CXP CEO Executive Guide for Christian CEOs

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Developing a Community Impact Plan

RETREAT ROADMAP Kingdom Impact: Hidden Treasure

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Executive Guide: Developing a Community Impact Plan

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Investments Every Company Can Make and Expect a High Return

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Biblical Principle: Investing in the Right Places in Your Communities

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Endnotes

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Next Level Leader: 4 Commitments Leaders Make To Advance The Company

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Bonus: The Four Attentions of a Great Leader

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Additional Resources

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CEO Tools

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Kingdom Impact Notes

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Kingdom Impact: Hidden Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy

went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:44-46

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The New Testament Gospels introduce us to the kingdom of God, or—as Matthew described it—the kingdom of heaven. When reading of the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, it is best for the reader to think of both terms as synonymous.1 What can be of even more interest is how the kingdom relates to the Gospel message. The gospel writers explain that the kingdom itself was good news! Among other things, it was the gospel of the kingdom the Lord taught in the synagogues and proclaimed in the cities and villages. It was the gospel of the kingdom that would be announced throughout the world as a testimony to all nations.2 Despite its being “good news,” the kingdom of heaven wasn’t a concept readily grasped by most people when Jesus used these terms. Perhaps that’s because Jesus explained what the kingdom was like using parables, which were difficult for many to fully understand. Today, modern Christians have a fuller picture than the original audience and can learn more about this heavenly kingdom by considering what the Bible teaches as it pertains to kingdom citizens, kingdom principles, and a kingdom perspective.

Experience Question: The Gospels record Jesus telling many parables about the kingdom of God or heaven.

Why do you think it was important for Jesus to speak about the kingdom? What can Christian business owners today learn from this example?

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Kingdom Impact: Hidden Treasure The Scriptures reveal many attributes of the kingdom. One example would be that only those who enter are those who are born again and do God’s will in producing its fruits. These kingdom citizens willingly endure hardship as a cost of entry.3 They understand their king is God Himself, and their purpose is to do His will. They carry out His will through embracing and promoting the values and fruit that are integral to the kingdom. The citizens of the kingdom are the ones who find it, discover its incredible worth, and give all they have to obtain it for themselves!

The two parables from Matthew 13:44-46 refer to the kingdom’s worth and the willingness of those who discovered it to invest all they had to acquire it.

Experience Question: What do the two parables above have in common?

What differences do you see? What was Jesus revealing about the kingdom through these parables?

“

He is no

fool who gives up what he

cannot keep to gain that which he

Given the kingdom’s incredible worth, investing in it would be the wisest course. In the first parable, the man who found the pearl knew its value. He went and sold everything he had to buy the field because he knew that he would be able to get a more significant return on his investment. The leader in the second parable knew where to invest and did not think twice about it.

cannot lose.

JIM ELLIOTT

”

Experience Question: How do you feel about your kingdom investments?

Do you have time for God’s kingdom and what might God be saying to you about your investment with Him?

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Kingdom Impact: Hidden Treasure Best Ideas!

Win Activity Identify four ways you might begin or change how you’re investing your time and money, with a more significant investment toward eternal things. #1

#2

#3

#4

The reality is that God has placed hidden treasure all around the Christian leader. God is faithful, and He knows how to lead As a steward of the business God has asked you to lead, it is essential to listen to His voice to receive direction, discernment, and discovery of the hidden treasures that He has set in your midst.

Missionary Jim Elliot is an excellent example of a contemporary leader who found hidden treasure; his story has been immortalized in books and the 2005 film, End of the Spear. Elliot was one of five American missionaries who felt called to share Christ’s teaching with the Waodani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. At the time, the Waodani were a violent people group, regularly raiding another tribe in the rainforest. (In their defense, they thought all foreigners were cannibals; they also distrusted outsiders whom they feared wanted to exploit their rich Amazonian land.)

After learning some of their language, Elliot and the other missionaries initiated contact with the tribe—first dropping gifts down from an airplane and later establishing a camp near one of the Waodani’s settlements. However, early in 1956 tribesmen speared them to death as they approached with hopes of sharing the gospel. In a stunning turn of events, the men’s widows and children later moved to a tribal village to teach them about God. The story generated worldwide news coverage. Later, Elliot’s widow, Elisabeth, chronicled her husband’s journey in the 1981 bestseller, Through the Gates of Splendor. She wrote that she discovered in Jim’s journal the note, ‘He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”4 God is at work regularly, reminding Christian business leaders that His kingdom is more important than kingdoms here on earth. He alone is the one establishing an everlasting kingdom. He is the one calling you to partner with Him to find hidden pearls that will provide both value for the now and value for eternity.

1 - “Kingdom of God,” Bible Study Tools, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/kingdom-of-god/.

2 - Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14.

3 - John 3:3-5; Acts 14:22; Matthew 7:21, 21:43.

