Discovering the Leadership Algorithm of You

What sort of leader do you aspire to be? Perhaps someone like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, or Mark Zuckerberg? A plethora of research and literature in leadership development are deluging bookstores claiming they have found the secret recipe of success by outlining key competencies that made leaders like Jobs, Branson, Buffer and Zuckerberg. We, often, blithely absorb these key findings and emulate their characteristics. However, does imitating these leadership characteristics really guarantee it will work for you?  

MarcusBuckingham, renowned strength strategist and author of his latest book StandOut, discusses an unprecedented and fascinating approach to leadership development in the June 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review. This new approach is based on strategies content creators use on the web: personalization.   

Let’s consider Facebook for example. Log on to your Facebook page right now. Look at the column on the right, and you will discover there are ads that are somehow uniquely relevant to you. One of these ads may include certain restaurants that are near your residence, high school or college related ads related with your graduation year, or companies that you are vying to get work for. How does Facebook know all this? Because you unwittingly told Facebook on your profile page. Much like Facebook asks the question “Who are you” first and then tailoring the advertisements based on your profile, leadership development needs to follow a personalized model that focuses on “who you are” – namely your singular attributes and strengths that make you stand out – instead of following a formulaic model in which you are being boxed into a one-size-fits-all model of becoming a leader. A majority of organizations have subscribed to this ‘best-practice leadership.’

Scale Concepts, Not Techniques

Ralph Gonzalez, a top-performing manager at Best Buy has done something extraordinary. He has taken the team from the bottom 10% to top 10% on every key metrics. His leadership style was inspired by the young Fidel Castro. He named his store “La Revolucion,” posted a “Declaracion de Revolucion” in the break room, and made supervisors wear army fatigues. In order to boost the morale of the team he used the whistle to celebrate and reinforce positive behaviors happening in the store. So, whenever he spotted exemplary behaviors, he would blow the whistle. He scaled this technique to his entire department. The result? It brought overwhelming energy to both employees and customers.

Now, as leadership development experts in Best Buy identified this phenomenon and tried to scale this technique organizational-wide. They began attempting to code this whistle blowing technique into the fabric of Best Buy. Buckingham notes that there was “talk of whistle hierarchy: green whistles for store managers, white ones for supervisors, regular silver ones for front-line blut-shirts. There was talk of checklists: the 12 conditions when whistles may be blown, and the 20 conditions when they must never be.” What once started as a vibrant expression of a particular leader’s personality was fast mutating into a standard operating procedure. Executives realized this mutation would not avail and killed it before it spread through the organization.

Buckingham makes a penetrating observation: “The problem has to do with authenticity. A technique that’s perfectly natural when used by one leader may look forced, fake, and foolish when used by another. Richard Branson on the steps of a virgin America jet brandishing a champagne bottle and surrounded by a coterie of comely flight attendants make a bold, dashing image. Warren Buffett striking the same pose on one of his NetJets would not.”

The key lesson in this case study is that leadership concepts are scalable, not techniques. You can teach the concept of leaders capturing moments of excellence and celebrating it, but how these leaders apply the techniques may differ according to their unique leadership style. That is, what worked for Ralph wouldn’t work for people that lead differently. It simply will not be authentic.

What is Your Algorithm?

Hilton Hotels’s head leads a leadership development program that much on the personalized, authentic leadership development program. Here are five steps you can follow:

STEP 1: Choose an algorithmic assessment. Whether it is using existing personality tests like Myers-Briggs, DISC, Strengths Finder, Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument. They can create their own as well. StandOut, an online strengths-assessment developed by Buckinghman’s company employs a situational judgment test where people would indicate their likeliest response to a series of situations. I determined mine after going through the assessment and the top two strengths were connector and provider.

STEP 2: Give the assessment to the company’s best leaders. Choose the top-performing managers and identify what their strengths look like. Discover what fueled their success.

STEP 3: Interview a cross section of leaders to discover their techniques. Embark an in-depth analysis of what makes these leaders unique. Identify specific techniques make them unique. Some managers may benefit from using some of the techniques that are part of their leadership style. The challenge is to convey successful leaders’ practices to the developing leaders who have similar strength roles.

STEP 4: Use the algorithm to target techniques to the right people. Companies deploy the survey to all emerging leaders and cultivate them by providing practices derived from top leaders who have the same two strengths. For example, if you are Hampton employee, every Tuesday and Thursday, you receive an app that delivers a new tip around your leadership. For example, “David (lead strength role: Advisor) recently received this top: “Cultural differences are never an excuse for not getting alone. People will default to culture to explain rocky exchanges. More often than not, the issue is tied to something far simpler and more pragmatic. Get people back to the table to work it out. You will excel at this kind of pragmatism.”

