business

What Can BAMmers Learn from the World’s Most Successful Shoe Salesman?

/ Phill

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Zappos has been insanely successful selling shoes and engendering a loyal following. This online shoe store is the brainchild of Tony Hsieh. No one does it better.

As a result of his success other businesses have invited Tony to come and teach them how he does it. He credits his success in large measure to the culture of service he has created in the company. It starts by getting everyone onboard with the core values of the company and consistently looking for ways to reinforce them.

In the past TM Briefs has written about the importance of carefully selecting and integrating core values into your company. Tony Hsieh’s example with Zappos is worth a look.

Not surprisingly, he does not use religious sounding jargon. In fact, one would not expect him to since it is a secular business. There is no religious motivation. Interestingly, I believe many of the values are consistent with Biblical teaching. (Could that be a factor in their success?).

Let’s take a look at them:

• Be Humble – a good attribute for effective communication.

• Be Passionate and Determined – you have to believe in what you are doing. If you do then you will spare no effort to succeed and make a difference.

• Do More With Less – good stewardship opens the door to more opportunities to do good.

• Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit – getting the “right people” on the “right seats” on the bus produces synergy and generates exceptional results.

• Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication – there is no substitute for good, honest communication. With staff. With customers. With the community.

• Pursue Growth and Learning – you can’t stand still. If you are not growing you are atrophying.

• Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded – being adventurous implies taking risks. It also contributes to growth.

• Create Fun and A Little Weirdness – if you can’t enjoy what you are doing, find something else to do.

• Embrace and Drive Change – related to growth and learning. If you are not constantly improving someone else will soon pass you by.

• Deliver WOW Through Service – be exceptional.

TMB is not suggesting that you adopt these core values. You have to develop your own around your business model, your personality and the mission God has given you. The point is choosing good core values, building them into the business and consistently applying them produces good results.

What values are you incorporating in your company? Are they Biblical?

Steps to Embedding Kingdom 
 Values in Your Company Culture

/ Phill

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Doing business as mission means more than having Christians in the senior management team or having a chaplain on board to minister to staff and/or the community. It takes a wholistic commitment to a Kingdom of God mindset.

1. Start by carefully choosing your core values even before you begin making a business plan. Be intentional about what you want to be and how others will perceive you. The values need to be integrated into the whole business plan and your business processes. It is not something to be simply tacked on like an afterthought.

2. Communicate your values. Do not expect people will just automatically pick it up. Your values should be woven into the fabric of your training and related to the tasks your business does. Bring values up in informal conversations as well as formal meetings. Reinforce your values in motivational posters, or other imagery you have in your place of work.

3. Demonstrate your values every way you can. Model them in your own behavior as well as the practices and procedures of the company. Show that it is a natural, effective, fun way to work. Encourage your staff to be consistent in training new staff into the company values and practices.

4. Hire for it. This does not mean that you only hire believers but look for people who are teachable and have at least some of the qualities you are looking for. You need people who can fit your corporate culture. Then build on that.

5. Hold people accountable for operating by the values of the company.Watch how your staff work and coach them when they demonstrate non-conforming behavior.

6. Reward staff demonstrating company values in their work. This is not necessarily monetary rewards – though in some cases it could be. Give them an award, a special privilege, or additional responsibility. The key is that the rest of the staff realizes that behavior consistent with corporate goals is valued and appreciated by the company. Catch them in unexpected moments doing what is desired and brag on them for it.

7. Celebrate and commemorate successful practices. Make it a part of the stories employees tell around the water cooler.

Embedding Kingdom values in your company takes time and consistent reinforcement.

Done well it will define the very essence of what you are and what makes you different than all the other companies out there. It will make your company worthy of the King.

Captivated with Wonder

/ Guest Contributor

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So profound is Jesus’ coming that we have celebrated it for centuries. God humbled himself to enter our world to reveal himself and to suffer his own judgment to redeem us rebels—What an absolute wonder!

There is no story like this. It is incredible! When we take time to grasp again this staggering reality, we are captivated with wonder. This is why we celebrate Christmas—to take time to “see” again the wonder of Jesus’ incarnation.

Today he has returned to the Father and we are his heart and hands and feet on earth. He can only go where we take him. This is what Christ-filled tentmakers do—they take Christ to those who do not know him. They incarnate him so that people see Jesus in them. They exhibit the supernatural difference so that people wonder and ask questions. And by working, tentmakers exhibit Jesus’ life and power in one of the most central aspects of life.

