One of the challenges of applying biblical principles in the workplace is that modern society seeks to use its culture to shape the Scriptures, rather than allow the Scriptures to shape modern culture. The progress culture has made in shaping Scripture to its liking and “putting God in its place” has, unfortunately, made remarkable progress over the past few decades. There are laws now, and legislation pending in many states, that would have never even been considered as reasonable in a moral society earlier in our lifetimes. This pressure to “conform your Scripture-based beliefs” to culture, rather than to stand on and up for your Scripture-based beliefs causes many Christians in the workplace, families, and in society, to stumble. Some take their beliefs underground, fearful of ridicule and being ostracized, while others go to another extreme and use their beliefs as a license to judge and hate. My goal in, How to Lead by THE BOOK, is to create a blueprint for applying biblical principles in a manner that would please Christ.
In yesterday’s post I promised to share one of our corporate values and to explain how we use it to strengthen our culture. This is a topic I’ll cover in the book. We have five values that are the centerpiece for how we do business. My favorite, is “integrity.” We define integrity as, “Always doing what is right, and not what is easy, cheap, popular, or convenient. And doing so without excuse, and regardless of the cost.” It’s not enough just to list a value. You must describe what it looks like in practice. This provides a powerful visual for each employee, and they can use it as a filter for their decisions and behavior when faced with challenges, opportunities, and in their daily interactions with co-workers and customers.
Tomorrow, I’ll discuss my tips for researching. I’ll also present what happens when you put profits ahead of people, referencing Matthew 8 and 9.