Your Divine Mission

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of age.  - Matthew 28: 19-20 (NKJV)

The term purpose is generally defined as intention or a reason for being.  Your reason for being. God created all of us, including His Son Jesus, to glorify Him. Jesus acknowledges this when He prays: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (John 17:1, NKJV).  Therefore, our purpose as God’s sons and daughters is to glorify Him so that His “name may be declared in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16, NKJV).

On the contrary, the term mission is typically defined as an important assignment, vocation, divine calling or personal ministry.  Your divine assignment.  Your personal calling.  Jesus is a perfect example of an individual who stayed focused on God’s mission for His life. Jesus followed God and the Holy Spirit as He pursued His ministry.  Just as God anointed Jesus to do His work, He will also anoint you to do yours in the marketplace.

Your purpose precedes your mission. One way to frame this connection is to remember:

• Your purpose tells you why you were created (i.e., to glorify God).

• Your mission tells you how you will glorify Him (e.g., through your commercial initiatives).

Our Collective Mission

 Jesus tells us that just as God sent Him into the world to spread the gospel, He (Jesus) sends us into the world to spread the gospel.  He declares we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15, NKJV).  This is our ultimate collective mission as believers.  For us as Christian business leaders, this means that we are sent to spread the gospel of Christ in the business world.

Identifying Your Personal Mission

In my book, Revelations in Business:  Connecting Your Business Plan with God’s Purpose and Plan for Your Life, I share a step-by-step process for how to identify your individual mission and connect it with the mission of your business.  And, the first step is to begin from within.  If you have questions regarding exactly what your calling is as an individual, then the answers are easily accessible. The answers lie within you.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God actually anoints you with the same Holy Spirit with which He anointed Jesus. “This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT). This is reinforced by Jesus as He declares:  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21, NKJV).

The Bible reinforces the fact that God’s Spirit lives within us in many passages including the following:

• “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV).

• “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living with you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11, AMP).

• “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (2 Timothy 1:14, NKJV).

Ponder the following questions:

• “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, NKJV).

• “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV).

• “Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” 2 Corinthians 13:5, NKJV).

Because God’s Holy Spirit resides within each one of us, you only need to look inside yourself to God, Who resides within each of us, to discover your divine mission. Pray for His revelation, direction, wisdom, and power to discern the mission that He has ordained for you.

Family Firms and Independent Boards

There is something about those of us who prefer freedom to security, and who build businesses with freedom to enjoy our work as a foundation stone. We don’t want folks looking over our shoulders, and we often translate that to mean we don’t want boards, and we certainly don’t want independent board members. It’s not uncommon to hear privately held company owners and CEOs talk about the painful experiences of trying to put advisory or governing boards together or to realize the benefit. What is uncommon is for those same owners and CEOs to recognize the problem may just have been centered in their inadequate recruitment, preparation and participation.

A highlight of this year’s CEO Summit at Convene, was a presentation by David C. Bentall, who shared the painful story of a substantial, family-owned business empire torn apart by the very people who grew it, blind to their own deficits until it was too late. Bentall has now devoted himself to helping other family-owned businesses manage their succession with greater aplomb. His book, Leaving a Legacy: Navigating Family Business SUCCESSion, is an excellent guiding resource, especially for family businesses moving into a second generation of leadership and beyond.

A centerpiece to it working well, according to Bentall, is a compensated, governing, well-prepared and independent board. This is very different than recruiting cronies and family members exclusively.  And…when such a board is in place, regular and high-priority meetings among family members, and their spouses, are also a must.

Pushing for this often brings the rolling of eyes and verbal protests. And yet, the burden of proof rests on the protestor. In lieu of following these best practices, how are they living as a steward of the company they are building? How can they claim to be so wise when they keep foregoing the laying of the long-term foundation to guide a company beyond their leadership?

When Leaders "Try"

As a leader, what do your words reveal about your commitment?

When my kids were young, I was fully dedicated to my career. I had made it a higher priority than my own family and even my health. On weekends (well, Sundays, which was all the weekends I thought I could spare), all I wanted to do was spend time recovering mentally and physically from my hard work all week.

My kids, Jennifer and Chris, had other ideas. They would often come to me and ask if we could do things together as a family that day. My standard answer was, "We'll see." After getting this response on a fairly regular basis, I overhead Jennifer, the older of the two, tell Chris one day that "we'll see" meant "no." Based on my past behavior, my kids were smart enough to translate what I thought was a non-committal answer into what it really meant - "no."