Business as Mission in Practice

“Robert” builds servanthood into the whole ethos of his company in Asia. It is a stated core value. Employees study and discuss it in optional Bible studies. And the Christians in the company practice it constantly. One day Robert saw an employee looking for something in the break room. When he asked what, she answered, “I’m looking for a clean glass.” When she couldn’t find one, she gave up and left. So he washed one for her and filled it with water. When he brought it to her, she could not believe it and asked, “What is this?” Robert responded, “You said you were looking for a clean glass for water.” Several weeks later in the Bible study, she broke down in tears as they were discussing how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Concerned, they asked what was wrong. When she was able to answer, she said, “Robert, do you remember when you gave me that glass of water. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. Now I understand what you were doing.”

I am very grateful for every tentmaker connected with GO-Tent who has gone or is serving now or is considering going. Seeing them incarnate Christ in some of the darkest, hardest places on earth makes our work worth it. We are thankful to have equipped tentmakers from 36 nations to go to over 80 nations.

Many of you reading this Tentmaking Brief are part of this number and all of you desire to see more people captivated by the wonder of Jesus’ coming. You know that GO and Tent are untiring in calling Christians to go as tentmakers. Yet many, many more are needed. So we also want to give you the opportunity to help GO-Tent financially so that more people are captivated with the wonder of Jesus’ coming!

Have a Wonder-Full Christmas, captivated again with the wonder of Jesus’ coming.

Dave English

5 Facts God Wants All Marketplace Workers to Know

/ Phill

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Christian Business Impact

It is my firm belief that God has much greater plans for impacting the world through Christian business owners and leaders than most people realize or acknowledge. In the right hands (and heart!), a business running according to Scripture can have immeasurable influence for eternity. Unfortunately, because there are not enough pastors talking about this to their congregations, it is up to the rest of us to get the conversation started!

5 Facts You May Not Have Heard

Here is a brief list of things I believe need more attention among Christian business owners and leaders today:

1. God cares about your work and business.

Too many people think God is only concerned with what we do on Sunday or after hours at the church. They mistakenly segment their lives into compartments and think God only cares about the “spiritual” things.

The truth is that we were created with work in mind. God told Adam and Eve to subdue the earth. Later, Paul reminds us to do our work as service to the Lord. Add that to the fact that He cares enough to number the hairs on our head. I am convinced He cares about our work. (Ephesians 6:6-7; Colossians 3:23-24)

2. You are a full-time minister.

Though it sure would be easier for all of us if we could just leave ministry up to our church’s paid staff, that is not how it works. We are all given different talents and gifts and we are each parts of the body of Christ – each with a different function.

We are also called ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors, we are to live in a foreign land (the world) and represent our King (Jesus) to the people (non-believers) of that land. This is a full-time job, not something reserved for one day a week! (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

3. Your business is a gift and a responsibility.

God has given you the gift of owning or leading in business. This gift can produce rewards, financial and otherwise, that the vast majority will never experience. This is a tremendous gift. You should be thankful for it.

The gift comes with added responsibility. Just like in the parable of the talents, more is expected of you because more has been given to you. This responsibility takes many forms. You are to use your God-given resources to build what will survive into eternity. Simply using your business to provide a better lifestyle for your brief stay on earth is not Biblical. (1 Timothy 6:17-19; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15)

4. Your words can carry more weight than his.

Though you may not have thought of this before, it is a simple truth. If a pastor says something about living his life according to the pattern that Jesus gave us, no one will think anything of it. That is his job. He is paid to say and do things like that.

However, if you say the same thing in a group, people will take notice. They take you more seriously because they know you are not paid to say that. It will get their attention. It will be even more powerful when they see you living it out.

5. You can have a greater impact than he can.

Your pastor will most likely only have significant influence with those who attend his church. While there are exceptions, few pastors have much impact among those who do not attend church.

Your situation is likely different. As a Christian business owner or leader, you have the opportunity to influence your employees, customers, and the community where you work and live. You will regularly come into contact with people who may never darken the door of a church. The impact you can have among these people dwarfs that of your pastor.

So What?

If this is all true, what does that really mean for you? Well, I believe it means you need to get on your knees and seek God’s guidance as to how you should be running your business. Is your perspective eternal or temporal? What do you think He wants from you?

Get in a deep conversation with God and start pressing into Him for answers. At the same time, get more familiar with what His Word has to say about your purpose. The answers will come.

  • Do you agree with the items on the list? What would you add?
  • Are you already impacting eternity with your Christian business? How?
  • How could you increase your influence beginning today?