Month: May 2018

3 Ways to Level ↑ Your Teamwork

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Have you ever struggled with group participation or felt more productive working independently?

Perhaps you’re a team player at heart, but feel taxed, even lost, when collaborating in a joint setting.

If so, I want to encourage you: a) you’re not alone and b) dare to rethink what you know about teamwork.

For while corporate success often hinges on team dynamic (i.e. how a group behaves and performs in pursuing a particular goal), such cooperation is only possible when each member knows the purpose and direction of their role.

Thus, in the next few posts, I want to discuss how we, as students and employees, can build teamwork through better team dynamic starting with these three points…

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1) Clarify Expectations

It’s been said group morale is a fragile art – a sacred science based on strength integration, maintaining transparency, and trust management.

Yet, of all the bonds that bind, arguably none is more cohesive to team dynamic than clarifying expectations.

To quote Ron Edmondson…

“to feel a part of the team, people need to know where the team is going and what their role is. An understanding of the overall goals and objectives fuels energy. When the big picture objective is understood each team member is more willing to pull together to accomplish the mission because they know the ‘why’ and can better understand where they fit on the team.”

In other words, to achieve positive outcomes, each role must be clearly defined in a way direction, unity, and purpose are mutually inclusive. Of course, none of this can happen without accountability, authenticity, and strategy/tactics (as we’ll later discuss); however, as long as expectations are effectively communicated top-to-bottom, the foundation to success is, at least, secured.

Bottom line: The more people perceive core value and expectations1 through vision, the more team dynamic will strengthen.

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2) Don’t Just Direct People, Develop Them

As mentioned in my ‘effective influencer’ post, strong teams form when people are valued over goals and success is celebrated corporately as well as individually.

Unfortunately, not all work cultures are created equal where motivation is shared, let alone contagious. The question is…

How do we inspire unity among our teams regardless of setting, situation, or position?

For starters, we must be willing to connect role to direction and expectation to vision. In my case, having worked in various financial and ministerial arenas, I’ve found the best unity occurs in environments where each member understands their role and how it directly impacts the success of the organization.

Granted, easier said than done for the sanitation engineer and mail deliverer; still, if strong team dynamics are applied, even these employees can be directed to know the company’s core values2 and developed to take ownership of their responsibility.

Ultimately, if team members are empowered to see their skin in the game, camaraderie will flourish in the sense each person is directed, developed, and driven to see his/her work as more than a means to an end.

Bottom line: Intentional leaders not only give their team intentional purpose, but help their teams understand mission while embracing vision.

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3) Get Out of the Office

A great ministry leader once said…

“Don’t get so busy doing the work of the Lord that you don’t spend time with the Lord of the work.”

Interestingly, while this truth pertains to spiritual intimacy, the same concept can be applied in collaboration and networking. After all, if project management and people management are best undivided, then the quality of our communication should extend beyond performance into its surrounding context.

For example, as a former LAMPO spouse, sports editor, and youth pastor, no question, the best “silo-busting” moments occurred during retreats, corporate team-building activities, and family outings. In each scenario, not only were tensions lessened, but a sense of esprit de corps developed carrying over into seasons of challenge and discomfort.

Moreover, to the extent creativity and oasis conversations abounded, to that extent priorities were pruned in the wake of internal and external inventory. Ultimately, as awareness within community increased, so did morale and enthusiasm by proxy.

Bottom line: 1) Teamwork is just as much attitude as it is practice. 2) If you want better teamwork, know the context of your team’s performance given team dynamic is influenced just as much outside work as at work.

Selah.

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Looking ahead, I want to talk about how we, as spouses and household heads, can abide by the same teaming principles outside our careers and inside our homes.

In the meantime, be at peace as you better people to better your teams to better your business.

As always, Lys & I are rooting for you.

Here’s to the journey…

~ Cameron

Footnotes

  1. Even compensation
  2. Tip: consider creating a team charter)

Cover photo creds: Australian Institute of Business

Tears into Wine: The Reason We’re All Cupbearers

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If someone came up to you and asked, ‘What does my priesthood at work look like’, what would you say?

To lead like Jesus? To influence in confidence? To extend Kingdom authority?

Granted, the question is loaded and can’t possibly be unpacked in one post; that said, when we  examine our priestly influence through our “cupbearer identity”, we can, at least, begin to build a response.

To start, let’s explore “cupbearer” in Scripture beginning with Genesis 40:1-2 (AMP)…

“Now some time later, the cupbearer (butler) and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, Egypt’s king. Pharaoh was extremely angry with his two officials, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers.”

Note how the Hebrew translation for cupbearer, “butler” and “chief of the cupbearers” capture the office’s rank. While it’s true most cupbearers were slaves or servants, clearly they were more than wine-tasters on standby as we’ll see in a second.

