Dare Great Things For Christ

It’s an amazing fact that we spend nearly half of our waking life at work.  The relationships we form there are real, intense, and impact our overall vision of life.  For the Christian this represents a real challenge.  How can I live the relationships I have at work or in my social setting in a way that glorifies God and helps others to know him better?  In this first of our series on Applying The Gospel we analyze the Catholic Church’s insistence that whatever we do serves to make communities of persons.  

Register for the AUDEO Masterclass:  https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/audeo-masterclass-business-owners-and-top-level-leaders/

Whatever format it’s found in, teamwork has always played an essential role in getting anything done.  It’s so important in fact that much of contemporary literature around leadership focuses on a leader’s ability to generate and maintain healthy teams.  But isn’t the notion of a team something that is essential to the Christian religion?  And if so shouldn’t Christianity offer a special advantage to a Christian leader?  In this tenth episode of our series on the Christian advantage in leadership I take a look at this question.

Register for the Fit Women’s Hike:  https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/fit-womens-hike-2/

Most Christians charged with positions of leadership tend to separate what they have to do every day in a practical sphere from there growth as Christians.  Spirituality and practicality are often looked at as opposites.  When this happens though, two things occur:  firstly, the world of practicality is left bereft of spiritual guidance and, simultaneously, our spirituality loses the strength that comes from our practical endeavors.  By uniting the two the Christian has the advantage.

Register for the Fit Women’s Hike:  https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/fit-womens-hike-2/

The theme of putting your people first is popular today in leadership theory.  Many studies are done and cited that conclusively show that focusing on company culture affects the bottom line in a positive way.  But focusing on people and developing people has not always been the hallmark of western capitalism.  In fact many of the advances towards more humane work come from Christianity.  Why is this?  And how can harnessing it give us an advantage?

When it comes to leadership what we do on the outside flows from what we have on the inside.  Our thoughts and our motivations drive the actions which determine our success.  Here Christians have a distinct advantage.  Ever since Christ rose from the dead Christians know the truth about our final victory over evil and therefore our daily victory over problems.  In this seventh of our series on the Christian leadership advantage we explore the Christian power of positivity.

The Catholic church has always taught that work was genuinely a human activity.  Meaning that it was something that we did that made our lives better.  But with the increase of technology, social media, and the changing demographics of the work force, work itself seems to be a different kind of experience.  Nevertheless, the truth about work hasn’t changed.  And God’s vision for work laid out in the Bible remains the same.  This is a Christian advantage.  By letting the truth of our faith inform our leadership Christians protect and enhance the working environment for all involved.

In trying to understand the advantage that the Christian faith gives to us in our leadership, there’s no more powerful place to look than our perspective on heaven.  Afterall, eternal life is the backdrop behind everything a Christian does, the ultimate goal of all our motivations.  But what practical difference does this make in the perspective that we take at work.  Well, in fact, it makes a big difference if we let it.  In this fifth part of our series on The Christian Leader’s Advantage we explore the power of the idea of heaven. 

In some ways all leadership is the same.  Individuals have to move groups of people to accomplish things in unity.  What then is the Christian difference and what does a religion of love have to do with leadership?  In this fourth part of our series on The Christian Leaders Advantage, we explore the difference that love makes in leadership.  Not only does it speak to the emotions of all involved, but it allows leaders to penetrate more deeply into what really motivates people to be their best.  And being the best of all things, why wouldn’t love make us the best of all leaders.

How does the approach a Catholic takes towards leadership differ from the approach anyone else takes?  Does our faith in Christ make us better leaders?  In this third part on our series “The Christian Leader’s Advantage”, I examine the fact that Christians believe in eternal life, and I examine the practical ramifications that this belief has on our ability to lead others well.  Afterall, if Jesus Christ called us to lead and he called us to be Christians it’s because our Christianity has something wonderful to do with our leadership.  And I’d like to show you how.

When it comes to leading others, Christians out to have a distinct advantage.  After all Christians who lead believe that they are leading in the hand of God and following his lead.  But what does this advantage actually look like?  One spot where we can see it particularly is in our belief that our sins can be forgiven.  How does our claim about the forgiveness of sins impact the world of work?  In this second on our series on the Christian advantage I want to explore the power of mercy to transform our vision of leadership.