Competency Development – Rx For Extraodinary

January 12, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , , , Leave a comment

Extraordinary

Extraordinary

Webster defines competence as: a sufficiency of means for the necessities and conveniences of life; the quality or state of being competent. So then, let me ask these two important questions:

1) Are you competent in life?

 2) What are you doing to develop your competency for sustainable success in life?

These two questions are important to ask because as a professional and a leader, competency matters in life in the same way that character matters in life. For example, a commuter pilot of small engine planes may have the greatest character and be an awesome friend; however, if that friend does not know how to fly a commercial jet airliner, there is no way I would board such a plane with that friend as the pilot because competency matters.

Competency Development Builds Extraordinary Influence

In his book, 21 Indispensible Qualities Of A Leader, John Maxwell states, “Competence goes beyond words. It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how—and know that they want to follow you.” Simply put, competent people can be counted on when being counted on counts. As a result, competent people have extraordinary influence with others.

On the other hand, incompetent people have little influence with others because they cannot be counted on to do what they must do when it matters. In fact, Proverbs 26:10 states, “An employer who hires a fool or a bystander [an incompetent person] is like an archer who shoots at random.” If you and I are going to build extraordinary influence with others, we must develop competency that others can depend upon when it matters. Doing so will differentiate extraordinary influence in our life from ordinary influence in our life.

Developing Competency Makes An Ordinary Life An Extraordinary Life

Again, in his book, 21 Indispensible Qualities Of A Leader, John Maxwell shares that when it comes to considering the competency of people, there are three types of people:

Type 1: Those who can see what needs to happen.

Type 2: Those who can make it happen.

Type 3: Those who can make things happen when it really counts.

To me, this shows a clear pattern of competency development where the Type 1 person is only competent enough to see what needs to happen, but cannot make it happen. This competency level leads to a common and ordinary life. The Type 2 person not only can see what needs to happen, but can also make it happen. This competency level leads to an uncommon and extraordinary life. The Type 3 person not only sees what needs to happen and can make it happen, they can also be counted on to make it happen when it really counts. This competency level leads to an uncommon and extraordinary life with uncommon and extraordinary influence in life.

By the many examples in life of ordinary people becoming extraordinary people with extraordinary influence through their competency development, it is clear that the more competent a person becomes in life, the more extraordinary they become in life. But, it doesn’t happen without an intentional plan for developing competency; therefore, I recommend writing a Professional Development Plan that includes the following:

  1.  A personal commitment to growing in areas of real life application of the values of the organization in which you share a mutual vision of the future.
  2. Clearly defined personal leadership commitments to achieving the purpose of the organization in the areas of operations, finances, people, and service.
  3. Coaching leadership to help you learn, grow, and develop your competency as well as hold you accountable to developing your competency.
  4. Volitional submission to ongoing review and feedback regarding your competency development.

Thank you and have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Competency Development – Rx For Extraordinary Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint Competency Development – Rx For Extraordinary, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Character Development – Rx For Excellence

December 30, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Excellence

Excellence

What is character? The best definition that I’ve heard for character is: the person you are when no one is looking.  When leaders have character, they are big people on the inside and as a result people follow them on the outside. John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls on leadership and I believe that statement to be true. Plus, I also believe that a person’s leadership actually rises and falls on the foundation of their individual character and integrity. In fact, the courage of one’s convictions (character) plus the peace of one’s conscience (integrity) equals the foundation of one’s leadership (influence). Any cracks in a leader’s character and / or integrity will put the leader’s influence in serious jeopardy if those cracks are not effectively addressed and resolved. 