4 - Justin Taylor, “He Was No Fool,” TGC The Gospel Coalition, January 9, 2010, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/he-ws-no-fool/

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Executive Guide: Developing a Community Impact Plan

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Developing a Community Impact Plan

BIBLICAL BUSINESS PRINCIPLE: MAKE WISE INVESTMENTS ROBUSTLY AND APPROPRIATELY

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The right business investments can provide significant value to the business. Because of their value, it is wise for the steward leader to evaluate each investment with great attention. Where companies choose to spend their resources today can greatly impact their tomorrows. Successful businesses understand the value of profits, people, and products. Lee Iacocca, who orchestrated Chrysler’s revival in the 1980s, once said: “In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profit. People come first.”1

“FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.” Matthew 6:21 Invest wisely. Don’t forget to invest in yourself. Make the right investments to help the business to grow. Invest in your people. Invest to grow your commitment and your passion. Find your inner strength

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Others have come along with revisions to these “3 Ps,” including Iacocca’s protégé, Marcus Lemonis—host of CNBC’s The Profit.

Lemonis replaces profit from the original list, choosing to go with people, product, and process instead. If a fourth were added, says Lemonis, it would be passion: “You have to have passion and belief and purpose for what it is that you’re doing. If you don’t, nothing else matters.”2 At CEO Experience, we believe that every great business is built on the 5 Ps of Purpose, People, Profit, Products, and Processes.

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. The purpose of business often improves when closely associated with the passions of the leader and its people. Passion is a reference to the desires of the heart—in other words, the center of the whole being.3 Passion isn’t something you manufacture. Rather, it’s the deepest expression of the heart’s desire. Whatever the heart wants, it will be passionate about getting. That passion will control where you spend your time and money.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan Jesus gives insight into the idea of passion when He teaches in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This statement gives the steward CEO insights into the place where they can invest if they desire to build a business that honors God. The leader with a heart for God will invest in Jesus Christ as the real treasure, believing in Him and having His purpose as their passion.

Investment is another term for treasure. Leaders are called to lead with passion and with all of their heart. Leaders are called to invest wisely and robustly.

Business stewards make many investments pertaining to their time and resources. A leader must make use of the resources of the company to make the right investments in the business, people, and infrastructure.

When companies make wise investments, the business will grow. Good investments set the direction and the path of a business to ensure its growth and development. When a business is neglected, it is doomed to shrink and die.

When the Lord becomes the treasure of the leader, then their hearts are invested in ways which increase their knowledge of Him (Philippians 3:8: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ”) and advance the things which are important to Him (Mark 12:28-31)—loving God and others. When Christ Himself becomes the treasure, the steward leader truly begins to experience what the Bible reveals when it states that the Christian is already residing with Christ in heaven (Ephesians 2:6).

The heart is the center for investing wisely. When the heart of the business is wrong, the leaders and their team members will invest poorly and in the wrong places. These decisions will lead to a downward spiral, which can lead to a company’s shrinkage and ultimate death. However, when the heart of the company’s CEO and other leaders is right, then wise investments are placed in the right places, setting the direction and path for the company to grow and succeed. <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

“

I consider

everything a loss because of the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

”

PHILIPPIANS 3:8

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Developing a Community Impact Plan

“

Every

organization must

contribute in

Business author Patrick Lencioni writes about wise investments in his book, The Advantage. He states that “every organization must contribute in some way to a better world for some group of people, because if it doesn’t, it will, and should, go out of business.”4 Lencioni understands that businesses that succeed are those that invest in something bigger than themselves.

Too many companies make too small of an investment, expecting big returns without big commitments. To become a company that makes a difference, the leader must focus on the investments it makes.

some way

Experience Question:

to a better

The heart of a business is normally spoken of in terms of its mission and core values. In what ways does the heart of your company agree with your own? Do you personally share the same mission and values as your company does?

world for some group of people, because if it doesn’t,

Investments Every Company Can Make and Expect a High Return

it will, and should, go out of business.

”

PATRICK LENCIONI

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Every company shares core areas that are integral to the order of conducting business. Every company or organization must have a method for dealing with finances, customers, operations, and people. Not surprisingly, a company leader must invest in each of these areas if the business is going to be successful.5 Christian business leaders should show a distinct difference from their counterparts in how they invest and their expectations of the returns they hope to receive. The steward leader always keeps an eye toward investing in ways that have a higher purpose in mind. It is always wise to invest in areas of the business where the owner will see a high level of return. Consider the following areas that may be due for an investment in your company.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan INVEST IN INTEGRITY: No company can survive an extended period of time without building on a solid foundation of truth and purpose. Many business leaders have tried and failed. Good profit produced in the right way is the driving factor for plans and decision-making.