Recently I spent some time on the phone with a leader I had met just some months before. I'm a member of a select group of leaders who have invested both time and money into learning from some of the best leaders in the world through a  monthly conference call. We also spend time one-on-one sharing best leadership practices. On the phone with my new friend, we talked about leadership in our respective companies and discussed our leadership teams. Well into the conversation, my leadership partner asked if she could provide some feedback on what she had observed. "Yes, please do," I replied.

Her first observation was positive reinforcement. She had not heard the word "but" during my entire description of the leadership within our company. She explained how the senior leadership time of her company had thrown their energy into changing the mindset of their leaders. One of their key focus areas was changing the language their leaders used. The first example she shared was their practice of asking others permission to coach them. They use wording that goes something like this:

"I sense an opportunity to mentor you; is it okay if I share with you today"? If the answer is "yes", they share their observation or feedback. If the answer is "no," they say, "Great! Have a wonderful day. I'll talk to you later." I realized she had just done that in our conversation when she asked my permission for her to give feedback.

Her second observation was not as positive. Basically, she "busted" me on using the word "try" when describing our company's leadership. I think most of my talking points had started off with, "We try to..." She very politely helped me understand how the use of this word really provides a basis for not doing something, rather than being a commitment to do something.

This was not my first exposure to the word "try." Early in my career I had been mentored about the same word. It was around the time Nike had come out with its slogan, "Just Do It." My mentor explained that you either do something or not; there is no in between. When you say you'll try, you are not fully committed to the action. You have a safe out to fall back on - "Well, I tried."

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word "try" as:

"To make an effort to do something; to attempt to accomplish or complete something; to do or use something in order to see if it works or will be successful; to do or use something in order to find out if you like it."

There are several phrases that stand out to me in this definition: "attempt to accomplish," "see if it works," and "find out if you like it." When we use the word "try" in our conversations, the people we are communication with could receive our words within any one of these contexts. More likely, though, people will define "try" based on their previous experiences, either with us or with other leaders.

I am a firm believer in servant leadership and have dedicated the balance of my life to living as a servant leader and sharing our knowledge with others. We have implemented servant leadership in our companies and have created the Servant Leadership Institute to help others do the same.

Let's look at how others might receive my comments on servant leadership if I were to use these concepts of the word "try":

"We are going to make an effort to implement servant leadership at our company." "We are going to use servant leadership to see if it works or will be successful." "We are going to implement servant leadership to see if we like it."

Compare these statements to the following commitment:

"We will be a servant-led organization. I believe that servant leadership is the only way to lead and serve others, and we will be known as a servant-lead company."

Early on in our implementation at Datron, our leaders thought that servant leadership was just the latest "fad," and it would be replaced with something else within 12 months. Their reaction was not directed to  me as an individual, nor was it directed to the concept of servant leadership. It was based on the fact that the leadership of the company over the years prior to 2005 had spent a lot of money and effort "trying" different leadership styles to "see if they liked it" or "to see if it works." They never committed themselves to operating their business in any particular way. Does that sound familiar?

We have dedicated our lives to servant leadership. Over the past several years, though, the leadership team at Datron has drifted in its commitment to this practice. It's been slight and it's been subtle, but there has been a drift. Several leaders were brought in from outside the company, including a new CEO. The on boarding of these new leaders in a servant-led organization leadership. In reality, this culture or mission drift happens in all companies, but that doesn't mean it has to be permanent. (I would suggest you read a book called Mission Drift by Peter Greer and Chris Horst to fully understand this concept.)

As I was listening to my new friend, who served me in the best way, politely "busting" my leadership language, I realized that this little change in my language - and hence in my thinking and that of my team - was hindering our company's ability to recover from the culture drift that had happened over the past several years. The language I was using was limiting our team's commitment to stop the culture drift by refocusing on our original mission and purpose.

I took over eight pages of notes during out hour-long phone conversation. I am still "thinking about my own thinking" - about the words I use as the CEO, about their impact on others, and about the mindset I have on the language of a servant leader.

Where do you stand as a leader? Are you fully committed to a leadership style? How do those you influence translate the words you say as a leader? Do you use words like "we'll see" or "we're going to try..."?

In the end, leaders need to show their commitment to those we influence. Our message must be clear. When we're in a senior leadership position, our words send messages to others that reveal the level of our commitment to serve them. I am thankful for this leader's servant heart. Those I serve will feel her leadership influence through seeing a change in my behavior.

Servant leaders understand that our learning will never end. Living your life for the sake of others requires a commitment to reflect on your own behavior before you look at others'.

The 5th "P" Of Marketing

'Come, follow me’, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.

