Results and Outcomes

Hard to argue that the RESULTS and OUTCOMES derived in our lives are a function of the ACTIONS we take...and that our actions are a function of the PRIORITIES we establish and place in our lives… And that the priorities we create and establish are a function of our ATTITUDES and BELIEFS … And that those attitudes and beliefs are derived from our FEELINGS and THOUGHTS… And those feelings and thoughts are a direct reflection of the condition of our HEART and SOUL. It's an undeniable correlation that the results and outcomes we achieve in life are a function at a core level of the condition and health of our heart and soul. A troubled soul stimulates sour feelings and thoughts resulting in poorer than normal attitudes that create a negative chain reaction in priorities, actions and ultimately results.

We're encouraged with timeless wisdom of the ages to guard our hearts above all else as everything we do flows from it (it's the wellspring of life). And we are also instructed by a wise character from the Old Testament name Samuel who insightfully observed that "people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

As you contemplate the results and outcomes in your life, perhaps there is a heart and soul issue at work. What is at the core of the results you are achieving? Do your priorities reflect a desire to guard your heart and care for the wellspring of your life ("everything" flows from it)? Are you creating space and margin in your life to enable a healthy heart or is your schedule so busy that care of the core seems ivory tower or unimportant? Or maybe life for you is compartmentalized (things on Sunday are completely separate from things Monday through Friday)? Are you consistently surrounding yourself with competent, high-trust people who share your values and priorities in life and business? People who can be a source of encouragement and soul care?

As Dallas Willard stated, "what matters is not the accomplishments you achieve; what matters is the person you become." Start at the heart.

Light for the Road Ahead

Imagine yourself driving late on a dark night…in the country…on a county blacktop road…fields of crops on both sides…no one else seemingly on the road… no other lights to speak of… just you driving with your headlights on. Your headlights provide just enough light to see the road immediately ahead and drive safely. For good measure, we can flip on our high beams for a little extra distance. Note — We do not see our destination, we do not see miles ahead, we do not see the next intersection or town until our headlights illuminate it as we draw closer  

Yet, the light is adequate, sufficient. Seeing only to the end of your headlights…you can make the whole trip that way!

Don’t know what you want to say or do?  Proceed with faith anyway. Clarity often emerges from our trust in the Lord and stepping out of the boat; it doesn't precede our work. Often we grip too hard to a specific outcome / “destination” when we are given just the right amount of light to keep moving and take the next step. Drive on…

The Disastrous Employee

Ben was one of the most gifted and yet deeply flawed executives I’ve ever encountered. When I was asked to mediate tensions within the leadership team of his organization, it became evident that every person on the team was contributing to the problem to some degree.

But as mediation continued, it became clear that Ben was playing the major role in the deterioration of the organization’s unity and effectiveness.

The irony was that Ben also had the most impressive professional credentials on the team. Excellent education, advanced degrees, corporate awards, financial success. His technical abilities, sometimes referred to as “hard skills,” were top of the line.

But his relational abilities, or “soft skills,” were disastrous. In spite of his professional achievements, he was amazingly insecure. He was charming in social settings, but at work he dominated conversations, listened poorly, and was oblivious to how his pride and defensiveness offended others, stifled creativity, and damaged morale.

In spite of many coaching efforts, Ben was unable to face his relational short-comings. As a result, his employer finally saw no alternative but to let him go.

Soft skills, which the world often refers to as “emotional intelligence (EI),” or “emotional quotient (EQ),” and I refer to as “relational wisdom,” have such proven value that they are being promoted by business, educational, and political leaders around the world. Here are three recent articles that highlight this trend.

• The Amadori Case, a three-year study by one of McDonald’s chief suppliers, found that emotional intelligence was the major predictor of management performance, organizational engagement, employee turnover, and bottom-line profitability.

• Want an MBA From Yale? You’re Going to Need EI explains why the Yale School of Management (following in the footsteps of the business schools at Notre Dame and Dartmouth) has begun to use EI testing to screen applicants for its MBA program.

• Xi Jinping Commends EI reports that China’s President Xi Jinping recently announced, “It’s not your educational background, integrity, experience, or people you know that matters. What it takes to be a good leader is ‘emotional intelligence.’”

• Here are fifty similar articles describing the growing attention that business, educational, healthcare, military, athletic, and political leaders are giving to emotional intelligence.

The world’s growing appreciation for “soft skills” (EI/EQ) should come as no surprise to anyone who reads the Bible. Scripture repeatedly highlights the value of relational skills and their beneficial impact in group settings.

For example, if a worker (or better yet, an entire team) learns how to read others’ emotions (Prov. 20:5), understand their interests (Phil. 2:3-4), speak graciously (Eph. 4:29; Prov. 22:11), encourage the inexperienced or insecure (1 Thess. 5:14), applaud others’ innovation and accomplishments (Rom. 16:1-2), and prevent or quickly resolve conflict (Prov. 15:18), the unity, energy, creativity, and productivity of an entire team can be magnified (James 3:17-18).