Character Development Matters Desperately In Our Personal Lives

We only have to look as far as the headline news to see the devastating effects of failed character in life and leadership. From corporate boardrooms to family washrooms, character matters desperately. In fact, John Maxwell offers the following about character from his book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader:

1) Character is more than talk

2) Character is a choice

3) Character brings lasting success with people

4) Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character

Furthermore, author of The Enemies of Excellence, Coach Greg Salciccioli, teaches leaders what he has learned and observed over his life-time in coaching: talent most often exceeds the character necessary to support it. I believe this observation is primarily true because talent is a gift; whereas, character is developed. Unfortunately, if a person does not learn how to develop the character necessary to sustain their talent, it is only a matter of time before the enemies of excellence in their life take over and completely sabotage their success in life. The Bible states in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Developing Character Produces Personal Excellence

To safeguard our personal lives from the strategies of the devil to destroy us, we must develop character that produces personal excellence in the following 3 practical ways:

  1. Write a Personal Life Plan that includes a personal vision of the preferred future in the areas of Spiritual Growth, Relationships, Fitness, Finances, and Future.
  2. Develop daily routines to replace the energy expired each day spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally.
  3. Create a group of wise trusted advisors to give wise guidance and counsel in life.

Character Development Matters Desperately In Our Professional Lives

While character is critically important to a person’s success in their personal life, it is also critically important to success in their professional life. The influence of an organization rises and falls on the influence of its leaders and the influence of leaders rises and falls on the character of leaders. Therefore, to develop an organization with great influence, an organization must develop great leaders with great character.

Because God has kingdom purpose for organizations in the marketplace, the devil is keenly aware that he can sabotage God’s kingdom purpose in the marketplace by destroying the leaders in the marketplace. Therefore, we must understand very clearly, the stakes are high for kingdom leaders in the marketplace. In Matthew 11:12, the Bible states, “From the time of John the Baptizer until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people have been seizing it.”

Developing Character Produces Professional Excellence

To safeguard the advancement of God’s kingdom in the marketplace from the strategies of the devil to hinder God’s kingdom purposes in the marketplace and destroy marketplace leaders, we must develop character that produces professional excellence in the following 4 practical ways:

  1. Write a Professional Business Plan that includes the God-ordained Vision, Purpose, and Values of the kingdom of God within the organization.
  2. Develop a clearly written Strategic Plan that identifies the compelling ambitions and objectives of the organization.
  3. Identify personal and specific leadership commitments for everyone in the organization that support the Strategic Plan of the organization.
  4. Implement a leadership coaching process that effectively develops people and unleashes the extraordinary God-given potential of everyone in the organization to make a real difference in life.

Thank you and have a blessed ”Make It Happen” day!

Character Development – Rx For Excellence Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint Character Development – Rx For Excellence, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related articles

Writing A Professional Business Plan

November 30, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Alice In Wonderland

In Carroll Lewis’ fable, Alice In Wonderland, Alice finds herself lost and asks the Cheshire Cat this question, “Can you tell me please which way I should walk?” To which the Cheshire Cat responds, “Well, it depends on where you want to get to.” Thinking upon his comment, Alice states, “I guess it really doesn’t matter much.” “Then,” Cheshire Cat responds, “it doesn’t really matter much…which way you walk.”

Although this little excerpt from Alice In Wonderland is only an illustrated scene from a fable, many business professionals actually lead their professional lives and their businesses with the same approach as Alice – not knowing which way they should walk and no professional business plan to help them get there. To help business leaders and professionals avoid the tragic consequences of wandering in the business marketplace without any real direction, the following Professional Business Planning template will provide excellent guidance in the preparation of a written professional business plan that contains five critical elements for success in business: Purpose, Vision, Core Values, Team Values, and Strategic Objectives.

A.     The 1st Critical Element of Success in Business is Defining the PURPOSE of Your Business

Purpose is the unequivocal reason why your business exists.

Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

To help you reflect upon the God-ordained purpose of your business and define it in written terms, please answer each of the questions below:

1)      What would happen if your business ceased to exist?

2)      Why is it important for your company to continue to exist?

3)      If you had enough money to retire tomorrow, would you still continue working for your business? If so, why?

Considering your answers to the questions above and reflecting on the statements below about purpose, write down the purpose for your business that is worth your very best efforts to bring God glory and benefit others:

  •  Your purpose is your God-ordained reason for existing in the business world
  • Your purpose reflects the God-ordained reason for doing your work
  • Your purpose captures the soul of your values and beliefs in God expressed through your business
  • Your purpose answers the question, “Whom do I exist to serve, with what, and why?”

