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.
When you were born, you probably occupied a baby basinet, then a larger crib, then you might have even got your own room! Possibly your first home was a one-bedroom condo, then a two-bedroom place, then kids came, and you might have moved into a four-bedroom place. Some of you ran out of room and moved into a 4,000 square foot house and then, years later, after the kids moved out, you downsized to a small bedroom condo again.
Many business leaders I work with commonly struggle with what they refer to as work-life balance. They typically talk about the constant struggle to “find the right balance” of time spent on work, family, ministry, hobbies, health and self. The world is ready to offer all kinds of suggestions. A quick Google search on work-life balance results in 153,000,000 results!
God made us to work. If you’re a Christian professional, chances are you’ve heard the phrase. Maybe from a pastor, a conference speaker, or someone in the office. But when it comes right down to the first minutes of our morning on Monday, the abstract does us little good. How do we take the idea of work as worship and make it a reality? The work as worship idea says that the five days (or more) we spend each week at work give us the opportunity to expand God’s kingdom. We can use the talents and skills God has given us to worship Him on more than just Sunday. It’s a compelling message—but what does that look like lived out?
The idea of business as ministry may sound great. In practice, it is much more complex and interesting. It has been my experience that using our business as ministry looks very different at each business where this mindset takes root. The creativity and variety of ways that this is put into practice are limitless. After all, “ministry” just means serving.
When we think about using our businesses as a means to further God’s purposes and to extend His kingdom, we are often drawn toward conventional Christian expressions or techniques. We are all aware of companies that have used obvious ways of proclaiming a Christian message and focus. Anything from putting Bible verses on drink cups to copies of New Testaments in their packaging or closing for business on Sundays. These are all great things and done in the right spirit, they can have an impact but, I believe, there is a more subtle and organic way to use your business to extend God’s kingdom.