Bottom line: One of the best ways for you and your employees to succeed in the workplace is to deliberately develop the relational skills that God has laid out for us throughout Scripture.

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Ken Sande is the founder of Peacemaker Ministries and Relational Wisdom 360 and the author of numerous books on biblical conflict resolution, including The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. 

Peer-Based Advising

Peer-based advising teams are proliferating. Yesterday I was asked about another one dedicated exclusively to CEOs of manufacturing companies. Had I heard of it? No. And I was not surprised because every month brings a new player in a crowded space. It is crowded because peer-based advising teams offer a proven resource to a strongly felt need: reducing leadership isolation, pooling time/expense in order to arrive at quality decisions and actions far more efficiently and persistently, and developing the leader along with the organization they serve.

As with any market, over time, low quality and non-sustaining offerings are going to disappear and the more resilient ones will prosper. That day is not yet. So…assuming you are a leader convinced of the value and committed to joining a peer-based advising team, how do you discern among the options?

And…since you are specifically considering Convene, what is its distinctive?

Here is how I answer the question about the Convene distinction:

• Love of God and neighbor. Convene centers on Christ and the gospel of mercy and forgiveness. That gospel is then lived in loving service to others. This element is front and center as difficult decisions about sustainability, profitability and legacy get made. It makes all the difference between seeing people as commodities or people as assets. Other peer-based advising teams may or may not have this element, and with varying emphasis.

• The Owner/CEO is developed as a steward. No-one really “owns” a business. It is going to pass on to others eventually, and the condition of its passing says everything about the stewardship of the leader. Who the leader is becoming, how they operate, and the well-being of all stakeholders are measures of stewardship. They are the measures that count. A healthy balance sheet and organizational growth are tools of the steward’s work, and contribute to the final sum.

• Community is the third leg of the stool. The other two legs are the development of the leader and the development of the organization. In developing leaders (leg 1), some peer-based advising teams work only with leadership capacities as they relate to business. Others invite the leader to work on their whole person (family/emotional/spiritual/physical well-being), believing the whole person is in play at all times. It almost goes without saying that all peer-based advising teams work on organizational challenges and opportunities (leg 2). Not all of them work at community, however (leg 3).

• Community is built on fierce conversation, iron sharpening iron, going toe to toe while confidentially and graciously working at personal and business challenges.

• Community is built on diverse and multi-faceted perspective. Convene Teams are not intended to provide fellowship among homogenous, same industry networks. Rather it is plowing and harvesting in the fields of what the leader does not yet know that they do not know, believing they will be the better for it. They do this work among people with the same commitment and the same level of leadership responsibility coming from a broad swath of organizations.

• Community is building a fabric of relationships that extend beyond time spent in Forum Days—genuine and mutual concern for each other’s welfare and the strength of their families.

• Community as in bringing our best to our times together because we are a team. What we get out of the time together matters a great deal, but far more important is that we prepare well, bringing our whole selves and full attention in order to provide our best thinking for fellow Team Members. The result of caring about the quality of our contribution as the highest priority is that the Team Member grows in the leadership capacity they seek to develop.

Convene Teams are recognizable because of this distinction of the ethic of loving service, the commitment to organizational stewardship and the building of strong community. This distinction is at the heart and the method of growing exceptional businesses, becoming high-impact leaders, and honoring God.

Could you "come out" as a Christian businessperson?

It seems like every time I turn on the national news, someone is announcing their beliefs, value system, lifestyle, etc. and being commended, if not praised, for it.  Their willingness to “come out” and make public their conviction is seen as a valiant move—representing, validating, vindicating, and inspiring like-minded others who do not have the courage or the audience to do the same.  It is considered poor protocol to disagree with or voice opinions against these pacesetters. So could you, a business owner or CEO who maintains Christian values and beliefs, “come out” publicly and profess the reason behind your success?  Are you confident in your business principles and, more so, in your foundation in Jesus Christ to let it be known to the world?

“Your light must shine before others so they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” –Matthew 5:16.

Convene believes in building and running excellent businesses—producing great products, providing first-class customer service, treating employees with respect—and making a profit from doing all that well.  If you actualize that in your day-to-day business practices, would you be willing to come out publicly and let the marketplace know the reason behind your success?

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope”—1 Peter 3:15.

A 2011 Barna poll found that only 5% of consumers would be less likely to do business with a company who managed its business according to Christian principles and/or who embraced and promoted its Christian faith.  To the vast majority it would make them more likely or make no difference to patronize your business.

Your employees, vendors and clients are characterized by this data.  Think of how leading by professing your faith, beliefs and values will inspire and motivate them to invest and achieve more in your company, and ideally to step out and lead in the same manner.

The eternal reward is much greater than the perceived risk of coming out.