B.      The 2nd Critical Element of Success in Business is Having a VISION of Your Business Future

Vision is the mental picture of the preferred future for your business.

Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”

Thinking about the preferred future for your business, in each of the 4 areas below describe what you would like your business to be and become in 10 or 20 years?

  • Finances
  • People
  • Operations
  • Service

C.      The 3rd Critical Element of Success in Business is Defining the CORE VALUES of Your Business

Core Values are the uncompromising convictions and beliefs that your business stands for in the community.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

What are the 3 to 5 convictions you have about your business that you are unwilling to change no matter what as you build your business for the glory of God and the benefit of others?

D.     The 4th Critical Element of Success in Business is Communicating the TEAM VALUES Within Your Business

Team values are the undeniable convictions and beliefs that and you and your team members stand for in your business.

Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”

What are the 7 to 10 undeniable convictions that you have about your team that you are unwilling to change no matter what as you build your team for the glory of God and the benefit of others? If you have read The Make It Happen Journey, you may be encouraged to build your team with the 9 Make It Happen Team Values defined in the book.

E.      The 5th Critical Element of Success in Business is Developing the STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES of Your Business

Strategic objectives are the compelling ambitions of your business that clearly meet the following criteria:

  • Big Holy Awesome Goals
  • Unifying Points of Teamwork
  • Catalytic Components for Activating Team Spirit
  • Directed Towards Achieving Greatness In God as a Team
  • SMART (Specific, Measureable, Action-Oriented, Results-Oriented, Time-Oriented)

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What are the 5 to 7 compelling ambitions of your company that will inspire your team members to achieve greatness together and accomplish God’s purpose for your business in the next 2 to 3 years?

Have a blessed ”Make It Happen” day!

Writing A Professional Business Plan Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint Writing A Professional Business Plan, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related Resources:

1)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part One – Strategy Formation

2)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part Two – Strategy Function

3)      Coachwell Article: Strategy Part Three – Strategy Execution

Related articles

Writing A Personal Life Plan

November 9, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , , 2 Comments

When I think about life and the many different directions we can all take in a lifetime, I wonder how people would answer this rhetorical question: “If you planned to sail across the Atlantic Ocean from America to Africa, how comfortable would you be boarding a ship without any rudder?” Unfortunately, I don’t think most people realize that they actually do this every day without any second thought by boarding the ship of their personal life without any plan. In fact, a Ford Foundation Research Study has found the following to be true about people and their life goals:

  • Only 10% of the population has specific well-defined goals
  • Only 3% of the population achieved their goals 89% of the time

With those statistics as a modern-day reality, we can easily find ourselves as one of the 90% of people sailing through life on a ship without a rudder; however, there is some great news for us! You and I can easily find our life rudder by writing a personal life plan to help us intentionally live life with passion and purpose.  I personally believe that living life on purpose is a choice and a privilege, so let me encourage you to make the simple choice today to begin the process of living life on purpose by writing a personal life plan.

Life On Purpose Means Living Forward!

To help you easily do this, Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy have written a tremendous life plan book titled, Living Forward, to be published in the Spring of 2016. To learn more about their book, please visit Michael Hyatt’s leadership blog at www.michaelhyatt.com/life-plan. In their life plan book, you will learn step-by-step how to write your own personal life plan and live life on purpose.

Life Is Short So Make It Count!

In Psalms 39:4-5, the psalmist writes, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” For anyone who has any adult children, you can easily understand and appreciate the sentiments of the psalmist. It seems that it only takes the blink of an eye for children to grow into adults and the older you become, the quicker life seems to speed ahead to the finish line. Unfortunately, we are only given one opportunity to make our life count so why not start now and make a commitment to finish strong by intentionally living each day with passion and purpose.

A Good Life Plan Will Help Make Your Life Count!

In Psalms 90:12 the psalmist cries out to God, “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” With that approach to life, I believe the best way you and I can make our lives count is to write a life plan that numbers our days with a heart of wisdom. So don’t waste another minute and get started today with these three easy steps!

Three Easy Steps To Get Started Writing Your Life Plan:

1)      Visit Michael Hyatt’s leadership blog and register to receive updates regarding his new life plan book titled, Living Forward.