STEP 5: Make the system dynamically intelligent. They system to needs to be smart in that it should get to know you better over time. This means with every app, this should add more detail and nuance to your leadership profile. The system should also know if the most effective leaders bank more tips than others, or fewer. 

Below is a video about Marcus Buckingham's new book StandOut. I've gone through the assessment myself (click here to check out the assessment) and the report is exhaustive. The report provides practical tips and advice. You can either purchase the book which comes with the online code or purchase the assessment itself. Definitely worth the investment!

What Will Your Epitaph Say?

Who honestly thinks about a question like this, right? Sounds rather morbid and horrid. I have never met anyone in my life who has ever crafted a well-thought-out answer to this question. I mean how many people, particularly the Generation Y cohort, would like to entertain the thought about their inevitable death and write an obituary of themselves?  I suspect they would like to think about their promising future and how to tap into their maximum potential. So, the question about their epitaph seems like an odd one. 

I first encountered this question when I assumed the role of a HR Director at my business school’s undergraduate student society. A key role I played entailed conducting interviews for our entire service council leaders which amounted to hundreds of interviews. My plan was to follow management guru Jim Collin’s advice and ensure that our interview committee would “get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”

So, as I was researching the question on epitaph, I questioned myself who would ever ask a question like this. What was the interviewer really looking for behind this question? It became obvious to me the intention behind the question was a vastly important issue. It was a question about a long-term perspective and vision in life. The fulcrum of the question lied behind what values and priorities most mattered to you in life. By sharing your core values and most important priorities, the interview was looking for what type of goals, attributes, values and legacy did the candidate want to leave. Of course, they are measuring the answers against their level of compatibility of their corporate culture and value system.  

Now, thinking and articulating what your epitaph will say will serve as healthy nourishing exercise for us. Before I invite you to engage in this long-term thinking, let me share one epitaph that was personally mind-boggling.

William Carey famously known as the father of modern missions’ epitaph read:

WILLIAM CAREY

Born August 17the, 1761


Died June 9the, 1834

A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,


On Thy kind arms I fall.

A “helpless worm…..?” As born again Christians, do most of us not think that we are born again creature that are pure and innocent? Who aspires to be a “helpless worm?” Before I read the epitaph I thought it would read something along the lines of how faithful and influential Dr. Carey served the Lord. Again, I soon realized the wisdom and profundity behind the message. This was a humbling moment. Being a ‘worm’ meant as John Piper remarked, “an indomitable servant of Jesus, who, in spite of innumerable failures, perseveres productively to the end by grace along through faith alone.”

The humility of William Carey is showcased through another story.

“During Carey's life he always enjoyed good health.  In his seventy-third year he became weak with illness and old age but he never slowed down on his work:

"I am now only able to sit and to lie upon the couch, and now and then to read a proof-sheet of the Scriptures; but I am too weak to walk more than across the house, nor can I stand even a few minutes without support." As he grew weaker he was visited by a Dr. Wilson, the Metropolitan of India, who was so enamored by the old missionary that he asked for the dying mans blessing. 


Then he was visited by Alexander Duff, who has been called "the apostolic successor of Carey."  Mr. Duff spent some time talking with Carey about his life and achievements, till at length Carey whispered, "Pray with me."  Duff knelt down and prayed, and then said good-bye.  As he was leaving Carey said to him, "Mr. Duff, you have been speaking a great deal about Dr. Carey, Dr. Carey; when I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey-speak only about Dr. Carey's Savior."


Wow…this man truly epitomized being “poor in spirit.” He knows that without God, he could have not done what many dubbed as impossible. This was the secret of success of persevering for 40 years despite all the obstacles – “as a homely man, suffering from recurrent fever, limping for years from an injury, and yet putting the Bible into six languages and parts of it into 29 other languages.” “The secret of his life was that as a "wretched, poor, helpless worm" he fell daily, and finally, into the arms of Jesus. When he did he "expected great things from God." And therefore he "attempted great things for God." He was a wonderfully fruitful worm.”

Now, let’s go back to the question about what will be written on our epitaph. I know God is using me in every endeavor to direct me to his purpose. I have discovered my mission in life, and I’m in the process of refining my vision and reinforcing my set of core values. How is God using you in your life? Start thinking about what your epitaph will say. I guarantee this will serve you profitable in the many years to come. 