     - Matthew 4:19 (NLT)

   You Are God’s Marketing Vehicle

Fundamentally, marketing is a means for influencing others to buy into lifestyle enhancement regardless of whether the benefits take the form of a product or service.  Similarly, as Christians we are also charged with reaching and encouraging others and influencing them to embrace a lifestyle enhancement—a spiritual lifestyle enhancement. We are living epistles and advertisements for God in the marketplace. Jesus didn’t demand that people come to Him in order to hear the gospel. He went to them. He went into the marketplace and through towns teaching the gospel.

Marketing is Fishing

Jesus gives us a great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV; 1 Timothy 2:3-4).  Jesus tells us, “Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men,” and, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men” (Mark 1:17, NKJV; Luke 5:10, NKJV).

As God’s ambassadors, we are charged with seeking, or fishing for, and catching individuals to bring into the kingdom of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 9:22). In this way, marketing is analogous to fishing.

Marketing is fishing from a kingdom perspective. For instance, both fishing and marketing involve skillfully and strategically:

• Targeting a certain area or audience.

• Casting a line with a hook or slogan.

• Offering an enticing bait or benefit.

• Reeling in or recruiting.

Most of us are familiar with the infamous 4Ps of marketing:  Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. But I’d like to introduce you to a new one: the 5th “P” of marketing:  your kingdom Platform.

The 5th “P” of Marketing:  Your Platform

Your kingdom platform is defined as what you and your business stand for from a kingdom, or a godly, perspective, and it should always reinforce God’s principles such as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (1 John 4:8; Galatians 5:22-23). Your kingdom platform should serve as the overarching theme from which your marketing strategies and tactics are spawn.  Ultimately, your entire business culture and philosophy should be grounded in your kingdom platform.

Example:  You might be an interior designer. Because for you, interior decorating is a Higher calling than just making a room look pleasant and inviting, your kingdom platform may be centered on creating joy and peace for people within their living spaces. In this way, your platform reinforces godly principles and, consequently, serves as a strong spiritual foundation for your marketing initiatives.

You don’t necessarily have to advertise your kingdom platform unless you feel led to do so. You just need to identify it, commit it to God, and ensure that the remaining 4Ps of your marketing plan align with it. Having a kingdom platform is just another way to bring your business plans and marketing programs to a Higher level of success and significance.

Success = Quantity + Quality

Do you ever wonder how people define success? In my experience, and probably yours, it’s usually by “quantity” numbers – profit, sales, assets, real estate, etc. Whereas all these are valuable indicators we seem to equate success with growth in size and profit. But do we loose perspective when we only look at these numbers? What about the “quality” numbers that deal with relationships, loyalty and significance. I don’t want you to think that I’m not interested in financial success. Profitable growth allows for us to fulfill our business and personal goals. However, I learned early in my career that we need to add numbers relating to customer and employee sense of connectedness into the success equation. But those aren’t as easy to define or quantify. That may be one reason many stick with the meaning of success as financial profit.

Years ago I had that privilege of working with Nobel Prize Laureate Milton Friedman, Economist at the University of Chicago. He is famous for his quote, “There is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase profits.” I remember thinking it sounded rather harsh but I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Friedman and I found, thankfully, his definition of resources included the more variable assets of empowered employees and loyal customers.

One of my favorite business leaders is Bill Pollard, former chairman of ServiceMaster. In his book, Serving Two Masters? Reflections on God and Profit*, he says, “Profit is a tool for accomplishing our end goals of honoring God and developing people. As we manage with economy and care for those producing the profit, we recognize profit as a virtue of accountability, not a vice of self-aggrandizement.” There it is – profit and numbers can become a way to prove our human success rather than a way in which to serve our clients, associates and God’s plan for our businesses.

But the quantity factor is not only misused in business. Pastors regularly get the question, “How big is your church? How many members do you have? How many staff do you have?” So success in ministry is evaluated by “how many” rather than “how well”. Some see church growth by the numbers in the pews rather than the spiritual maturity and growth of those people.

So how do we include the less-tangible numbers of how well we serve our associates and customers into the success equation? It isn’t easy but here are some suggestions.

I would start with a baseline survey for customers and work associates that would ask emotive questions describing their reasons for working with you or purchasing your services/products. If the answers are given in a linear number scale you will be able to use this as the foundation. Follow-up surveys on a bi-yearly basis or other significant timeframes will give you the ability to put both quantitative and qualitative information into your success formula. There are other successful methods used to do this and I hope you will research the options that fit your circumstances the best.

The bottom line – don’t just think quantity – think quality. Both are necessary numbers to make a balanced equation of success.

*Serving Two Masters?, by William C. Pollard, Ó 2006 by the ServiceMaster Foundation. Published by HarperCollins Publishers.