2)      Send an e-mail to Gary Borgstede at gborgstede@makeithappenbooks.com and request FREE resources to help you start writing your personal Life Plan.

3)      Schedule personal time to start writing your personal Life Plan with the help of resources provided.

Have a blessed ”Make It Happen” day!

Writing A Personal Life Plan Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint Writing A Personal Life Plan, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey

July 3, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner , , , 1 Comment

Click Here

Dr. Sam Chand, world-renowned leadership guru, teaches that “a toxic culture will eat vision for lunch” meaning that any unhealthy culture in an organization will destroy the vision of an organization before it ever has the chance to be fulfilled. If this is true, and I believe it is, it is crucial for leaders to be able to assess and determine the strength of their organizational team culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life. Teams that consistently make it happen in life for one another and their customers create a strong team culture where vision can flourish.   However, unless leaders have a simple tool to assess their team’s make it happen culture, many leaders can be like the captain of the Titanic – looking at the tip of the iceberg without really knowing what danger lurks under the surface.  The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey is specifically designed to help equip leaders with a simple tool to assess and determine a team’s make it happen culture with each question being derived from the faith-based Make It Happen Team Values highlighted in The Make It Happen Journey written by Gary J. Borgstede, the President and Founder of The Make It Happen Learning Institute.

In his book, Good To Great, Jim Collins found in his research that “All good-to-great companies began the process of finding a path to greatness by confronting the brutal facts of their current reality.” Having the courage to take the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey and honestly answer each question is the first step in confronting the brutal facts of your team culture and beginning the process of growing from good to great without losing hope for a better and brighter future for you and your team.  Unfortunately, without knowing the truthful state of your team’s culture to make it happen for others, it will be difficult to implement intentional strategies for building a make it happen team culture. However, with your leadership, your faith, and the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey tool, you can help make it happen with your team!

To take the survey, please honestly answer the 12 questions below to assess your team’s Make It Happen Factor which will help indicate the faith-based strength of your team’s culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life.  

You can also take the survey electronically by Clicking Here; however, you will need to circle your answers below in order to manually calculate your team’s overall Make It Happen Factor Score per the survey scoring instructions. (Note that individual survey responses will remain confidential) 

Team Culture Survey Questions

1.     The members of my team possess a positive attitude every day.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

2.     The leaders on my team serve the members of my team with the greatest care and concern.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

3.     Each person on my team serves our customers with great enthusiasm at all times.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

4.     Each person on my team is committed to working hard and having fun at work.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

5.     In the last month, the people on my team have abundantly celebrated the accomplishments of other individuals and teams.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

6.     In the last week, each person on my team was able to learn and grow as a professional.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

7.     The leaders and the people on my team are not afraid to take risks in the pursuit of excellence and innovation.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

8.     The leaders and the people on my team create a safe environment of teamwork and mutual respect of differences.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

9.     Each person on my team performs their work with the highest degree of professionalism.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

Individual Faith Survey Questions

10.   I consistently read the Word of God on a daily basis.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

11.   I pray for my leaders and my team members every day.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

12.  I attend a church service and / or a church small group once each week.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

Survey Scoring

No.  of Strongly Agree Answers:               ________  X  5  = ________

No.  of Agree Answers:                             ________  X  4  = ________

No.  of Neither Agree or Disagree:           ________  X  3  = ________

No.  of Disagree Answers:                        ________  X  2  = ________

No. of Strongly Disagree Answers:           ________  X  1  = ________

 

                              Add Totals To Get Grand Total:            ________

                              Divide Grand Total by 12 To Get

Your Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Score:  ________

Understanding Your Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Score

Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of One-Minute Manager and High Five Team, teaches that “Values are to be lived; not framed”, but unfortunately, far too many organizations just frame their values and never intentionally create a team culture where team members actually live their values.  The 12 questions of The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey are specifically designed to assess the faith-based strength of a team’s culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence by genuinely serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life. This is done by assessing the strength of agreement within a team regarding specific questions related to faith perspective, servant leadership, and teamwork commitment. Regardless of the actual Make It Happen Factor score, the important thing for leaders to remember is that the score only serves as a barometer of the faith-based strength of a team’s make it happen culture which can always be strengthened when individual team member’s intentionally work together to foster, support, and live Make It Happen Team Values on a daily basis and improve their individual scores for each question.