Sobering Reflections on the Movie “Click”

Imagine you are given a universal remote control – one that flips more than just sports, movies and news. What if this universal remote control does more? What if you could control your entire life through the remote control, enabling you to fast-forward, rewind, search by chapter, and freeze-frame your life? Wouldn’t this be nice? I know this sounds nonsensical. But, bear with me right now and I need you to put on your creativity hat and read the rest of the article as if you were a five-year old.

Well, this is the basic premise behind the movie Click. Adam Sandler who plays Michael Newman has a beautiful wife, two children, and a good paying job at an architect company. He feels, however, like many others in life. Absolutely exhausted and drowned from all the vicissitudes in life.  This is when he is given a supernatural remote control from a weird scientist Morty (Christopher Walken). Before I share the sobering insights from Click, I must tell you I really had no expectations about the movie. I merely wanted to have a good time with my girlfriend – a normal two hour thoughtless escape from all the craziness in life. So the philosophical undertones pleasantly surprised me. If you haven’t watched the movie, I highly recommend it. (This blog post is not mean to spoil the plot for you.) So here’s key lessons I learned from Click.

Choices Make Who You Are

How often do we realize that we are at a crossroad in our everyday life? The food we eat, the friends we socialize with, the movies we see, the books we read – all these choices culminate into our uniqueness. It determines who we are, our potential for growth or lack of, what our future will look like. Depending on what choices we makes, we will either nourish or damage ourselves. Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is an extremely busy man. He scrambles to get his act together as a dad of two adorable pre-teen kids. He also attempts to be a faithful husband to a wife who supports him. He needs to excel as an architect and climb the corporate ladder. Sandler is firefighting every day of his life. He attempts to fulfill all these roles, but he fails to realize that all of this cannot be achieved at expense of another. Thanks to the universal remote control, he makes ‘adjustments’ to his life. He fast-forwards part of his life where all the whining, arguing, and “meaningless or trivial” part of his life. During this time, Michael is on autopilot. After skipping all the bad parts and transitioning into the best part of his life, Michael realizes that though he has been widely regarded as the most reputable and eminent architect, he has failed in the most important part of his life: his relationship with family. He discovers himself as a total freak. He has gained over 100 pounds, dismissed his father who has passed away, neglected his son and daughter who no longer loves him, and divorced with his wife who has found an another man. In all for what? Career? Reputation? Money? All these efforts led him to an unhappy, unfulfilling, meaningless life that led to physical death. The underlying philosophical message is clear. 

The choices you make, makes you. Choose wisely.  Especially as young adults, we never really think about this, but choosing wisely is utterly important. We need to choose our life based on what matters most important for us.

A corollary question emerges. What are your core values? What are the most important priorities in your life? Many people deceive themselves by thinking they really have a solid answer to this question. The reality, however, shows so many people live without intentionality.

A book that I recently read from Andy Stanley entitled ThePrinciple of the Path writ large after watching Click which conveys a similar idea. Unlike cars and computers which have problems to fix, people’s lives can’t be fixed. Rather, directions need to be changed. Stanley says “direction – not intention – determines your destination.” We must break the cycle of self-deception and choose the right path which will lead to the destination. Please watch the short clip where Andy Stanley talks about the principle of the path. 

I would like to challenge you to write down on your journal on what matters most to you. Reflect your current lifestyle. What kind of choices are you making and why are you making it? Do know that all of these choices will lead to inexorable consequences.

Be Present

Adam Sandler struggles to multi-task the various roles and projects in his life. He is absolutely deluged with so much stuff going on. I noticed that he doesn’t seem to be “present” in whatever he does. He is always thinking about something else. 

Learning to be present in life is something I continually struggle with. I always seem to be focusing on the future. I’m planning every new project, day, and activities and become worried how all my efforts will turn out. The movie helped me realize that what all I really have is now. The past is gone and the future is uncertain. Michael Hyatt says that this moment should be a gift.

Every moment is precious and life is way too short to be squandered. Rick Warren is right: “life on earth is a parenthesis of eternity." If that still doesn’t ring a bell for you, let’s try to quantify what this really means.

Let’s assume that you will have a lifespan of 85 years. That turns out to 1020 months or roughly 31,000 days. So, you have a total of 1020 months to live from the time you were born. I’m currently 25 years and 7 months old (307 months). That means I roughly have 713 months left.

