Here is a repost of a blog that I wrote a couple of years ago. Life is full of choices. What choices are you making?
There should be a law against allowing a donut shop to open up a couple businesses down from a gym. There should be a non-compete that stops it from happening. I decided to join a gym again to get into shape. In the same shopping center as the gym there is a new donut shop.
Can I justify a purchase of a couple of donuts because I had a great workout? Life is full of temptations. I spoke a couple of weeks ago about the decisions that we make affecting our destiny. We are tempted everyday in our careers to take the easy path and always agree with our peers. We want to be that corporate “yes” man that quickly gets promoted up through the ranks. Do not cause any trouble, you may be limiting your potential.
If your fellow managers treat their staff a certain way and they are producing results on paper that impress your corporation, we try to mimick them. This seems to be a logical choice to make. If you want to get ahead, then do what others are doing to get ahead. I have learned over the years to not set aside your religious beliefs in your pursuit of success.
Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a
new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Resist the temptation. Just because your peers approach is one way, does not mean that you have to lead your team that same way. I am not saying that you go against the company goals and vision. You still have objectives that need to be reached. You still need to manage your team and the processes needed to complete the job. The way that you treat your staff needs to show the traits that you have developed as a leader that is guided by your faith in God.
Do not expect your team to have the best working experience if it goes against your value system? Be true to your faith. The expected behaviors are given to us in Scripture. You can still produce the end results required of your team, but through a stronger team approach based on the values and priorities presented in the Bible. You can find out more in my book, Faith Guided Leadership.
It may be a longer road to success by creating your own path. Hold true to your faith and do not be tempted to just blend in with society and the main stream way of managing people. Let God show through in everything that you do. God bless you and keep Him as your guide.