Because the Word of God says in Mark 9:23 that “All things are possible to him who believes” and in Daniel 11:32 that “The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 1, 7, 10, and 12 are specifically designed to assess the level of faith perspective on a team. The higher the level of faith perspective on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.  Additionally, Questions 10, 11, and 12 are specifically designed to assess each individual’s faith perspective because one person of faith can make a huge difference in helping a team to foster, support, and live the make-it-happen “can do” values of the kingdom of God as can be seen in the lives of many heroes of faith such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther, the apostle Paul, and many others.

Because the Word of God says in Matthew 23:11 that “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 2, 3, 5, and 6 are specifically designed to assess the level of genuine servant leadership on a team.  The greater the level of genuine servant leadership on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.

Because the Word of God states in Ecclesiastes 4:12 that “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” and also states in Leviticus 26:8 that “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 4, 8, 9, and 11 are specifically designed to assess the level of teamwork commitment on a team. The greater the level of teamwork commitment on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.

In conclusion, teams that score the highest on The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey in faith perspective, servant leadership, and teamwork commitment will have a stronger team culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence than other teams because teams comprised of people with faith who genuinely serve others through committed teamwork will consistently make it happen serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life!

If you have taken the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey, please let me know by posting a comment below and I will enter your name for the chance to win a personal signed copy of The Make It Happen Journey for each member of your team (up to 12 members). Many blessings!  

The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Marketplace Ministry I See

April 13, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner, Leadership Insights, See You At The Office , , , , , , 2 Comments

The Vision:

To Connect Leadership Passion With Kingdom Purpose In Today’s Marketplace!

The Mission:

To Practically Engage, Equip, Empower, and Encourage Marketplace Leaders To Build The Kingdom Of God In The Marketplace For God’s Glory And The Benefit Of Others.

The Strategic Objectives:

To Build The Kingdom Of God In The Marketplace For God’s Glory And The Benefit Of Others Through 1) Local Advance Initiatives, 2) Global Advance Initiatives, 3) Marketplace Prayer Initiatives, And 4) Marketplace Coaching Initiatives

  1. Local Advance Initiatives focus on the development of marketplace leaders through weekly faith-based leadership development meetings, exclusive leadership development retreats, and annual leadership development conferences for marketplace leaders in the community.
  2. Global Advance Initiatives focus on business missions outreach and leadership development of business leaders in the marketplace around the world through faith-based business seminars and leadership development conferences.
  3. Marketplace Prayer Initiatives focus on the grass roots establishment of a national prayer movement in the marketplace called See You At The Office for 2 days during the week of July 14th where marketplace leaders unite in prayer for their teams, company, and our nation at their respective offices in response to God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
  4. Marketplace Coaching Initiatives focus on developing faith-based marketplace coaches to walk alongside marketplace leaders and provide faith-based leadership coaching in the marketplace through a practical 4-step organizational development strategy to effectively build the kingdom of God in the marketplace.

Kingdom Mandate For The Marketplace:

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

Kingdom Promise For The Marketplace:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Kingdom Inspiration For Marketplace Leaders:

“While righteousness in a nation undoubtedly begins with the commitment of individuals to Christ, more souls and more churches alone will not make it holy. Godliness comes when a nation’s Christians make it their all-consuming passion to see God’s glory reflected in every domain of the land, its arts, sciences, media, government, schools, businesses, families-in every domain. Unless they do, their salvation will benefit only them personally, and Christ’s laws and principles will not guide their nation as He intended them to do.” – Douglas Layton, author of Our Father’s Kingdom 