Now, let’s think about all the time where I’m inactive and non-value added things that must be happen in our life.

Sleeping – People spend one third of their lives sleeping. So, out of the 713 months, really only have 474 months of time (39.5 years)  that I’m actually awake from now.

Bathroom – People spend more than 20 minutes every day in a bathroom doing things they must do. This doesn’t seem much, for the remaining 474 months (39.5 years) this amounts to 6.58 months in the bath room. Now, I have a total of 467 months left.

Eating – Assuming people eat three meals per day, we can say it takes roughly 2 hours per day eating. That means I will be spending about 38.9 months (3.24 years) eating from now to when I’m 85. After all the eating is done, I have about 428 months left (35 years).

Waiting – They say an average person spends about 5 years waiting in line and queues (i.e., 6 months waiting for traffic lanes). Since I’ve lived 25 years already, I’ll estimate that I have about 3 years (36 months) waiting a line. This leaves me to a mere 392 months. (32.6 years)

Working – If I continue to work until retirement around the age of 60, I have 35 years left to work. Given that I work approximately 260 days each year for 40 hours per week, I spend time about 93 months (7.75 years) working. I am left with a mere 24.85 years.

There is probably more ‘sunk’ time which I haven’t included, but this leaves me to 24.85 years or 298 months. Out of all the things that aren’t listed here, I need to prioritize my life so I can include quality family life in the mere 25 years. So, do you understand now I don’t have 60 years left, but a mere 25 years on earth?

Now, think about all the things you have taken for granted. Your cozy house, school you attend to, adorable children, a good physical health without major disabilities, money to buy food and amenities. I became more humbled as I reflect over the plethora of blessings God poured out in my life. I hope you could take the time to really live in the present. Live with foresight, not hindsight. Don’t live life like you’ll have another chance. This is your only chance. Unlock your potential, achieve your purpose, and glorify your Author and Savior.

Spiritual Lessons from Viticulture

You may want to stop reading the rest of this article if you can’t answer the following question in the affirmative, since it will be a waste of time. Have you ever felt a disconnect when you read the Bible? The context by which the Bible is based on is one of an agrarian culture which starkly contrasts with today’s suburban culture filled with Costco, Safeway, and Fred Meyers. Have you often had difficulty understanding the message with your head but failing to understand with the same poignancy with your heart? 

If you find yourself struggling to answer the question with a convicting ‘yes,’ I encourage you to read on since you are not alone. Let me introduce you Margaret Feinberg – a godly woman gifted with such discernment and wisdom. In her unquenchable thirst for learning more about God and the exact meaning of the Scripture, she embarked on a journey – literally crossings thousands of miles in United States to bridge the gap between the head and heart. She decides to visit Oregon to spend time with shepherd, Nebraska to observe farmers, Colorado to learn from beekeepers, and California to study from vintners. Now this is what amazes me. Feinberg says, “If spending time with vintners allowed me to grab hold of one more layer of truth or depth about our wondrous God, how could I not god? How could I not share what I learned along the way with everyone I knew?” I truly admire her initiative and consuming passion for God. 

Why Vintners, Vines, and Vineyards?

Feinberg shares a story about her journey to Napa Valley. She wanted to gain a first-hand experience from a vintner’s perspective on what Jesus really meant by abiding in the vine. Before I continue, you may ask yourself what on earth does learning more about God has to do with vintners, vines, and vineyards? The fact of the matter is the Bible is filled with “three hundred mentions of vines and vineyards in the Bible.” In fact, Feinberg remarks vines and vineyards provide a backdrop to some of the Scriptures most memorable stories.” For instance Balaam and his donkey encounter an angel in a vineyard. Elijah’s spiritual battle with followers of Baal takes place on the top of Mt. Carmel, aka “vineyard of God.” Isaiah portrays Israel as God’s vineyard. Feinberg superbly comments how the loss of vineyard indicates a sign of judgment where fruitfulness signals God’s restoration, promise, and blessing. In Genesis, Joseph is known as the “fruitful vine” which is interesting because the vine was part of a dream where Joseph interested for the chief cupbearer. In the New Testament, Jesus calls himself as a vine, inviting us, sons and daughters, to remain in him order produce fruit. 

Lesson #1: Respond to Where You’ve Been Planted

Feinberg in her book Scouting the Divine shares her drastically different experiences with two vintners. One from Napa valley and the other from Fresno, California. The vintner from Fresno focused on techniques and strategies which enabled “maximum production.” That is, thousands of acres of grapes in Fresno were undergirded by sophisticated machinery and irrigation systems to prune the vines and fertilize the soil. Many of these grapes dried in the hot California sun in order to become raisons, grace juice or wineries. 

