Many famous people have said it: we all need a Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy in our lives. Someone to teach and challenge us, someone to encourage us, and someone we, in turn, can teach and encourage. This is how we become a cultural influence for Christ – one person at a time.

Martha and I have been going through this excellent team-building training/leadership training over the last year from GiANTWorldwide. It has truly been revolutionary in how we interact with one another and how we interact with our team – all of whom are outsourced. There are so many qualities a good leader should have, but upon self-evaluation, the one I need to work on the most is the “Provisional/Plan/Promise” conversation. It turns out that the words I use could be undermining my leadership at iWork4Him.

If you are a dreamer like me, who is also an entrepreneur, you probably come up with original ideas all the time to keep yourself busy. I read a ton of books for the podcast and run across fresh ideas all the time, so I feel like I am continually filtering out my many ideas to only share the cream of the crop. However, when I dream out loud, sometimes I am inadvertently communicating that I plan to carry these dreams into realities. All I was doing was dreaming, but because I didn’t tell everyone that I was dreaming, they thought I was espousing a new direction or directive. So, Martha has learned to ask me. Is that provisional (dream), a plan (something we potentially will consider), or a promise (truly a direction we will take.)

So, what about you. Do you offer clarifying statements when you share a new idea? Do you let people know whether you are dreaming, planning, or promising an outcome?

Who do you have in your life that walked alongside you on the Narrow Path? Have you thanked them? Have you gone back and reminded them of the significance they have in your life? It honors them and honors God for putting them in your life. Take time this week to thank those who have been used by God to shape you into who you are today. They have been used by God to get you to where you are today.

It is not insignificant that Jesus was born to a family who had a small business. Carpentry. God could have put Jesus in any number of families but He chose one where the primary source of income to support the family was the small family business. You might find yourself asking why?

It used to be that absenteeism was a problem in the workplace. But today, it’s the opposite: It’s called “Presenteeism”. A company’s leadership cannot spend all day ministering to their employees; So, what’s the answer?

What if today, we worked as if the living God and His wisdom were inside us? Would we be doing different work? In a different way? Would we think higher, grander thoughts? Would we expect and GET bigger results?

Hearing God’s voice is a discipline that takes time. Recognizing His voice is similar to controlling your breathing during a panic attack. Both eventually become 2nd nature, and so will hearing the voice of God.

If we are a Christ-follower, love is the basis for everything we do, because it is the basis for all He did. That love, by the way, is an action; an "active" intentional action that holds deep affection and shows itself.

Are you struggling with being able to see the forest and the individual trees in that forest? What is your forest look like today. Surround yourself with people that you are willing to listen to, this is the sign of a great leader

The general market news media has one thing right, and its only marginally right at that. Corporate America has become a bastion of creating wealth and ignoring of people. As Jesus followers we know this is wrong.