I work in a church, and I love setting goals. I love setting goals in my personal life and ministry life. In fact, I probably like setting goals a little too much. When my wife Rachel and I got married, each year, I would sit down with her and create marriage goals for the next year. Sounds like fun, right? The problem, I found out, is that it’s not the most romantic thing to do on your anniversary date night on a napkin.
After several years of being married and putting up with my goal of “anniversary dinner goal setting,” my wife finally got up the nerve to tell me that that was not a wise choice on my part. The moral of the story is there is a time and place for goal setting. The same is true in terms of employing Biblical principles in your business goals. I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, but I have talked with hundreds of businessmen and women through the years who have helped give me some ideas to pass along to other Godly Leaders.
Concepts to consider when applying Biblical principles to your business goals:
#1 – AS A GODLY LEADER, ARE YOU FULLY AWARE AND COMMITTED TO THE FACT THAT OUR END GOAL IN LIFE IS TO GLORIFY GOD AND NOT MAKE MONEY?
It is not that money is bad. We know that money is the root of all kinds of evil from 1 Timothy 6:10. (Note: many misinterpret this verse as the root of all evil. That is not the case.) But, as a Godly Leader, it is essential that we are a follower of Christ first – and businessperson second. That will inform our goals, decisions, and leadership. It will create greater integrity, character, and opportunity to let Christ’s light shine. It may also cause scrutiny, ridicule, and attack.
Scripture says God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7) and instructs us to “do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
I know a secular business owner who is committed to this being his business’s number one goal each and every year. He has been on the cover of multiple magazines and won many major business rewards. All of that success with the number one business goal of glorifying God. How can you use your influence in your business setting? In conversations, in character, or in making this your personal business goal, even if it’s not for the entire organization? For the Godly Leader, making sure you know what the main thing is – is essential!
#2 – EMPLOY THE GOLDEN RULE.
Think of the various areas of business – customer service, profit/cost, timeliness, relationships, management, who you are & who you represent – and the list goes on. What if your business goals all started with: How would I want to be treated, how would I want to be followed up, how much would I want to pay for this service or product? That might change how we look at our goals. Instead of greed and pride sneaking in, you might find character and fairness poking their heads up.
Here is the golden rule from Matthew 7:12, “In EVERYTHING, do to others what you would have them do to you.”
Try this principle out for one week and see how it changes your thinking, behaviors, and goals.
When it comes to business goal setting, take a look at your business’s goals and ask the question: Do these goals reflect us employing the Golden Rule as a main driver for our success?
#3 – STAY HONEST.
I once sold vacuum cleaners for a summer. Sorry to all of you vacuum-cleaning salespeople out there, but that job really sucked. It was pretty much door-to-door sales. Before I started, I was trained on how to sell the vacuum cleaner. It was a good vacuum cleaner, but I was trained in several ways to falsify information so that it would look better than the competition. I went to my first house and… I couldn’t do it. I just shared how wonderful this vacuum cleaner was, and I sold the full-tilt top of the model cleaner! Yahoo! I was going to have the best summer ever. The problem was, that was the ONLY vacuum I sold that summer. Yes, the only one.
“So, Eric, what you’re saying is if you don’t lie, you won’t make any money.” No, I’m not. For me, I learned three truths from that summer: 1) Don’t sell anything door to door ever, 2) Represent a great product, and 3) Realize your integrity, character, and Godliness don’t have a cost.
I know this vacuum example doesn’t connect with many of you, but this question will: What’s your cost in your business world? At what financial level have you decided it’s okay to cut corners, gently falsify numbers or claims, exaggerate delivery times, costs, and more? What is your cost? I hope you can honestly say that you don’t have one. I didn’t that summer and was broke financially but was rich in character and Godliness. I hope you’ll agree that is the better gain. It is essential for Godly Leaders not to have a cost of their honesty in life or in business.
#4 – EXECUTE THE DOUBLE DEFLECTION RULE.
Proverbs 16 is pretty clear when it tells us that pride comes before the fall. If you look at some of the recent top church and business leader failures and falls, you’ll see a thin red-line theme – pride. Pride is like a snowball. It starts out small and slow and then builds momentum and girth the more it rolls. A sense of arrogance, self-importance, and entitlement creep in and grow in one’s default posture over time.
The key (and I am far from perfect in this area!) I have learned time and again from mentors who do it better than me to double deflect.
Double Deflect – to deflect praise when it comes to you, to your team, and to God.
It’s that simple. It doesn’t take a pounding of your chest and pointing to the sky (although you’d get your point across if you do that), and it doesn’t take anything major said or done. It simply is honestly and sincerely saying, “It was a team effort and for God’s glory and because of Him,” in your own authentic manner and phrasing.
This becomes a personal goal in your business life – to be better next month in double deflection than you are today and to be much better next year than you are this year. It is essential for the Godly Leader not to become prideful and to give honor, glory, and respect in its rightful place.
One last note: It is certainly okay to accept gratitude and praise at times as well. A humble thank you, you’re welcome, etc., is more appropriate and honoring to the praise giver. But, I would encourage you to even do that in light of or after the double deflection.
#5 – SET PERSONAL GODLY GOALS FOR YOUR ROLE AND RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR BUSINESS.
Let me take a moment to discuss goal setting. It’s an entirely different blog topic, but I’d be remiss not to mention it here. To set good goals, they need to be some version of SMART. I’ve taken the traditional SMART and mixed it with some of Michael Hyatt’s SMARTER goals and created my own version.
Strategic – make sure they are a part of the bigger plan and not out on their own.
Measurable – “raising the temperature” of a topic isn’t helpful; make sure you can measure when you’ve accomplished it.
Actionable – this is a Hyatt angle, which means that the goal needs to be able to be moved forward.
Risky – no soft, easily attainable goals allowed; step out in faith in regards to what the Lord is calling you to do.
Time-bound – goals need a deadline, or they’ll be dead on arrival.
Now, look at your personal Godly goals in regards to your role and your relationships and set up 3-5 SMART goals for how you can create your business goals in a more Godly way moving forward. For the Godly Leader, doing so is purposeful, wise, and essential!
We could talk a lot more on this topic, but we’ll leave it there for now. What are your thoughts or questions? Leave them in the comments. If you found this blog helpful or thought-provoking, please subscribe below to receive a new blog in your email every other Tuesday morning. Also, if you think this blog would be helpful for others, please share it on social media or tell a few friends about it!
Love being on this Essential Godly Leadership journey with you!
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Essential Godly Leadership: “Leading your life, your family, your work, your relationships, and your world in a way that is seeking wisdom from, and pleasing to, the Lord Jesus.”