approach may have to be edited but you can still take action!
The first and most important thing that you have to do is make a concrete and confident decision that you are going to do it. Have a Nike moment and decide to "Just do it". There is a lot of work ahead but once the you launch the decision, you won't have any regrets.
I am doing that right now. I have said for the last year that I am going to start writing a blog. Then, I would put it off until tomorrow. Let me share that I wrote one eight (8) months ago and received some very positive comments about it. But...I just let the idea go in a "sleep" mode like my computer does when I am not working on it. I wasn't working on my idea consistently. Well not any more!
My blog is going to be revolve around a new series that we are starting at my church , Second Baptist, Houston Texas (second.org). The class is named Business by the Book and it will give us an opportunity to study a book over several weeks and talk about the principles that can help us in the marketplace. I am one of the teachers in the class and one of the things I want to come away with are some of the Christian principles that are used in business world. Our first book is Onward - How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. I have started reading it and it is a great book. No, I don't get anything for promoting the book but I love a book that give honest insight into the author, is encouraging and yet challenging.
My intent to give a brief overview of the precepts that I find in the book, review the similarities between the book and the truth that we find in the Bible and discuss the positive impact that the Truth can have on all of us.
I look forward to sharing with you on a weekly basis. Let me leave you with this. Howard Schultz, the ceo and author of the book uses the word "onward" in the title and throughout the book. It is a word that is full of encouragement but a call to action. If you have a passion, then do not stand still any more, move ""Onward".
Please join us at Second Baptist (second.org) in Houston, Texas - 6400 Woodway, Room 115 - Woodway Village for our new class which starts on 6/5 @ 11:00 a.m. Looking forward to seeing you there.
It is not too late. Perhaps the setting has changed and your approach may have to be edited but you can still take action!
The first and most important thing that you have to do is make a concrete and confident decision that you are going to do it. Have a Nike moment and decide to "Just do it". There is a lot of work ahead but once the you launch the decision, you won't have any regrets.
I am doing that right now. I have said for the last year that I am going to start writing a blog. Then, I would put it off until tomorrow. Let me share that I wrote one eight (8) months ago and received some very positive comments about it. But...I just let the idea go in a "sleep" mode like my computer does when I am not working on it. I wasn't working on my idea consistently. Well not any more!
My blog is going to be revolve around a new series that we are starting at my church , Second Baptist, Houston Texas (second.org). The class is named Business by the Book and it will give us an opportunity to study a book over several weeks and talk about the principles that can help us in the marketplace. I am one of the teachers in the class and one of the things I want to come away with are some of the Christian principles that are used in business world. Our first book is Onward - How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. I have started reading it and it is a great book. No, I don't get anything for promoting the book but I love a book that give honest insight into the author, is encouraging and yet challenging.
My intent to give a brief overview of the precepts that I find in the book, review the similarities between the book and the truth that we find in the Bible and discuss the positive impact that the Truth can have on all of us.
I look forward to sharing with you on a weekly basis. Let me leave you with this. Howard Schultz, the ceo and author of the book uses the word "onward" in the title and throughout the book. It is a word that is full of encouragement but a call to action. If you have a passion, then do not stand still any more, move ""Onward".
Please join us at Second Baptist (second.org) in Houston, Texas - 6400 Woodway, Room 115 - Woodway Village for our new class which starts on 6/5 @ 11:00 a.m. Looking forward to seeing you there.
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