Symbolically, we are seated with Christ on His throne (Ephesians 1:20; 2:6), told to reign in life (Romans 5:17), we are instructed to extend His scepter (Psalm 110) and are given keys of kingdom authority with which to bind and loose, forbid and allow (Matthew 16:19). We are kings and queens—royalty. And whereas priests “offer up” to heaven [through priestly intercessory prayer], kings “proclaim” [the kingdom rule and will of God] downward to earth [through kingly intercessory prayer].  – Dutch Sheets, author of Authority In Prayer

Kingdom Values For The Marketplace:

Make It Happen Team Values provide a practical leadership framework to build the kingdom of God in the marketplace for God’s glory and the benefit of others. With Make It Happen Team Values, business leaders can create team cultures of empowerment that unleash the extraordinary God-given potential of “make it happen” people in the kingdom of God to make a real difference in life. “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Daniel 11:32.

  • Make It Happen People Possess A Positive Attitude. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20. “These things I have spoken, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
  • Make It Happen People Are Led by Servant Leaders. “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.’” Matthew 20:25-26. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12.
  • Make It Happen People Are Service Enthusiasts. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:12-13. “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13. Ephesians 6:7 “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
  • Make It Happen People Take Calculated Risks in the Pursuit of Excellence. “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:16. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4.
  • Make It Happen People Work Extremely Hard and Have Lots of Fun. “And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:13. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.
  • Make It Happen People Invest and Participate in Training and Development. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2.
  • Make It Happen People Celebrate Individual and Team Accomplishments with an Abundance Mentality. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4. “Rejoicewith those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15.
  • Make It Happen People Foster an Environment of Teamwork and Mutual Respect. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17. “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32.“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19 20.
  • Make It Happen People Are Professionals. “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.” Proverbs 27:23. “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalms 37:5

Practical 4- Step Organizational Development Strategy To Build God’s Kingdom In The Marketplace For His Glory And The Benefit Of Others

1)      Culture Development

The culture of an organization, intentional or unintentional, reflects the values of the organization and will drive everything in the organization.  Emphasizing the organizational strength and power of culture, Dr. Sam Chand, author of Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code, says “Culture will eat vision for lunch!”  To build an organizational culture that reflects the values of the kingdom of God in the marketplace, leaders must intentionally develop the culture with practical faith-based values communicated in the make-it-happen language of the marketplace. Make It Happen Team Values practically equip and empower marketplace leaders with a simple and effective team values framework to intentionally develop the culture of a team and organization where vision flourishes, people are empowered, and the kingdom of God is built in the marketplace. The culture development step includes leadership training in the areas of vision casting, values definition, values training and certification, and corporate communication.

2)      Chemistry Development

While the culture of an organization reflects the values of an organization, the chemistry of an organization reflects the unity of the organization. When an organization is unified in values and purpose, teamwork is built and enhanced for the greatest good of all stakeholders.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 states, “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken”, therefore, it is clear from the Bible that a unified team cannot be easily broken or destroyed. The chemistry development step includes leadership training in the areas of employee engagement, employee recruitment, employee recognition, and employee ambassadorship.

3)      Competency Development

The strength of an organization is established on the foundation of its people. If the people in the organization are strong and competent, the organization will be strong and competent.  Therefore, it is imperative that an organization develop an effective process to continually build strong and competent people in the organization. The competency development step includes leadership training in the areas of goal setting, performance evaluation, leadership coaching, and employee development.

4)      Character Development

The influence of an organization rises and falls on the influence of its leaders and the influence of leaders rises and falls on the character of leaders. Therefore, to develop an organization with great influence, an organization must develop great leaders with great character. The character development step includes leadership training in the areas of leadership thinking, leadership ethics, leadership principles, and leadership practices.

The Marketplace Ministry I See Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, The Marketplace Ministry I See, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related Articles

Life Planning Principles

December 23, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner 1 Comment

A stack of manila paper.

