What does “normal life” mean anymore?
Convene CEO, Greg Leith, reflects on this challenging time of disruption and offers a needed reminder that God already knows how the story ends and is guiding every step of our journeys.
Is joy an underrated asset in your leadership? In our latest article, Matt Rusten explores why joy, much like humor, plays a vital role in building a thriving company culture. From increasing team engagement to fostering resilience, joy can transform workplace dynamics and inspire purpose-driven work. Discover three key ways to cultivate joy in your organization and why it’s essential for leaders who seek both results and fulfillment.
‘Do not worry.’ We’ve read Matthew 6:25-34 in the Sermon on the Mount, but what does that look like on a day-to-day, minute-by-minute basis? God knows our every worry, fear, and concern – and He can handle it. Many thanks to Darrell Passwater, Convene Forum Team leader, for his encouragement to think about how our lives might be different by truly living out this scriptural principle.
Got a quick minute to chat? I’ve been wanting to share something with you as you lead in the midst of the election cycle in the USA or when your political election takes place in your country. When the dust settles on the election and the new country leader is declared, one thing will still be as true as it is right now. You’ll still be the one leading your firm the day after the election. Your team members will still come to work the day after the winner is declared. They’ll still be looking to you for leadership, for a paycheck, for a sense of community at their workplace.
What do they want most that only you can deliver? It’s meaning. That meaning they’re looking for begins with you and your leadership. To be sure, what Washington DC does actually can impact your business significantly, however, the president of the United States or the leader of any country does not lead your firm. You do. It’s an enterprise entrusted to you to lead as a steward. It’s a place where people look to you for answers, where people want to be part of a team that cares about them and where people want to be valued, appreciated, and loved. The next president of the country will not show up this week at your office to encourage your team, fix a broken piece of equipment, hire the next team member, sell a big account, or cast a bold vision about how your team will reach your goals and impact the culture.
As we find ourselves mid-October and a blink away from a new calendar year, it is an opportunity to prepare for how we view transitions. Transitions allow for reflection and renewal, for letting go and beginning anew, and for learning from the past and creating the future. Instead of laying out trends for the next year, I would like to comment on a fundamental enabler of any transition: hope. Leaders who want to improve, CEO’s who work toward excellence, HR professionals who aspire to deliver more value, and employees who seek well-being all achieve their transitions by realizing hope.
Hope integrates many of the positive traits that shape transitions for others and matter to me personally: learning, patience, service, faith, humility, optimism, gratitude, and so forth. I send hundreds of formal and informal e-mails every month to invite people to programs, to thank people for attending programs, to check in on those I mentor, and to stay connected to those I care about. I begin almost every one of these notes with “Hope you are well.” Hope is one of my personal desires, tag lines, and biases and an enabler of any transition.
If I could implant one trait in my family, friends, and colleagues who are undergoing continual transition, it would be hope.
As the business community begins to start up again, it is clear that things have changed, or will be changing soon. As employees return to work, the behaviors of the past may need to go away such as touching (as in a simple handshake), being close when you need to learn to work while not being close, like sitting at a computer, wearing a mask, the production process may be new, customer relations might now done on-line, etc. The list goes on for each business and each situation. And the last thing an employer wants is for employees to get sick and spread it around their staff. The employer wants a positive result and healthy people. This is in everyone’s best interest.
A new and improved “you” comes quickly when you accept who you are now.
It seems that many Christians have opted to climb aboard the “Discontentment Train". And as you know, once it gets going, it’s hard to stop a train. The most detrimental downside of our aspirations to become a better Christian is the disease of ignoring the value of who we are in Christ… right now.
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. - 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (ESV)
How do you meet the needs of your market? What are the internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats impacting your business?
These questions are generally addressed in the section of your business plan called the situation analysis. This section is also sometimes referred to as the situation assessment, market analysis, competitive analysis, or industry outlook. It is the part of your business plan that includes your qualitative and quantitative research.
At a recent One2One meeting with a long-time Convene member, Steve—a man with a great heart for God, family and business—shared about a recent vacation to Yellowstone National Park with his extended family (wife, 4 daughters with husbands, and grandchildren). He described the park as a sanctuary of geothermal activity, forests, mountains and wildlife in an ever-evolving landscape. Steve was evidently moved in spirit by this experience. Steve described Yellowstone in this way:
“The environment is constantly changing”
“Only the strong survive”
“God’s hand is so evident there”
My immediate reaction was to ask, “How is that like your business environment?”
For certain, in our information-deluged and technology-advancing world, the environment is constantly changing. How does your business keep up with the pace? Our Convene team has a saying, “What got you here, won’t take you there”.
For certain, in our still-precarious economic environment, the strong survive by great leadership and team building, innovation and operational efficiency. How do you hone your leadership skills?
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”—Proverbs 27:17.
For certain, God’s hand is active in your business. How do you stay focused on God’s intent for your company and your stewardship thereof? Convene helps to impel your decisions through the filters of Kingdom Purpose, Vision and Values.
Could your business have a legacy like Yellowstone?
“Let us not give up meeting together…but continue to encourage one another”. Hebrews 10:25