When organizations strive for profit at all costs, they often compromise values and sacrifice quality. When companies take shortcuts in their processes, they can lose customers as they begin to see people as nothing more than a resource meant to make them money. Billionaire Andrew Carnegie once wrote: “A business is seldom if ever built up except on lines of strictest integrity.”6 Although it remains of vital importance to every business, profit can never become its sole focus. A better approach to thinking about profits is to determine what you will do with them as part of your business strategy.

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Experience Question: When thinking about investing your heart, money, and time in making a profit, what profit motives can you have which honor God?

A business is seldom if ever built up except on lines of strictest integrity.

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ANDREW CARNEGIE

INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE: As a company grows, the company’s infrastructure expands too. Companies should not ignore investing in the key technologies that will make their company better.7 Each year companies should review key components of their infrastructure that impact the production of their team members and customer satisfaction. Key reviews should include internet connection speed, telephone services, computer performance, and tools for managing customer relationships.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan Experience Question: What investment in your infrastructure should you make in the next 6 to 12 months?

“

The

fundamental reason

corporations exist is to create value for its customers.

KEITH PIGUES

”

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INVEST IN KEY INITIATIVES: CEOs and business owners are at their best when they set direction and build the confidence of their teams. Leaders who cast a vision for key initiatives enlist buy-in from their key people. One initiative that business owners should consider each year involves customer acquisition. Customers are the lifeblood of any company. Without customers, there is no business. The strategy behind gaining customers often has to do with assessing the value of existing customers as you target the ones you want for future business. Such efforts lead to marketing strategies and sales initiatives, which attempt to gauge customer demand and what products or services can help you gain enough market share to reach profit goals.

An important aspect of your product or service strategies should consider the value those items supply to your customer. Knowing why your customer buys from you, as well as the actual value experienced by your customer, can help you discover better ways to deliver that value at a higher margin. In the book, Winning with Customers, Keith Pigues discusses the work of Bob Harlan, director of business insights at Owens Corning. Harlan states that they have utilized loyalty programs in the past, “but when it comes down to why customers buy from Owens Corning, it’s because we help them make money. Therefore, rather than do loyalty surveys, we’ve discovered the best approach is to simply talk to them about how to make more money for them.”8 Such thinking led to a corporate objective, which made all employees accountable for the value they create for their customers. The company made the point simple enough for all employees to grasp by emphasizing to everyone in the organization: “The fundamental reason corporations exist is to create value for its customers.”9 <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

Developing a Community Impact Plan Experience Question: What would you say is the primary value your customer receives from doing business with you?

Are there ways you can leverage that value toward providing more services or products to them?

“

An

investment in process

INVEST IN IMPROVEMENTS: An investment in process improvement can often provide the most significant amount of freedom for the business owner and benefit to the customer. Choosing the systems that your business runs on—the operating procedures, technology, and communication channels that move your product or service forward to your customer—are typically determined according to what a business owner feels works best for them. When considering processes, thoughts frequently center on finding solutions that improve quality, reduce time, or save money. However, getting to “good, fast, and cheap” has more to do with the people that use the process than the process itself. When introducing new improvements, the key to their success lies not in the selection, but how those affected by the change respond.

To ensure a positive response, consider the change from their perspective. Not every employee is as enthusiastic as management when it comes to making changes that boost profitability. But nearly every employee is appreciative of changes that benefit them. When making changes, focus first on what helps the employee—such as ergonomic improvements, higher quality of finished work, how this process eases the work of others, or how the change eliminates or dramatically reduces frustrating errors.

Introducing methods that enable employees to derive greater fulfillment from their work, along with training to back up changes in process, will make all the difference in successful implementation of an improvement.

improvement can often provide the most significant amount of freedom for the business owner and benefit to the customer.

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”

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Developing a Community Impact Plan Experience Question: What lessons have you learned that might benefit others when it comes to introducing new or improved processes in your company?

INVEST IN YOUR INNER CORE: If you were to invest rightly in all other areas of the business, but do not invest in the people affected by your decisions, those investments would be both costly and wasteful. Using the business to invest in people is indeed investing in the right place. When investing in people, it is important to remember why you are investing in them. As a steward leader, you should have the desire to provide the very best for your employees as well as your customers.

In the book, The Seven-Day Weekend: Changing the Way Work Works, Brazilian executive Ricardo Semler (a leader in the re-engineering movement), quotes automaker Henry Ford as saying, “Why is it every time I ask for a pair of hands, they come with a brain attached?”10 Although some have disputed the accuracy of this quote, many business owners can embrace that mindset and see people as merely a human resource to be used for financial gain, without consideration of the impact on their soul.

Experience Question: Consider a new customer or vendor, or an employee you just hired. What would you like them to experience that lets this person know you’re a Christian company that cares about them?

Are there ways you’re doing that already to make that known?