Flash-forward to 2 Chronicles 9:3-7 and again we find cupbearer immersed in royal splendor…

“So when the queen of Sheba saw the [depth of] Solomon’s wisdom, and the house which he had built, and the food of his table, the [vast] seating order of his officials, the attendance and service of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, she was breathless. She said to the king, “The report which I heard in my own land regarding your [accomplishments and your] words and your wisdom was true, but I did not believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told to me; you have surpassed the report that I heard. Blessed and fortunate are your people, how blessed and fortunate are these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom!”

In this case, ‘cupbearer’ is not only set apart among the other officials (like Genesis 40), but declared blessed as serving in the presence of wisdom. Thus, we can infer cupbearers were not only regarded as trustworthy, but esteemed in knowledge and skill as well.

Lastly, in Nehemiah, we see cupbearer represented through the protagonist’s voice and position to King Artaxerxes. According to canon, after Nehemiah realizes the Jews in Jerusalem are struggling with the broken walls, Artaxerxes not only grants his request to rebuild them, but appoints him as governor to assure his authority. By book’s end, Nehemiah finishes the walls in 52 days thanks to his sound management and determination in the face of adversary1.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking…why take this systematic Old Testament aerial view?

Honestly, there are several reasons.

First off, understanding how cupbearers conducted their business can help us, as marketplace ministers, approach our work. For instance, in the same way cupbearers protected the king at all costs, we can establish a safe and healthy working environment through integrity, consistent reliability, and quality support.

Granted, cupbearers, being the ancient  bodyguards they were, lived with their lives constantly on the line; however, even when we’re working outside our comfort zones, even when we’re wrestling with distrust, cynicism, or self-perservation, when we yield judgment to empathy, not only will we influence more effectively, but enhance a team dynamic driven towards collaborative solutions (more on this in our next post).

Secondly, when we apply the heart of a cupbearer, we can find inspiration in not only protecting our work environment, but purifying it as well. Remember cupbearers, while fragile in job security, perceived themselves as guardians could save a kingdom with one bite2. Consequently, they never hesitated to put their mortality at risk knowing what their sacrifice would mean long-term.

As for us, we may not have to down poison, but we can certainly purify the toxins within our arenas of influence (i.e. antagonism, condemnation, libel, slander, subordination, etc.).  ‘Cause truth is…

…while we may not be able to change what people believe, as spiritual cupbearers, we can extend positive resilience into our company’s immune system through unceasing prayer, biblical confrontation, and 1 Corinthians 16:13/Colossians 3:23 determination.

Finally, when we consider Old Testament cupbearers served as agents of healing and restoration³, we can better recognize their foreshadowing to the preeminent cupbearer…Jesus Christ. Of course, Christ lived (and lives) as cupbearer and King simultaneously; however, by noting the parallels – the fact each cupbearer in Scripture abided sacrificially and submitted to a higher authority at his right hand- we can glean inspiration concerning our workplace identity. For as we celebrate Christ’s atonement in taking communion, we commemorate in our daily life knowing our influence is maximized when we live as Christ and take up our cross (Philippians 1:21; Luke 9:23). Ultimately, the key to thriving as present day cupbearers is recognizing our destiny and fulfilling our call…in remembrance of him.

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In closing, I encourage you, friends, to live as the cupbearers of old and the Cupbearer of today. Regardless of the broken walls in your midst, regardless of what you have to lose, in the end, it’s all about being grateful as we’re faithful with what Christ has entrusted us. Even when you feel lost or anxious, remember you were made to pour out abundant life (John 10:10) as a drink offering (Philippians 2:17) to bear fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10) lifting up the cup of salvation (Psalm 116:13)…

…just like a cupbearer.

Selah.

Footnotes

  1. Mostly false accusers and backslidden captives
  2. Or swig
  3. Mainly in what they prevented

Cover photo creds: Preachit.org

 

The Naked Truth: Why Church Needs a Sex Talk

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Since its inception, His Girl Fryday has served as a resource helping bivocational/ marketplace leaders mature their influence…and while our mission has always been to bridge sacred and secular, when it comes to absolute truth, ultimately we’re just as passionate outside our niche as within it.

Thus, as we tackle a hot topic in sexuality, understand this message has not only been internally simmering for years (having been ignited during last week’s Messenger Fellowship summit), but also represents one of my deepest pastoral regrets having rarely addressed it1 during my youth ministry tenure. Of course, much could be said in a testimonial setting; for now, let’s focus on how sexuality has been and should be addressed to effectively equip the emerging generation.