Image via Wikipedia

Life Planning Principle #1: Learn How To Number A Day

As this year closes to an end, let me challenge you with a few thoughts about your life.  If the average person lives to be 84 years old, for the sake of argument, you could subtract your current age from 84 and that would be how many years you could reasonably assume that you might have left to live.  So in my case, at age 44, I can reasonably assume that I might have approximately 40 years left to live, although I do realize that only the Lord really knows how many days I have left to live because Psalm 139:16, states, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  However, for the sake of challenging your thoughts about living each day of your life to your fullest God-given potential, if you were 44 years old like me, and I gave you 40 sheets of paper potentially representing each year of life that you may have left to live on earth, assuming you would live to age 84, what would you write on each page as your personal life goals and objectives? What if you were 64 and only had 20 sheets of paper? With only 40, 20, or even 10 sheets of paper to plan how you would like to live your life to its fullest God-given potential, it becomes a sobering reality of how little time we actually may have to fully live our lives and fulfill our God-ordained purposes on earth from this day forward.  With that said, I think it is wise to learn how to number the days that God has given us by taking the time to make a life plan of personal goals and objectives for each year of our lives.  In fact, Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Life Planning Principle #2: Learn How To Value A Day

I once read a story about a man who retired at a certain age and to help him value his retirement days, he estimated how many weeks he would have left to live if he lived to the average age.  So let’s say he was 64 at the age of retirement and he figured that he would live to an average age of 84; therefore, doing the math, he estimated that he would have approximately 1,040 weeks left to live [20 yrs X 52 weeks]. He then went to a local hobby store, purchased 1,040 marbles, placed them in a jar, and began removing one marble at a time as each passing Saturday came and went to help remind him how valuable and precious each week was to him.  As a result, he learned how to value his days and fully enjoy each passing week to its fullest.  In Psalms 39:4 David says, “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.” With a proper perspective regarding the frailty of life, we can learn how to appreciate each day that the Lord has given us and enjoy life to the full like the psalmist in Psalm 118:24 singing, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Life Planning Principle #3: Learn How To Plan A Day

By this point, I sincerely hope that I have stirred you to a place of thoughtful contemplation and deliberate action regarding your plans for your life in this next year and each year thereafter.  Proverbs 21:5 states, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” Therefore, to help me develop an effective life plan each year that leads to plenty in all aspects of my life, I have learned to focus on 5 major areas of my life [spiritual, social, intellectual, physical, and financial] by establishing personal life goals and objectives in each one of those areas.  To do so, I take time at the end of each year to review my prior year goals and objectives, pray about the upcoming year, and then write my new personal goals and objectives for each major area of my life in my journal. For years, this simple discipline has helped me to live my life on purpose and fully enjoy the journey along the way, regardless of life circumstances that try to knock me off course.  This year will be no different; however, this year I have created a simple to use Annual Life Planning Tool in Excel to help document my personal life goals and objectives for this next year in a digital format.  Should you like to use this simple Annual Life Planning Tool as well, it will be my sincere pleasure to send you the file if you would kindly send me an e-mail request at gborgstede@makeithappenbooks.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you and have a blessed Make It Happen New Year!

Question: What kind of life planning tools do you have to help you live life on purpose?

Life Planning Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Life Planning, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related Articles

Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development

October 4, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner Leave a comment

As a leader, I know that performance evaluations are an important part of life.  Additionally, I know that performance evaluations, if given and received properly, can be a critical tool for helping to build people as leaders and professionals.  But before I share some personal leadership insights on this important subject, I’d like to share the results of a quick math test with you to illustrate the first of four leadership principles I’ve learned as a leader about evaluating performance for growth and development.

1+1=2

1+2=3

1+3=4

1+4=6 

1+5=6

1+6=7

So what can you quickly tell me about the results of this simple math test?  How easy was it to notice that one equation is totally incorrect?  If you are like most people, it is pretty easy to spot poor performance, but what about spotting good performance?  While it is true that one of the equations in the above math test is completely wrong, how quickly did you also notice that five of the equations are completely right?  Unfortunately, most of us have been trained to evaluate performance by first looking for what is wrong in people’s performance with more of a judging spirit rather than looking for what is right in people’s performance with more of a coaching spirit.  As a leader for many years, I’ve done both; however, as I learn and grow as a life-giving leader, my sincere desire is to help people grow and develop by focusing more on their positive performance rather than their negative performance.       

Leadership Principle #1

  • Life-giving leaders look for more good than bad and more right than wrong in people’s performance.