On the other hand, her experience in Napa Valley was very different. The vineyard was incomparably smaller than Fresno’s. The goal for the vintner in Napa was interested not in maximum production but rather the “character and the flavor of each grape.” All the work was done manually and the vintner ensured the grapes were touched several times and pruned the vines to ensure the grapes received the perfect amount of sunlight. 

It is unquestionable that the two vintners were passionate about growing grapes, but how their approach in cultivating grapes were drastically different. Here, Feinberg makes a sobering remark; “Like viticulture, caring for God’s people and shaping culture in a meaningful way is a labor of love. And each leader’s labor of love will be very different, but no less important to God’s work.” She challenges us to think, “What kind of vineyard has God called you to cultivate? Are you in an area like Fresno, where you will cultivate thousands and thousands of acres where the fruitfulness will be overwhelming at times? Or have you been placed in area like Napa Valley, where your acreage is limited, but the character and distinctiveness of your work are unmistakable?” 

So this is question what really got me: “The question we must ask ourselves is not, ‘how big is the area God has called me to cultivate? Rather, How do I best cultivate the area God has given me’”? 

My perspective has shifted with this question. I always sought for an answer of how grand God will be using me for His purpose, which I still believe is an important, valid question. However, pondering exclusively on this question without thinking much about how to cultivate the current land I am in will result in simply no action. I know God is preparing me in this city of Portland to equip me to have a greater impact to others. I just know that though I can’t explain it logically. I know God has entrusted me with talents and strengths that I could use impacting a large group of others. However, success is not an overnight experience. Most successful people have started with humble beginnings where they learned about leadership in the trenches. That is what I feel as of now, which I humbly accept and am grateful for. 

Lesson #2: Embrace a Long-term Perspective

How long would it take for you if you were to start your career as a vintner to harvest your first crop? Feinberg surprised me that it almost takes four years to bring the first harvest. The first three years are the most important as you are trying to establish a good trunk and root system. After three years you may alter the way you train your plant without doing any sort of damage to the plant and hence you pick the best method for cultivating the vine.

 

Feinberg mentions that most vineyards in Napa valley won’t reach a breakeven point for their investment until year 15, 18 or beyond. When Jesus says that He is the vine, we are the branches, this isn’t a short-term approach. Feinberg makes a comment that have reverberated me with all the time. She would sometimes look at her own life and wonder “Why am I not more fruitful? And why does pruning have to hurt so much? Why does cultivating a healthy crop take so long? God, our vintner, understands that fruitfulness comes at a certain time and He is being very patient with me. I’ve written before how mastery of talent is a result of what Malcolm Gladwell calls 10,000 hours rule. You spend 4 hours each day for 10 years, and you’ll achieve a level of mastery over the subject. Often times, I find myself forgetting this formula and asking for immediate returns and seeking gratification. This is a hard lesson for me to be patient with myself. But, I think this is something I must surrender to God as we don’t know the result. As Proverbs 21:31 says “the horse is made ready for the battle, but victory rests on the Lord.” The harvest of all of your efforts may not pay dividends until decades away. I know this doesn’t sound encouraging but we know that God will use our fruitfulness for his glory. 

Lesson #3: Understand the Power of Adversity

Feinberg in her journey recalls how pruning is such an important process in cultivating grapes. It exposes lights to the grapes which they need to grow. One vintner said, “If a vine is not pruned, the quality of the fruit goes way down,” one vintner said.  As we think about fruitfulness, we often realize that it comes through pain and adversity. Only through this experience are we able to surrender ourselves to God and have Him take our driver’s seat. Who enjoys suffering and pain? Think about all the vicissitudes in your current life. I know God has been pruning me all the time. Interpersonal difficulties, loneliness, cultural and language barriers, psychological deficiencies are several things that come to my mind now. Of course, in hindsight I can fully appreciate and see the big picture and thank God for His divine providence and grace. However, in the midst of the “crucible” I couldn’t understand why God has put in me in these excruciating situations. When you hear words “abide in me” what images conjure up? Interestingly, the best soil for vine isn’t rich smooth soil but rockery stone filled land. Renowned places like Château Lafite are three-fourths gravel. So I encourage you to think about what has been the greatest source of adversity for you and how did it shape you to become the person who you are now. 