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The Christian CEO must operate in reverse, recognizing that each person in the business touches the soul of individuals whom can be impacted by the work that they do or by the work of the company when it elevates Christ. Christian companies should reflect the highest regard for others by developing a culture that emulates the attributes of God. Things like goodness, mercy, justice, and self-control should guide management practices, drive initiatives, and be experienced by customers and competitors alike. Companies should encourage employees and vendors to display these qualities. With faith leading the way in investment decisions, and godly values the fruit yielded from such decisions, the people who interact with your company will be drawn to the ultimate source of why you act this way. You want them to know God and your faith, as acted out in the business God has provided you. These actions are the ultimate right way and place to invest your heart, your money, and your time.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan Biblical Principle: Investing in the Right Places in Your Communities

Reflection Question:

Investing in the right places in your business can sometimes be all-consuming as you give all that you have to make the business operate. To live out the orderly life, you want to live before God; you must invest in areas of life outside of your work. When thinking about those areas in terms of “community,” consider how you can invest in your social, faith, and family communities.

On a scale of 1-10, consider where you invest your time and money. What ranking would you give yourself on temporal versus eternal investing?

I

Unfortunately, Christian business leaders can often follow the patterns of the world. In doing so, they can place building their own kingdom at the top of their priority list while forgetting to invest in God’s kingdom. Their heart, together with their time and money, is fully invested in growing their company for their own glory, and the sense of peace and security that comes with financial success and power. Such a pursuit gives little attention to the importance of righteousness, with a real desire to see God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. The latter means their own kingdom plans will be ruined.11 Attempts to find a middle ground to love the kingdom of the world and its ways, while simultaneously trying to love the kingdom of God and His ways, will prove fruitless. It leads to confusion and despair since the Bible makes no room for loving both the world and God: “If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (1 John 2:15).

Instead, Christian leaders are to invest in growing God’s kingdom and building it up for His glory. When they do, they discover the things they long for and want for others as well: a sense of divine purpose, an inner peace, and a presiding joy in all circumstances. These things are the benefits of being a citizen of God’s kingdom, and they are not available with any lasting sense in the world. The desires of the heart can only be met in an everlasting way through the everlasting kingdom—the kingdom of heaven.

Experience Question: What other ideas have you tried or heard of which have allowed you to deploy a “both/and” option for investing in your social community?

You must invest your heart, as well as your time and money, in the things of heaven. But how is that done?

One way to think about it is to consider what you can invest in today, which may ultimately be in heaven and <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

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Developing a Community Impact Plan in the everlasting kingdom to come. At least two eternal things come to mind: God’s Word and the souls of people. By investing in God’s Word, your love for Him grows into a life of worship, built on personal sacrifices on behalf of others and helping them know and follow God’s will. Out of your love for God, you engage in loving others by demonstrating and promoting such things as compassion, justice, gratitude, honesty, forgiveness, perseverance, patience, humility, courage, generosity, respect, and prudence. These values are evidence of your spirit in fellowship with God’s Spirit. They are kingdom values, exemplified by the Savior and King, and lived out by His people, who are citizens of His everlasting kingdom.

YOUR SOCIAL COMMUNITY: Too often your relationship to your social community suffers because you don’t have the energy or the incentive to do much more than what you are already doing.12 You find yourselves believing you can either be engaged in your family, your work, or your church, but when it comes to your social community, you are out of capacity. When faced with what appears as “either/or” scenarios, it’s best to look for ways to invest in more than one community setting at a time, seeking “both/and” options.

So how can you invest in your social community while staying present with others? Consider these options: 1. Volunteer: When volunteering, see it as an investment in a cause you can embrace. Think of ways you can engage your family and employees in the opportunity, allowing you to spend time with your family while engaging your local community. Top off the idea with volunteering through your church, and you’ll maximize your time by investing in your family, your faith community, your employees, and your social community. Want to go for the big win? Invite your employees and their families to join you, and you’ll pull your business community, faith community, and family into one activity that engages your social community in a cause or issue which you have great passion.

2. Be a Good Neighbor: God’s given you a business, and it’s a great tool in which you have a potential to engage your community.13 You certainly want to be a good neighbor with the products or services you provide. You also want your company to provide an attractive setting, so neighbors can be proud of having your business nearby. However, there are other ways you might engage your community. Why not offer something as simple as a neighborhood block party on your parking lot?

Alternatively, an open house at your business? Invite neighbors to enjoy a light lunch with their families, hear a good word while being there, and have your team serve them in some way. Another alternative is to publicly celebrate the holidays as a reminder to others of the things that bring “unity” to the idea of community.

