The Marketplace Magazine March/April 2010

Just say No Have you been taught that saying Yes is morally superior to saying No? Often it is. But not always. Sometimes we have to say No, even to a worthy request. With overcrowded schedules, the “right” thing may be to say No if you want to maintain balance and health. Most of us cringe when others decline our assignment or request for help. But sometimes it’s for the best. Better to have an overworked person say No than say Yes now and then renege at the last minute. A judicious No preserves energy for the important things. Time and resources are finite, and sustainable stewardship demands some triage. Saying No is vital to a crisp mission — either in life or in a company. You do some things; you don’t do others. The more you say No to some things, the more you can say Yes to things that meet strategic objectives. Former U.S. President Lyndon Johnson said, “The power of Yes is meaningless unless twinned with the menace of No.” Mennonite church leader Orie Miller once got a panic call from a colleague who wanted him to rush over to his house on an urgent matter. When he got there, the colleague was sitting on his front porch, rocking in a chair. “What was so important that you needed to see me right now?” Orie asked. “You’re sitting here rocking in your chair.” The man said, “I am so busy, everybody has given me so much to do, I am overwhelmed. I don’t know what to do.” Orie responded, “I can tell you one thing. Not all the tasks you are being asked to do are from God because God does not overwhelm his children. The scripture tells us that God will not allow any tasks or things to come upon us that we cannot bear with his help.”

A $70 billion question for business & church

The greatest “unrealized potential” in the Christian movement for the next 20 years probably rests on the shoulders of Christian businesspeople. That’s great news for every Christian person who loves business. Talk about a life of adventure. What more could you ask for when your faith and your love for business intersect? The marketplace is the only institution that touches virtually every person on planet earth. Pastors are very limited in their direct exposure to the marketplace. At the same time, the marketplace in general terms doesn’t look to professional church staff for guidance on managing their business. They do look to their pastors to help disciple them on how to live out their faith, but most haven’t showed them how to connect it to the marketplace. Here is the $70 billion question. What is our strategy to reach this world for Christ? Do we try to hire another 600,000 pastors, missionaries, worship leaders, etc? Or do we unleash six million businesspeople to take the Christian movement to the next level? For too long, many faithful Christians have “outsourced” their responsibilities as believers. They give generously to the church and then allow the “organized church” to do the work. Honestly, it’s easier. You can live your life in compartments. There’s your taskdriven, results-oriented, hard-charging business world. Then there is your church world. But what happens when you are asked to combine your sacred activities and your spiritual activities? Have we been indoctrinated to believe that oil and water do not mix? No wonder many successful entrepreneurs and business owners can’t wait to “cash out” when they are 50 or 55. For them, perhaps business was all about business. There is a new generation of business leaders who see the world differently. For them, God has called them into business. Their company is to be used by God for his purposes. They are passionMore than 1,400 recent MBA graduates have signed on to the “MBA Oath,” ate about creating products or serpledging to avoid “decisions and behavior that advance my own narrow ambivices. They love marketing and sales. tions but harm the enterprise and the societies it serves.” The oath was begun They are always mindful of the at Harvard Business School and now includes other schools, including Columbia bottom line. But there is a higher Business School. “Some executives have begun noting the oath when they hire calling. Everything that the church recent graduates,” writes Bill Droel in Initiatives newsletter. He adds that not stands for is actually expressed in everyone favors the movement because a personal pledge can mean little when “real terms” in their business. — even laws and regulations don’t prevent financial immorality. For more, check out Business as Mission Network the oath’s website: www.mbaoath.org

Promises, promises

The Marketplace March April 2010

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