HOW DO WE USE THESE SHORT LIVES FOR LASTING PURPOSES?

That question is the title of chapter 12 in a  book recently co-authored by a good friend who is also a good friend of Convene.  He has recently turned 40 years of age.  I am 75 years of age—nearly twice his age—but his question resonates with me and his book has caused me to  reflect on the value of thoughtful/prayerful career planning—which I did not do properly .  In fact I have found the book to be useful as a self-diagnostic  tool but the authors do not offer a “time reversal” process to aid we older readers. At 75 I am blessed with reasonable health, a beautiful wife in our  54th  year of   marriage, a  precious family, chair responsibility for two Convene Teams and a very active corporate life.  When I consider that question each day—my response is “Thank You Lord for Keeping Me in the Game!”    “But why didn’t I do this sooner?”

The joy and opportunity I gain from our Convene Teams far surpasses  the joy and blessing I received from earlier duties  as CEO,  Chairman, Professor,  or corporate officer roles.  Building into the lives of other leaders brings  greater satisfaction than building the financial balance sheet.  Both building activities are essential and valuable— I guess it is age that allows a better appreciation of the relative value of building human capital compared to building industrial/financial capital.

Solomon raises this same question in   Ecclesiastes 1:3-- What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?

I know the my co-author friends  answer –at his  age—is quite different, and that is what motivated him to write the book.  His writing appeals to all of us to carefully consider what God wants us to be doing next.  In careers where we practice leading and visioning—we must take time to consider or we may miss God’s better plan for us.  In fact Chapter 7 of the book is titled HOW DO YOU STOP AND REST BEFORE GOD STOPS YOU?

The authors use Ecclesiastes as the framework for guiding the reader on this clarifying journey.

Do your self a favor—put this book on your reading list—40/40-Vision-Clarifying Your Mission in Midlife—Peter Greer and Greg Lafferty.

www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8308-4434-0

Don’t wait till your 75 to read it.

3 WORDS THAT CAPTURE YOUR SOUL

At the 2014 Convene Summit, guest speaker Nancy Ortberg told the audience of her first encounter with Patrick Lencioni.   Ortberg asked Lencioni: “What are your core values?” Lencioni didn’t hesitate. He told her his core values were humble, hungry and smart. Ortberg decided right then, this was someone she could consider working with. As Lencioni’s success has demonstrated, these three values, lived out well, can provide a path to success. Not surprisingly, these values, grounded in truth, have proven to produce a significance beyond success.

A missionary named Paul wrote a letter to a church in Philippi and demonstrated the worth of these values.

Paul addressed humility in his doctrine of kenosis. He instructed us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” and to “look to the interest of others”.

A man once approached Winston Churchill, puffed up his chest and said: “I am a self-made man”; Churchill said: “You have relieved God of a very solemn responsibility”.

Paul himself demonstrated great hunger – hunger for knowledge of Christ, hunger to press toward the goal, hunger to win the prize that God has called us to, and created us for.

Smart? Paul knew how to leverage all he has been given. He found power and confidence beyond himself. He gained and knew the secret of contentment. He had the confidence that he could “do everything through Him who gives me strength”.

The extraordinary athlete Bruce Lee said “empty your cup”.

Humble, hungry, smart…..do these three words capture your soul?

Lencioni’s three core values. They have gotten Lencioni more than a few book sales and speaking engagements. For the early church, for Paul, they were a key part of ultimate success, of lasting significance.

Maybe those three words, lived out well, can help you and I get to what God has destined us for.

The Divine Exit Strategy

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

                                                                                                                        Acts 20:24 (NIV)

 Where do you plan to take your business? What’s your exit plan? What will be your legacy as a business leader? In other words, how are you going out?

Some of us start businesses with a goal of maintaining an enterprise that can be operated for years to come and passed on to future generations in the family. Others start companies with the ultimate goal of attaining an IPO, selling the business, and moving on to another exciting venture.

A comprehensive exit strategy benefits you as well as your employees, investors, and constituents. It encourages you to give careful consideration to how your business will evolve and grow, and it forces you to establish succession strategies and a timetable for key targets and milestones. The section of your business plan, in which these strategies are outlined, is called the Exit Plan.

I recently had the honor of serving as a keynote speaker for Harvard Business School and one of the principles that I reinforced with their leaders is that it is important to realize that the legacy of your business and your legacy as an individual are inextricably connected.

You may already have an exit strategy for your business, or you might not have given much thought to one - - let alone considered its importance within a spiritual context. Don’t worry. Now is your opportunity to transcend beyond conventional perspectives of simply having an “exit plan” or “exit strategy” to actually establishing a divine exit plan for your life’s work that honors God.

Before we proceed, it’s important that we make the distinction between two commonly intertwined concepts: legacy and inheritance.

Legacy versus Inheritance

I like the way John Maxwell compares and contrasts the concepts of legacy and inheritance in The Maxwell Leadership Bible. He states that anyone can leave an inheritance. An inheritance is something, such as money or material possessions, you leave for your family or loved ones that may bring temporary happiness but fades as it is spent or used. On the contrary, he defines a legacy as something that you leave in your family, such as spiritual values, that permanently transforms them and lives on long after you die.

As Christians, we are called to manifest God’s glory on the earth so that His will is done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). We are chosen by God for the High calling of priestly work

(1 Peter 2:9) and called to radically transform the world. For those of us who are planted in the business arena, the commercial marketplace is one of our target domains.

God is not only concerned about you getting into heaven, but He’s also concerned about you getting heaven into the business world. As Christian business leaders, we are to bring heaven to the earth in general and to the business world in particular. So, how do we, as His ambassadors in the workplace and the marketplace, accomplish this?

