In my years of leading and managing, I have observed all types of work ethics.  As a student of leadership, I have read books and attended conferences on organizational development and workplace issues.  One frequent message I have heard in the last few years is the encouragement to work less and enjoy life more. I know the reason. There is an epidemic of over-achievers in our society neglecting family and failing to enjoy life because they are consumed with things of lesser importance.

While I agree with this advice for those that need it, I have to be honest about something.  Some people don’t need this advice.  Some people need the encouragement to work harder to achieve the goals and objectives they have for their life, but also to honor the commitments he or she has made to their employer.  I cannot tell you how many marriages I have counseled where one of the main problems was a lazy spouse, not to mention the Biblical truth that laziness is a sin.

The bottom line for me is that your personal work ethic should determine the style or degree of discipline you need in regards to how much you work.

There are two extremes of employees that I have observed.

The extremely low-productivity work ethic:

This type employee would often prefer not to be working at all.  They max out their sick days.  They leave work as soon as the clock ticks end of workday.  They stretch lunch breaks. People wired this way don’t need to hear a message on taking more time off from work. They have that “skill” fully developed.  That type “encouragement” may cause them to work even less than they are currently working.  It’s not that they are bad people they just have the opposite of a workaholic drive in them.  For them they may need to discipline themselves to work harder.

The extremely high-productivity work ethic:

This type employee loves to work.   They seldom take a sick day. They have to force themselves to take days off and when they do they are constantly checking their messages or calling back to the office.  They work late and almost have to be pushed out the door.  They don’t need a message on how employees need to work harder.  This type “encouragement” fuels their resentment towards other employees who don’t share their work ethic and causes them to justify his or her over indulgence with work. For them they need to discipline themselves to work less. (I fit in this category, by the way.)

In between these two extremes are various degrees leaning towards one extreme or the other.  Learning to strike the healthy balance that achieves goals and objectives and honors an employers time, while protecting family time and taking time to rest, should be the goal.

Which are you?  Be honest with yourself as we head into another year and discipline yourself accordingly.

Over the next few days I will share some of the results of the Leadership Perception Survey I posted recently on my blog. Just so you know, there is no hidden agenda here. Several have asked. I simply believe perception of a situation matters, sometimes as much as reality. In leadership, we must always be aware of another person’s perception and realize that not everyone thinks as we do. That doesn’t mean perception has to alter what we do, certainly not if we are doing the right thing, but perception can play a factor in success and may alter the strategy we use to accomplish our vision. Have you ever heard of marketing? Successful marketing revolves around perception. Understanding other people’s perception is a part of successful leadership also.

Without commentary, here are the first few graphics.

Question: Are you currently a leader?

• Yes 76%
• No 24%

How many total people report to you:

• 0  22%
• 1-10 52%
• 11-25  9%
• 26-100 15%
• 100+  2%

Should the leader be entitled to more vacation or other benefits that the people he or she leads, just because of position?

• Yes  27%
• No  73%

Should a leader have a bigger office than the people he or she leads?

• Yes   30%
• No   70%

Stay tuned for more results.

How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! Proverbs 1:17 NIV

If you want to catch birds with a net, you don’t won’t them to see you laying out the net. If they do…you won’t catch many birds.

Birds are too smart for that.

In the Biblical days of Solomon, bird hunters would spread a net on the ground, baited with food for the birds. As the birds would fly down for dinner, the hunters would pull up the nest quickly, capturing many of the birds. Birds are smarter than one might think, though. Apparently if they saw the hunters laying down the nets, they wouldn’t land and so they wouldn’t be caught by the trap.

We don’t know what the coming week has for us yet. Most likely there will be struggles, as well as triumphs, if this week is normal. There are a few things we can almost be sure of though.

• There will be plenty of temptations to distract us from making wise choices.
• Most likely we will take on the characteristics of the places we go and the people we hang around with.
• Our emotional state, our attitude towards life, will greatly be influenced by the thoughts we place in our minds.

Which brings me back to those birds. You see, they were smart enough not to get tangled in a known trap! Which makes the obvious question of the day this: Are you and I that smart? We know those things, places, people and thoughts that distract us from having a great week…

…but are we smart enough to avoid the trap?