YOUR FAITH COMMUNITY: It’s only natural that business leaders find themselves drawn into leadership positions within the church. These are great opportunities worthy of pursuing. However, aside from leading a ministry or a church initiative, there are other ways to engage your faith community that may yield higher returns.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan 1. Become an Angel Investor of Time: Many younger professionals may attend your church and would benefit significantly from having a Christian mentor. Just meeting for coffee to learn from one another can ease the tensions they feel balancing the demands of work, faith, and community, especially their closest community of family. Building a relationship with a younger professional can keep him or her from falling into the many traps that are set for those who want to travel the narrow road of faith. Experience is a great teacher. Consider sharing your own story and the mistakes that you wish you would have avoided.

2. Mentoring Those in Ministry: Church leaders have the responsibility of managing all the moving parts of a difficult organization, including things like volunteer management, event planning, and the ministering to the needs people at all times including those that happen outside of the window of 9 and 5. Rick Warren, senior pastor of Southern California’s nationally-known Saddleback Church, encourages every pastor to find a mentor. He writes that “we learn best when we have people who can speak into our lives and ministry. Proverbs 19:20 says, ‘Get all the advice you can and be wise the rest of your life.’ I will always need a coach—no matter how old I get or how successful I become.”14 Busyness can intrude on the devotional and family time of every leader in the same way it intrudes on those of us in business. Making an effort to invite a leader to lunch, with an agenda focused on listening to them, could refresh that leader to be more effective in the vital work of helping others in the faith community. You’ll be remembered as one of the few who didn’t have anything to complain about, or didn’t have a revolutionary idea for them to implement. You just cared about them and wanted them to know it. That small act of kindness could change their whole outlook and increase the effectiveness of their ministry. If you’re going to invest yourself in a leader, there’s something to be said about investing in one who leads in the church. Those leaders focus on serving others, and others often have no one that serves them. It changes everything when someone wants to help them without any expectation of something in return.

Experience Question: What benefit from your experience in business could you bring to your local church?

YOUR FAMILY COMMUNITY: The Bible compels the Christian to invest all of themselves in God, and to take the dividends from that investment and apply them to others. That principle is the essence of God’s first and second commandments, to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love others as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). Applying this truth in your families can sometimes be difficult. Busyness can lead the executive toward the natural tendency to think family is always there and they will always have the opportunity to invest in them at a <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

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Developing a Community Impact Plan later date. Don’t take your family for granted. Ultimately, you reap what you sow. If you are not investing in your family today, you run the risk of them not being there for you when you need them. How can you avoid this pitfall? Consider these ideas: 1. Make a Plan and Execute It: There are parallels in how you lead your business and your role in the family. Leading a business without a plan is difficult. The same is true for your family. Strategic planning in business often requires identifying financial, customer, operational, and personnel development goals. Those goals are agreed to as a team, with everyone buying into the plan and holding one another accountable for its execution. The same thing may work in your family. Spend time with your partner dreaming about the big goals you’d love to accomplish together. Agree on your budget with financial goals for the year and then move on to other areas.

Consider your mutual relationship like you would your customers, determining which relationships you will invest in together. Set a goal and follow through. Next, move to your operations and come up with ideas for how you and your family can work into a rhythm that will allow everyone to thrive at home. Establish limits and boundaries together as a family.

Finally, what can be done to develop the ones you love? Look for ways to broaden their life experience, agree on what the plan is for the year, and execute it together. Don’t forget to be guided by your family’s mission and core values.15 2. Put People First: Just like in business, when you focus on people, everything else seems to take care of itself. The same is true with families. When you focus on those closest to you, your priorities begin to change as your hearts turn toward those you love because you want the very best for them. The difficulty comes in realizing that that’s not you. Instead, God is the very best, and you want Him for them. To accomplish that, you must first strive to be filled up with God, working hard to become the very best version of yourself for those you love. Secondly, you must want the same for them—that they be filled to the full with God. With that goal in mind, you must invest yourself in God, believing and trusting in His Word, and walking it out by faith. Then, with eyes of faith, look for ways to allocate more of your time with those you love, not seeking what they can do for you, but rather what you can do for them. You’ll quickly find that “it’s better to give than receive” (Acts 20:35) because you’ll receive more than you could have imagined otherwise. So, in truth, putting others first means making God your ultimate priority. With that outlook, you can properly focus your heart, mind, soul, and strength on putting others before yourself, with all the heavenly dividends that come with such an investment.

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Developing a Community Impact Plan

Endnotes #1

Steve Sanduski, “Lee Iacocca was right–your success hinges on these 3 things” Belay Advisor, March 23, 2016, https://www.belayadvisor.com/lee-iacocca-your-success/.

#2

Marcus Lemonis, Marcus Lemonis Shares the 4th P in the Recipe for Business Success, Smart Hustle, September 8, 2017, https://www.smarthustle.com/marcus-lemoines/.

#3

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/heart/.

#4

Patrick Lencioni, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, “The Advantage Quotes,” GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/18134034-the-advantage.