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When it comes to modern day sexuality, no question we live in a unique time caught up in the crossfire of change. On one hand, we have church and culture experiencing seismic shifts in how intimacy and its abuse are perceived. On the other, we have integrity and cross-generational tension in how the Word is interpreted and behaviorally applied².

Yet, while the divide may seem like a slippery slope, how we close the gap is worth discussion given we all struggle (or have struggled) with sexual identity, temptation, compromise, or at the very least, our identity in Christ.

Take my case for example…

As a child of the ’90’s, I grew up in a time when intimacy was seen as forbidden fruit. Not only was sex not talked about outside ‘the birds and the bees’, but hardly anyone wanted to…apart from a few exceptions.

I remember during one 8th grade chapel, my school brought in a young Christian couple to share their “love story”, a PG-13 account of why they waited. Unfortunately, while their testimony captured the wonder of affection, it failed to connect sex to Scripture leaving many peers in a wake of armor-less intrigue.

A few months later, I invited a friend to summer camp during which the last guest speaker defined purity as avoiding promiscuity. But again, like the married couple, though the message conveyed the mystique of sex, the big picture only grew more convoluted, especially for those like me who had become skilled in evading Cosmopolitan without knowing why.

Enter the day my sophomore year when I discovered Victoria Secret in my parent’s mailbox.

Yes, I had learned not to go looking for lust; however, I hadn’t learned what to do when lust came looking for me. Factor in a freshman year marred by peer rejection and bullying and suddenly those scantily clad women were more than just tempting…they were void-filling.

And so began a decadal stretch where self-gratification and fantasy lust not only became on-and-off defaults to loneliness and self-loathing, but self-seeking manifests in romantic relationships3 (more on this in a future post). Thankfully, after years of denial and compromise, the Spirit would meet me in a point of surrender and reset my course.

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But by then, the damage had been done. Despite the fact I was a new creation relearning grace, forgiveness, and perseverance in the midst of shame, insecurity, and depression, the weight of deferred awareness -what could have been had I just trashed the lingerie clippings instead of stashing them ten years earlier – bore heavily on my mind.

Not to mention all the ‘what if’s’…

…like what if someone had taught me the wrongs of self-gratification?

…what if someone had taught me the boundaries of intimacy in dating relationships?

…what if I had a mentor who connected taking thoughts captive to pornographic temptation?

…what if the message of sexuality in my youth had involved discovering God’s intent as opposed to guilting people from living outside it?

Maybe then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

But the reality is we are…because I believe God not only wants to reshape and ‘de-grey’ the way we teach sex, but purge our family lines of where it’s been abused.  Like me, you may have wrestled with a checkered past, but this doesn’t mean God can’t use your fearless voice to stir implicit trust in places of explicit exposure.

The question is: are we willing to be entirely honest and sensitive when we need to?

For as long as sex is minimally approached and swept under the rug, we set our children up to learn the hard way; however, if we truly desire our youth to see sex through the fear of the Lord/their identity in Christ, if we truly long for them to be content in their singleness, and to understand the positives of purity, the rewards of repentance, and the repercussions of sexual sin4, only then will we set a foundation on which they can stand firm.

‘Til then, I submit the church refreshens her approach on teaching intimacy. To paraphrase John Piper…

…the problem with the church’s guide to sex education isn’t her instruction on walking in light, but her negligence in modeling a hatred of darkness.

As a result, youth are growing up aware sex has a time and place, like fire in a fireplace, but are far less aware of what to do when the chimney starts to crack or when the fire breaches the home. At some point, we must be willing to convey the fire of intimacy not only through the fatherheart of God, but in eager fashion as people unashamed of the Gospel and our testimony (Romans 1:15-16 AMP). Perhaps then will today’s young people know how to ‘house’ their sexuality where the fireplace was designed to be.

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As for me, all I know is far too long I’ve been on my knees crying for help, but now that help has come…and in its wake…my heart yearns to see future generations know the warning signs that flare in the night and proceed against greed in light of the stronger, holy fire burning within5.

In closing, I encourage you, my friends, let’s be unified in advancing a more vulnerable talk on sex while praying generational healing into the roots of our family trees. After all, as great as the struggle or freedom we’re walking in, how much more glorious the triumph when we embrace the legacy of God’s highest?

Selah.

Footnotes

  1. Granted, the effort was made multiple times; at least we got this far…
  2. Hence, why sexuality is such a challenging subject given its taboo label and sandpapery effect on identity/ego/security
  3. Specifically, the lie of ‘as long as it’s not intercourse, it’s okay’
  4. Including the various forms of pornography and self-gratification
  5. Yes, I have DC Talk’s ‘The Hardway’ in my head now; again, I’m a child of the ‘90’s 😉

Cover photo creds: Pond5, Called to be Free