The Bible states in Psalms 139:14-17, “I will praise You [God], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!”  If we know that God has wonderfully and skillfully made each one of us and He has precious thoughts toward us, then why should we think differently about God’s most valuable creation when it comes to evaluating performance? In fact, when we think about people the way God thinks about people – His most prized creation – it becomes easy to be a source of real encouragement in people’s professional growth and development by focusing on their positive performance and not their negative performance.  I’ve heard it said that “encouragement is oxygen to the soul” and I believe it because I have personally experienced the real power of encouragement in my own professional growth and development as a leader.

Leadership Principle #2:

  • Life-long disciplined learners can grow tremendously by learning from their successes and their failures in life.

Some time ago I learned from another leader that effective leaders reflect upon their successes and their failures in life and they learn from them.  Personally, I have found this to be true if someone really wants to be an effective life-long learner.   In fact, Proverbs 24:16 states, “For a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”  Plus, as a Christ follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, I’ve learned that a life-long disciple is actually a life-long disciplined learner.  Therefore, as a life-long disciplined learner, I realize that I must exercise discipline in self-reflection in order to effectively learn from my personal successes and failures in life. Furthermore, I have personally found that it is much easier to reflect upon my successes in life and learn from them versus my failures in life; however, I have also found that while it may be more emotionally difficult to reflect upon my failures, some of my most significant learning and growth has taken place when I have honestly sought to learn and grow from my failures.  As a result, I’ve learned that failure is never really failure unless we fail to learn anything from it.

Leadership Principle #3:

  • Criticism or evaluative feedback is critical information that is necessary to help people learn and grow. 

Once I attended a leadership seminar with author and speaker, John Miller, who wrote the book titled, QBQ – The Question Behind The Question.  In that seminar, John shared this powerful leadership principle for personal growth and development.  As leaders, if we truly embrace the revelation that criticism is actually critical information that is necessary to help us learn and grow, we will have found a powerful key to learning and growing as people.  Such a definition helps us understand that criticism or evaluative feedback is actually about the performance of a person, and not the person.

For example, when one of my sons was performing on stage in a drama skit, he forgot to turn on his microphone as well as a couple of other things that needed a little tweaking.  However, when he was critiqued, he didn’t like it and didn’t receive the evaluative feedback very well…just like you and I when our performance is being critiqued.  The reason we tend to feel this way is because we take the criticism personally rather than receive it as an opportunity to receive new information about our performance that can help us learn and grow.  Once I explained to my son that criticism was necessary critical information that he needed to help him improve his performance, he became much more open to the opportunity it provided for his personal growth and development.  I know that this is not an easy thing, especially when our own performance is being critiqued; however, I also know that we can all grow through this process if we are willing to receive criticism as critical information necessary to truly help us learn and grow as people.

Leadership Principle #4:

  •  Life-long disciplined learners effectively apply what they learn to grow and develop in life.

It is one thing to learn something, but it is another whole level of learning when we actually apply what we learn by doing it in real life.  James 1:22-25 states, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”  Therefore, to help us be “doers” and not just “hearers” only, we can effectively apply these leadership principles by asking the following four practical questions when evaluating people’s performance for growth and development.

  1. What did a person do well?  By asking this question, we intentionally look for good performance that we can affirm through encouragement as a life-giving leader.
  2. What did a person not do well?  By asking this question, we demonstrate the courage to risk the approval of people by giving them honest evaluative feedback on performance that can be improved. 
  3. What can a person do differently to improve his or her performance to another level?   By asking this question, we seek to provide practical information that people can effectively apply to help them learn, grow, and develop to a greater degree in life.
  4. What did you most and least like about a person’s performance? By asking this question, we may be able to help people self-reflect upon their successes and their failures so they can learn from them.

 In Summary:

  • Life-giving leaders look for more good than bad and more right than wrong in people’s performance.
  • Life-long disciplined learners can grow tremendously from their successes and failures in life.
  • Criticism or evaluative feedback is critical information that is necessary to help people learn and grow.
  • Life-long disciplined learners effectively apply what they learn to grow and develop in life.

Thanks and have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Newer Entries