#5

Peter Cohan, “9 Things Your Company Should Spend Money on This Year,” Inc., January 12, 2017, https://www.inc.com/peter-cohan/first-90-days-things-your-company-should-spend-money-on-this-year.html.

#6

Andrew Carnegie, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, (Brooklyn, NY: Sheba Blake Publishing, 2015), 140.

#7

Ted Novak, “When It Comes to Growth, Technology Matters,” Tweak Your Biz, November 25, 2016, , https://tweakyourbiz.com/growth/when-it-comes-to-growth-technology-matters.

#8

Keith Pigues, Winning with Customers, (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2010), 127.

#9

Ibid, 19.

#10

Ricardo Semler, The Seven-Day Weekend: Changing the Way Work Works, (New York: Portfolio, 2004), 60.

#11

Carey Lodge, “6 inspiring Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ,” Christian Today, May 12, 2016, https://www.christiantoday.com/article/6-inspiring-christian-missionarieswho-gave-up-everything-for-christ/85936.htm.

#12

Forbes Human Resources Council, “How Community Involvement Programs Can Grow Your Business,” Forbes, June 8, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2017/06/08/ how-community-involvement-programs-can-grow-your-business/#5c2fa7b6421d.

#13

https://www.shopkeep.com/blog/10-ways-small-businesses-benefit-the-local-community#step-1.

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#14

Pastor Rick Warren, “Every Pastor Needs a Mentor,” pastors.com, July 30, 2012, https://pastors.com/you-need-a-mentor-by-rick-warren/.

#15

Brett and Kate McKay, “Creating a Positive Family Culture: How and Why to Create a Family Mission Statement,” The Art of Manliness, May 27, 2018 https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/creating-afamily-culture-how-and-why-to-create-a-family-mission-statement/.ren/.

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Next Level Leader

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4 Commitments Leaders Make

Next Level Leader: To Advance The Company

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Every company wants team members who perform at a high level. Traditionally these are employees who are committed to areas which will advance both the company objectives and their own leadership influence. Next Level Leaders understand the importance of commitment and are willing to invest themselves deeply in these four important areas:

A COMMITMENT TO LOYALTY: It may seem counterintuitive, but great leadership requires exceptional followership. The willingness to shed personal agendas for the sake of corporate ones, along with an unwillingness to compromise your moral values for the sake of groupthink 1 will advance your leadership influence regardless of your position. Your influence is the key to your leadership, and that influence is related to your character, which shows up in how loyal you are to your leader, as well as the company mission and values. Moreover, nothing will destroy your influence quicker than undermining your leader or being disloyal to the mission and values of your company. Napoleon Hill, in his book, Think and Grow Rich wrote, “Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life.”2 Great leaders avoid failure by being committed to loyalty while building the same in others.

Experience Question: How have you dealt with disloyalty among team members or coworkers in the past?

Experience Question: What are one or two ways you can demonstrate loyalty to your leader?

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4 Commitments Leaders Make

Next Level Leader: To Advance The Company A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE: Some may confuse the idea of excellence with perfection, but striving for perfection, whether in your company or personal life, can lead to anxiety over details which have little effect on outcomes. The better approach is to strive for excellence.

Contrary to perfection, which concerns itself with the end product, excellence concerns itself with the process of doing things. Excellence is a characteristic of the work you do, and it’s measured by whether that work is done well or poorly. Excellence is reflected in the thoughts of Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”3 If done well, striving for excellence delivers energy, positive attitudes, and unity in an organization when team members help one another achieve it for their common benefit. Next Level Leaders are committed to excellence, striving for things like efficiency over carelessness and productivity over wastefulness in their work as well as that of their team.

Experience Question: What are the things which can keep you from pursuing excellence in either your work or elsewhere? How have you overcome these challenges?

“

Lack of loyalty is one of the major

causes of failure in every walk of life.

”

NAPOLEON HILL

A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION: Next Level Leaders must be lifelong learners who are committed to their continued education. These are the leaders who invest themselves in learning which keeps them up-to-date on new ideas, trends which may affect the future of their company, and leadership principles which increase their value to the team and its potential for success. Great leaders seek to surround themselves with those who are 22

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4 Commitments Leaders Make

Next Level Leader: To Advance The Company Win Activity

committed to their education for the sake of their role on the team. For a Next Level Leader to truly elevate their value to the team, they should collaborate with their leader. By focusing your learning on what’s important to your leader, you prepare yourself to lead future initiatives which are essential in helping the company achieve its objectives.

What three initiatives are on the horizon for your company which you need to learn more about to assist in ensuring the initiative’s success? #1

#2

#3

Experience Question: What one thing is your leader currently concerned or nervous about? How can you help?

A COMMITMENT TO TEAMWORK: One of the greatest enemies of teamwork is individualism. It’s easy to spot team members who are committed to individualism. They’re the ones who take the credit when the team does something well and dispense blame when it doesn’t. When it comes to responsibility, their primary objective is to avoid it. Next Level Leaders operate much differently. Instead of taking an avoidance approach to issues, they take a proactive approach by identifying opportunities which can improve the company’s performance. Leaders who are committed to teamwork listen for reoccurring issues which are especially troubling to the company leader and are holding the team back. They’re the first to take the lead in laying out a preliminary plan to solve the issue. They’ll seek leadership approval or consensus to develop the plan more fully before executing it. They’re invested in the company and team’s success and don’t sit idly by when solutions are needed. Rather, they’re committed to solving problems, investing themselves into working with others to bring about the team’s ultimate success.

Leadership is all about influence, and influence is dependent upon your level of commitment. Leaders who are committed to loyalty, excellence, education, and teamwork will be the leaders who can move a company and the teams within it to the next level of serving customers well while improving the livelihood of employees.

1 - Groupthink is the practice of making decisions as a group, resulting typically in unchallenged, poor-quality decision-making; online at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/groupthink 2 - Napoleon Hill (1937). “Think and Grow Rich”, The Napoleon Hill Foundation, p. 158 3 - Found at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_297529.

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Bonus: The Four Attentions of a Great Leader

N

Noted preacher Charles Swindoll once reminded his audiences: “The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”1 Paying attention is an essential component of great leadership. Unfortunately, many leaders tend to focus their attention on the wrong areas. As a result, they see little progress.

Attention can be defined as giving extended focus to an area of high importance to achieve outstanding results. Although a leader would like to give attention to multiple areas, the reality is that a leader can only give attention to the area that has the most significant potential for payoff.

Many leaders struggle with deciding where to focus their attention. More than any other, this decision will determine how successful you will be as a leader.

The Four Attentions of a Great Leader 1. FOCUS: WORK ON THINGS TODAY THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON FUTURE TOMORROWS Everything in the organization should flow from its vision. Every day a leader should be creating, implementing, or elevating vision. The clearer the vision, the better the organization. The leader’s vision is a vision of the future that must be communicated and deployed. Great leaders are futurists. They look and lead many years into the future.

Experience Question: How can you elevate the vision in your organization?

2. EMPOWERMENT: ENCOURAGE OTHERS TODAY SO THEY CAN REACH THEIR PEAK PERFORMANCE TOMORROW Leaders are memorable in the lives of their teams. Great leaders are significant because of their empowerment of others and their belief in their team. Leaders who wish to make an impact should give attention to helping others and learning how to encourage, challenge, and support the critical people on their team.

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Bonus: The Four Attentions of a Great Leader 3. ACCOUNTABILITY: KEEP OTHERS ON TRACK TODAY SO THEY CAN MOVE ON TO SOMETHING NEW TOMORROW Bestselling business author Tom Peters reminded leaders: “The simple act of paying attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.”2 The best people in the organization need the most attention from the leader. The best people of the organization require the accountability of a leader to achieve breakthroughs. A leader’s accountability can be one of the best gifts this person can give to their people.

4. CHANGE: FIND A NEW AND BETTER WAY TODAY TO ENSURE THAT YOU STAY CURRENT TOMORROW Leaders find new and better ways to get things done. They are always mapping the landscape for new and innovative ideas that will be better for their people and their organization. The leader should be in front of change and innovation.

While often attributed to Peter Drucker, one researcher credits the saying to William Thomsen, a Scottish physicist also known as Lord Nelson. Regardless of who said it, the old leadership proverb is still valuable today: “What gets measured gets done.”3 In other words, what gets the leader’s attention is what gets accomplished. The leader must give extra value to their attention because such focus may be their organization’s most valuable asset. When they focus on the right thing today, they ensure that the organization and their people will have bright tomorrows.

1 - BrainyQuote®, “Charles R. Swindoll Quotes,” https://www.brainyquote.com/ quotes/charles_r_swindoll_389839.

2 - Joanie Rufo, “How Often Do You Follow?”, Initiate Consulting, June 23, 2015, https://www.initiateconsulting.com/how-often-do-you-follow/.

3 - “Who said, ‘What gets measured gets managed?” A Thinking Person, a.k.a.

Cogit8R, December 2, 2012, https://athinkingperson.com/2012/12/02/whosaid-what-gets-measured-gets-managed/.

Experience Question: Who are you specifically investing time with to help them grow in their skills?

Experience Question: Who on my team needs my attention right now?

Experience Question: Are you suggesting more change in the organization or are you the one stopping the right adjustments from happening?

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Additional Resources Articles Craig Bloem, 4 Things You Must Spend Money on as a New Business, Inc., May 13, 2018, https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/4-things-you-must-spend-money-on-as-a-new-business.html.

Lindsay LaVine, “The Power of Giving Back: How Community Involvement Can Boost Your Bottom Line,” Entrepreneur, June 26, 2013, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226974.

Podcasts Jami Balmet, “Developing a Scripture-Based Family Mission Statement,” Young Wife’s Guide, July 19, 2016, https://youngwifesguide.com/developing-scripture-based-family-mission-statement/.

Videos November 22, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKW_dcq_kcM. Ben Lionel Scott, “Make An Impact - Inspirational Video,” benlionelscott.com, October 21, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb7_YJp9bVA. “Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship: Community involvement Study,” July 26, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmeDq30bBfY.

Books The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business

by Patrick Lencioni (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012).

Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B by D. Keith Pigues and Jerry D. Alderman (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, 2010).

Giving Back With Purpose: Fueling Growth Through Community Involvement

by Jeremey Park (Memphis, TN: Main Street Books, 2013).

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CEO Tools

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Focus Wheel MONTH

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

Give yourself a score in each area below from 0 to 10. Starting with 0 in the middle and 10 as the outer rim. The higher the rating the better you feel about that area for the last 30 days. This wheel is designed to help you know where to focus your actions and behaviors in the next 30 days to see a better performance of your life and leadership.

PAS S

L E AD E RS

Y ERG EN CO M

LTH HEA MI ND

N TIO RELA

IP SH

MOST IMPORTANT SCORE TO IMPROVE

Pathway To Improvement

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Take-Away

HI P

HIP

BU

FOLL OW ER S

ESS SIN

BEST SCORE

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LOWEST SCORE

Take-Away

Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Win List MONTH

GOALS

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

DREAMS

PRAYERS

FOLLOWERSHIP

ENERGY

COMPASS

RELATIONSHIPS

MIND

PHYSICAL HEALTH OR FITNESS

LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Strategic Vision QUESTION QUADRANT These questions are designed to bring clarity and focus to the leader. When a leader is clear, everything becomes clear.

QUESTION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

ANSWER

GROWTH:

What is the most significant lesson you have learned in the last 30 days?

INNOVATION:

What is the most significant change that you have noticed in the past 30 days.

FOCUS:

What is the most critical task that you are trying to complete and when will it be completed?

THANKS:

What is the best breakthrough or win to celebrate that you have enjoyed in the last 30 days?

What additional questions do I need to be asking myself to succeed?

30

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Strategic Vision VISION & DIRECTION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

QUESTION

ANSWER

What two critical projects are you working on that will make your organization better a year from now?

What problem or issue are you spending time on that you wish you could find the answer?

WHAT TASKS ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING THAT YOU COULD DELEGATE/ HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO?

TASK TO DELEGATE

PERSON TO LEAD TASK

BIG PICTURE What do I need to do this month, to not have regret this time next year?

What big change or innovation do you need to make in order to help your business succeed?

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Best Ideas

<<< LEARNING >>>

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

Best Ideas from My Peers

Best Ideas I Heard from the Guide

Best Ideas from the Bible

Best Ideas that I shared

<<< APPLYING >>> Best Ideas To Share With My Team

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Best Ideas That I Will Implement

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Case Stories Learn Faster. Lead Further.

KEY CHARACTERS:

HERO:

VILLAIN:

THE SCENE: The ____________________________________________ has been __________________________________ because they are ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________. hero/villain describe the action describe the reason and impact.

THE CLIMAX/TENSION: Now I feel ___________________ because _____________________________________________________ feeling explanation of why ____________________________________________________________________________________________.

So I am thinking that I should _____________________________________________________________. question to ask or path to consider THE POSSIBLE PATHWAYS: OPTION

OPTION

OPTION

OPTION

OTHER AREAS TO CONSIDER: LESSONS LEARNED AND KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM THIS SITUATION:

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Accountability and Application Action Steps:

Learn Faster. Lead Further. #1 Where are you investing most of your resources?

Do you feel like those are good investments that will push your organization forward?

#2 What do you believe that God is trying to reveal to you through the principle of “where your investment is, that is where your heart is also?” Would God be pleased with your heart condition at the moment?

#3 How do you think your business is currently having a larger impact than just providing a service to your customers?

What dream impact would you consider for your business?

What ways do you think you could engage your team to #4 have a community focus over the next twelve months?

Progress Made on the Most Critical Projects:

“

“Well Done” are the two most powerful words in the English Language.

34

”

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Business Update YEARLY VISION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

GOAL 1 -

MONTHLY DASHBOARD

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

ACTION PLAN:

Define what actions need to be taken in the next 30 days to keep the business moving forward.

1.

GOAL 2 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

2.

3.

GOAL 3 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

4.

8

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Ken Gosnell 240.396.7671 â&#x20AC;˘ kengosnell@ceoexperience.com

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