Lesson #4: Avoid Drunkenness

Interestingly, the greatest threat for success as a vintner isn’t bad weather or natural disasters. It is temptation, namely temptation to imbibe excessively. We are keenly aware of the intoxicating power of alcohol in our lives. Scripture warns against the abuse of wine. It’s simple. Intoxication makes people stupid. There are more than 75 biblical references on drinking alcohol. Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble. Lot was so drunk he didn’t even know he was doing; this led to immorality. The book of Proverbs says that drunkenness lead to poverty. Feinberg suggest that it isn’t wine that should the only source of drunkenness. This hit me hard like a brick. Are you intoxicated with bad habits, inappropriate behaviors, failure or even success? Each of us is different and we all have frailties in life. What most tempts you and what specific steps can you take to overcome this? 

If you are interested in learning more about the Margaret’s book, click here for more resources.

What Does It Mean to Glorify God (at Work)?

preface.  

If you consider yourself a fairly devoted Christian, you may be very familiar with the word "glory." It's everywhere at church: hymns, Bible, sermons. In fact, more than 500 instances does the word glory or glorify shows up in the Bible. Until several years ago, I had a general sense on the meaning of glorifying God. It wasn't until I encountered the work of Johann Sebastian Bach's that I really pondered the meaning this word. Bach always finished his cantatas with his signature SDG. SDG stands for Solid Dego Gloria which has been used to give credit to God exclusively in his endeavors. He remarked the "aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
definition..
What does it really mean to glorify God? Here's a simple explanation on the concept: 

To “glorify” God means to give glory to Him. The word glory as related to God in the Old Testament bears with it the idea of greatness of splendor. In the New Testament, the word translated “glory” means "dignity, honor, praise and worship." Putting the two together, we find that glorifying God means to acknowledge His greatness and give Him honor by praising and worshiping Him, primarily because He, and He alone, deserves to be praised, honored and worshipped. God’s glory is the essence of His nature, and we give glory to Him by recognizing that essence.

The question that comes to my mind is, if God has all the glory, which He does, how then do we "give Him" glory? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

9 ways of giving glory at work
I stumbled across a blog post from John Piper which he spoke at a conference called Engage whose mission is to equip young professionals in the workplace. The 9 ways Piper he suggests how young professionals can glorify work are worth memorizing. So here you go. Enjoy.

Dependence. Go to work utterly dependent on God (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5). Without him you can’t breathe, move, think, feel, or talk. Not to mention be spiritually influential. Get up in the morning and let God know your desperation for him. Pray for help.

Integrity. Be absolutely and meticulously honest and trustworthy on the job. Be on time. Give a full day’s work. “Thou shalt not steal.” More people rob their employers by being slackers than by filching the petty cash.

Skill. Get good at what you do. God has given you not only the grace of integrity but the gift of skills. Treasure that gift and be a good steward of those skills. This growth in skill is built on dependence and integrity. 

Corporate shaping. As you have influence and opportunity, shape the ethos of the workplace so that the structures and policies and expectations and aims move toward accordance with Christ. For example, someone is shaping the ethos of Chick-fil-A restaurants with this video. 

Impact. Aim to help your company have an impact that is life-enhancing without being soul-destroying. Some industries have an impact that is destructive (e.g., porn, gambling, abortion, marketing scams, etc). But many can be helped to turn toward impact that is life-giving without being soul-ruining. As you have opportunity, work toward that.

Communication. Work places are webs of relationships. Relationships are possible through communication. Weave your Christian worldview into the normal communications of life. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Put it on the stand. Winsomely. Naturally. Joyfully. Let those who love their salvation say continually, Great is the Lord! (Psalm 40:16)

Love. Serve others. Be the one who volunteers first to go get the pizza. To drive the van. To organize the picnic. Take an interest in others at work. Be known as the one who cares not just about the light-hearted weekend tales, but the burdens of heavy and painful Monday mornings. Love your workmates, and point them to the great Burden Bearer.

Money. Work is where you make (and spend) money. It is all God’s, not yours. You are a trustee. Turn your earning into the overflow of generosity in how you steward God’s money. Don’t work to earn to have. Work to earn to have to give and to invest in Christ-exalting ventures. Make your money speak of Christ as your supreme Treasure.

Thanks. Always give thanks to God for life and health and work and Jesus. Be a thankful person at work. Don’t be among the complainers. Let your thankfulness to God overflow in a humble spirit of gratitude to others. Be known as the hope-filled, humble, thankful one at work.