Following are three (3) principles to support you on your journey of leaving a positive, lasting legacy.

1. Be a Business World Changer.

2. Leave a Spiritual Legacy in the Commercial Arena

3. Realize that your history is actually a part of His Story.

Be a Business World Changer

As business leaders, we often think about the challenging and changing business environment we face, but we seldom think about how we should be challenging and changing the business environment we face in profound ways. Commit to challenging and changing the business world. Don’t let the business world change you in a negative way. Apply your Biblically based convictions to the commercial arena and become a true business world changer.

Don’t just seek to be successful in your profession just to benefit yourself or your family. Seek to benefit and be significant to future generations for the glory and kingdom of God. God told Abraham: “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2, NIV). In this way, God’s plan wasn’t just to bless Abraham as an individual, but it was to bless him so that he could also be a blessing to others. Likewise, our blessings are not just for us and our families; they are also for others—our colleagues, employees, customers, clients, suppliers, and other associates.

Leave a Spiritual Legacy in the Commercial Arena

Make sure your pursuit of professional success reflects your spiritual obedience to God and not just your own egocentric desires. We’re not in business just to make money, be happy, and die. Make your business and ultimately your life count. Let them serve as blessings to generations of people who come after you so that they too may know God and walk in purpose. Vow to leave a spiritual legacy in the commercial arena.

The Bible says that David served God’s purpose for his generation and died (Acts 13:36). How are you using your God-given abilities and talents to serve your generation? In what ways are you storing up blessings for future generations? As God’s sons and daughters, we must be committed to leaving positive testimonies and life-enhancing legacies.

Your History is a Part of His Story

Jesus says that just as God sends Him, He, in turn, sends us (John 20:21). This means that our stories become joined with God’s bigger story as we serve as His ambassadors. So, your history is a part of His Story.

The greatest legacy of all is the knowledge of God (Philippians 3:8; Psalm 78:1-8; 3 John 1:4). This knowledge of God blesses others while they are on earth and once they transition from this life. While they are on earth, their relationship with God gives them innate joy!   Joy irrelevant of a spouse, house, career, car, tax bracket, and social status. And, their relationship with God offers ultimate salvation and eternal life.

The Bible says that a wise man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, or his grandchildren (Proverbs 13:22). But, let’s go deeper. I challenge you to think beyond your own family lineage and bloodline. One of the greatest gifts that we as Christian business leaders can give God is a generation of future business leaders who know Him and who understand the importance of connecting their business plans with God’s purpose and plan for their lives. Because, ultimately, we want to hear God declare: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21-23, NLT).

Fulfillment

You wake up in the morning hoping your actions will have purpose. You want the work you do during the day to be affirmed, to be directed towards a meaningful end, and to have an impact on the lives of those around you.

You want to lie down at night and feel satisfied, content that the work you did was your very best and made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

You want the peace of mind, the satisfaction that comes with living out your purpose in the world.

You want fulfillment.

And you know what? You can find it. Everyone can.

Each person is created in God’s image, and like him, has the desire – and the ability – to be creative and find fulfillment using their God-given talents.

You can find fulfillment in many ways, by knowing your place and purpose in your community, your family, your church, and especially in work.

You can find fulfillment by living into who God created you to be, and doing what he created you to do.

In short, you find fulfillment when you discover and carry out your calling. This fulfillment finds expression in many ways – in serving your community, church, and family. In these places, you can make contributions that have eternal significance.

Work especially is an area where you can find fulfillment. Your daily work provides you with the challenges and opportunities to serve God and others. In fact, it’s the best way to serve others. And service is key – ultimately, work isn’t just about your personal fulfillment. It’s about serving your neighbors and even complete strangers by using your God-given gifts, talents, and resources to help meet their needs. Your service gives people a glimpse of how things will be when Christ returns and restores creation in full.

There are, of course, times when work may be difficult. Some days you feel the “thorns and thistles,” the stress, the burden of your responsibilities more than others. Through it all, work remains a formative activity for finding fulfillment by teaching us about God and ourselves.

Fulfillment can be found in whatever work God places in front of you, regardless of whether it’s your dream job or not. When we work hard everyday at the work God has given us, it’s pleasing to him and way more fulfilling for us.

Ultimately, fulfillment is not found in our circumstances, but in the actions – and attitudes we take towards our work, family, church, and community each and everyday. It’s found in working diligently to glorify God, serve the common good, and advance the kingdom of God in all that we do.

Originally published by the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE). ©Institute for Faith, Work & Economics 2015. Used by permission.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: AT WHAT COST?

Grow Your Business!: most of us as chairs have at some time participated in the exercise of considering the several perspectives, rationales – and pushes – for growing your business:

• If you do not grow, you shrink and die.

• You need to grow the business in order to provide career paths for your employees.

• Growing your business keeps the energy high – and you need high energy in order to keep fresh thinking about your products and/or services.

• Growing keeps you from becoming complacent.

• Growing continues to provide jobs for our economy.

And many more.

As I recently went through the same exercise with our Convene Team I was reminded of a story I heard some years ago about growing the American Dream: it provides a light hearted – though not to be ignored – touch to the discussions about growth for growths sake.

Read and Smile!

The American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them, The Mexican replied, only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Wharton MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually to NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will that take?”

To which the American replied, “15 or 20 years”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said that would be the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich - you would make millions!

“Then what?”

The American said, “Then you could retire . Move to a small coastal village where you could sleep late, fish a little play with your (grand)kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos . . . . . . . “