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.
If we were sitting down with you for a chat at your local coffee shop, after a few sips of coffee, I’d likely be itching to ask you a few significant probing questions (my kids say this drives them crazy sometimes!). After all, we’re not only here to build a bigger enterprise, buy a bigger house, drive cool cars, go on fun vacations and retire comfortably (though all of that is fine to do). Here’s what’s on my mind to check in with you about…
Is there a soul in your firm?
Is your enterprise a place where people can find themselves?
Is it a place where people are loved?
Do you just make things or deliver services, or do you make people better humans so they can be all God wants them to be?
Do you pull back the curtains on the meaning and purpose of life?
Are you a “meaning maker” or are you just a profit taker?
Whew! I know those are big questions, but we have to be clear as to why we are positioned as leaders here on earth. How will you lead with God-glorifying kingdom-focused intentionality at your firm? How will you display and declare Christ in your organization? You’re not just an ATM machine to send money to missions. Your firm does not just exist to fund telling the Good News to people in foreign countries. Could it be time to look outside your office door and see the people on the shop floor or in the office cubicles as a mission field, one that is only 100 feet away instead of a 14-hour plane flight to a distant land? Your team members need to hear God’s Good News too!
Well, it’s time to wrap up our meeting. You’ve got things to do. Let’s talk big picture. No matter who is president of the country you live in, God is still in charge the trajectory of the entire world. His purposes will evolve on his timetable and, over thousands of years you can be sure they have never been thwarted for long by a current leader acting a certain way. Remember, we live in a post-Genesis Chapter 3 world where thorns and thistles infest the ground and bad things happen. God uses good and bad leaders to accomplish his ultimate plans and he influences the hearts of leaders. However, God has placed you where you are as a leader of your firm and he wants you to lead. He wants you to declare and display Christ right where you are. The people you work with have an eternal destiny that will happen in one of two places. Your firm is not going to heaven—only people get in.
“However, God has placed you where you are as a leader of your firm and he wants you to lead. He wants you to declare and display Christ right where you are. The people you work with have an eternal destiny that will happen in one of two places. Your firm is not going to heaven—only people get in.”
So, let’s call the election right now—the election that matters to those you lead. YOU WIN! You’re in charge of your firm! Begin leading your firm with deep purpose under God’s plan and power today. If you and other leaders across the world stand up and grasp your role with intentionality, together we can make a difference in our company, in our country, and in the world where God has placed us to represent him. Let’s lead!
About the Author
Greg Leith is married to Shelley and together they raised five humans in rain-soaked British Columbia, Canada and the sun-soaked foothills of Southern California. He has led in the non-profit sector, the academic sector and the for-profit sector and he is the CEO of Convene Corporation where hundreds of business leaders meet together regularly in small groups to help each other build high performing organizations built on a biblical foundation. Find out more at www.convenenow.com.
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Convene’s mission is to connect, equip and inspire Christian CEOs and business owners to grow exceptional businesses and become higher-impact leaders to honor God. Through a community of peer-to-peer advisory teams, executive coaching and world-class consulting, we work with Christian CEOs and business owners to impact the Life of a Leader, leading to an ultimate Kingdom legacy.