Possibly because I watched this movie on the long plane ride home from Lithuania and had visited the KGB Museum while I was there, but the movie Defiance left a huge impression on me.  (Read about my KGB Museum experience HERE.)  Maybe it was because I knew this was based on a true story and it graphically displays the conditions of people during times of war and domination by another nation.  Whatever the reason, I am not usually an emphatic person and it is hard to impress me (just being honest), but this movie may well be remembered as one of greatest impact and even favorite movies of my life.

This is a movie about:

• Perseverance
• Hope
• Faith
• Work Ethic
• Leadership
• Community
• Commitment
• Vision

This movie reminds me that when one has no more prayers to offer and all they have is what is left of their strength and faith, that, if they are following God’s command on their life they should continue to move forward.  (I realize this is not a movie about faith per se, but I see the illustration of perseverance in seeking a direction or pursuing a cause as a great demonstration of what we are called to do with our faith.)

If you have not seen this movie, I encourage you to rent it today.  If you saw it, did it have that kind of an impact on you?

I am trying to decide what to blog about in the coming weeks. Any suggestions?

The following list may be an indicator of what people are interested in when they come to this blog. These are the top 10 posts so far in the month of June:

• Thoughts on Pastor Gary Lamb
• Opportunities from the Fall of Gary Lamb
  (Those two obviously received interest due to the timeliness of the issue)
• Bad Boss Types
• God Will Allow More than You Can Bear (Alone)
  (This post is older, but continues to be the most searched for post this year.)
• 10 Easy Steps to Spoil A Child
• 10 Characteristics of Good Leadership
• How to Honor Your Pastor’s Wife
• Things You Do For Love
• Top Needs of a Wife
• Top Needs of a Husband

Two Questions for you:

1. Which of these is your favorite?
2. What would you like to see me blog about in the coming weeks?

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.  Psalm 117

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. I have often wondered what was going through the Psalmist’s mind when he recorded his thoughts for this Psalm.  Was he finished?  Did he get interrupted?  Was there something else he wanted to say?  Was he satisfied with his work?  (Obviously God was.)  This shortest chapter has huge meaning.  If we were to memorize just these two verses and implement them in our life, I think it may make a difference in our perspective on the world and the situations in which we find ourselves.

We often think that for something to be grand it must be huge, but that is not the complete definition of the word grand. (For a definition look HERE.)  Shortest or smallest does not always indicate lack of importance.  Many times it is the smallest detail that determines success or failure with a project.  The shortest moments of time can often cause the greatest and the most horrific life changes.  In my life the shortest words of encouragement have often had the biggest impact.

Are you concerning yourself with the small things that matter most?

Perhaps two stories (worlds) need to collide this week.

In one story Geese are flocking to a Knoxville Krystal’s restaurant because the employees feed and care for them.

You can read that story HERE.

In a similar story, at least about geese, New York City plans to kill about 2,000 geese because they are interfering with air flights.

You can read that story HERE.

Is it just me or do these stories seem ironic when compared to each other? Also, just curious, which story would you rather be a part of, getting rid of a nuisance or feeding some strangers?

Will Ferrell is hilarious. I am excited about the new “Land of the Lost” movie.  Every Saturday morning I enjoyed the 70′s TV show. I look forward to the Ferrell spin on a childhood memory.

What is your favorite Will Ferrell movie?

Regardless of your politics you’ve got to love that the president knows a good burger and that he went out to get lunch for the rest of the staff. If you have ever had a hamburger and fries from Five Guys you know it’s not health food, but it is awesome. I personally am impressed with this kind of leadership. Real leaders eat big burgers!  (I don’t have statistical information to back that claim up, but it’s in my gut!)  Check out the Associated Press picture gallery and article HERE.

By the way, the article says Michelle Obama has often slipped out to partake as well.

Have you ever had a Five Guys meal? Maybe the president will fix you up.

Yesterday we were blessed at Grace Community Church by paying special tribute to the Garcia family who are in the process of raising money to adopt and   raise a special needs child from overseas.   The Garcia family have hearts bigger than most of us can imagine.  They already have one child with downs syndrome, but their desire is to adopt another one.  The child God has placed on their heart to bring home has already been selected and they are just waiting until God provides the resources.  You can read more about the Garcia’s HERE.

We showed this video in each of our services yesterday as another way to share their story.  I hope you are as encouraged as I am by this family’s faith.