Believe. If I could sum up what I am about to share with you in one word, that would be it. Believe.

Recently, I had the pleasure of acting as the Teacher Coordinator with my church's Vacation Bible School, a week-long program for kids aged 4-12. While I was in charge of teaching them some very valuable lessons, I learned several myself as well. One of the most important ones is the message that I got to share with the kids on faith. In short, we discussed Thomas, the disciple of Jesus that doubted the resurrection unless he could actually see Jesus for himself, including the holes in His hands. Silly man...

Anyway, as I prayed and prepared for this lesson on the importance of believing in God even though we cannot see Him, I felt that there was another important message about faith and believing. And as I take a final look at the life of Gideon for the lessons from Biblical leaders, I find that this idea fit very well. Once Gideon had his army dwindled down to a mere 300 men, and was preparing to go up against 120,000 Midianites, he still had his doubts. I think that most of can relate to Gideon and why he doubted. When we are up against overwhelming odds, it is difficult to see how you will overcome those odds.

In the book of Judges, God told Gideon to check things out. When he did, he overheard some Midianites talking about a dream about Gideon's success. THEN, finally Gideon believed that he could do what he was being asked to do. From this, there are three things that I see as keys to successfully overcoming the odds:

1. Obedience - The entire account of Gideon hinges on his obedience to God's calling. He certainly tested it to make sure that it was God's will, but he never would have been in a situation to overcome the odds unless he was willing to simply do what he was told to do.
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2. Faith in God - This is a trust thing. Gideon had to trust the integrity of God's character, and that He was going to do what He said He would do. Gideon certainly had to take a leap of faith here, but he trusted that once he did that God was going to take care of what he could not do on his own.
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3. Faith in yourself - Often we underestimate what we are able to do. But God put everything in us that we need. This doesn't mean that we can accomplish everything that is in our will. But it does mean that we can do whatever is in His will. This means that if we are in tune with what God wants us to be doing, then there is nothing that we cannot overcome.

Make your workplace a house of prayer. I'm not talking about the big, overstated kind of prayer that will make other people feel uncomfortable. What I am talking about is making conversation with God throughout your day a BIG priority. The more in tune you are with Him, the more likely you are to overcome the obstacles that come your way.

    

Risk Management has been defined as, "the process of measuring, or assessing risk and developing strategies to manage it." When you go into any new project or other type of initiative, you must weigh out your risks. Missing this means that your project could run into obstacles that you are not prepared to handle, and this could slow you down or even stop you completely. Therefore, being an effective leader includes the need to measure and assess risk in everything that you do, and to develop the strategies that may be needed to overcome them should they arise ...

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Shortly after getting married I took a huge leap of faith and left a job that was making me miserable. During my time of trying to find a better workplace environment where I knew I could thrive, I hit a spot where I had to find something quick in order to get some cash flow moving. My wife's income just wasn't enough to get us through, and we didn't have much in reserves to hold us over until I found that one, right job that I was looking for. So I landed a gig as the Manager of "Yo-Yo Loco", a kiosk at ...

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One of the most important things in a workplace is passion. Imagine a workplace where nobody has a passion for what they are doing. I think of people that sound like Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) when they answer the phone while saying something like, "hello, I'm happy to help you...". On the other hand, imagine what that same greeting sounds like from someone who is passionate about what they are doing! Their voice will be full of energy and excitement! I also think about great athletes like Jerry Rice. Now here is a man who had a passion for ...

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Well, management by God has been tagged as a recipient of the Thinking Blogger Award. I thank Jerry from As The Crackerhead Crumbles for selecting me for this great honor. My biggest goal with management by God has been to challenge people to take a serious look at the Scriptures and think about how they can be applied in the workplace. There is way too much guidance there for us to not learn and apply the lessons that wait there for us. So it is nice to know that...

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This is a tough one. Political correctness has made it difficult to even say the name of Jesus in the workplace. We are often required to shut down certain aspects of our lives while at work resulting in a deafening quiet regarding spiritual matters. This has always bothered me. A dear friend and co-worker several years ago set it straight when he told me that he was a Christian first, and oh by the way, he also worked for our company. This shift in perspective forced me to stop identifying myself primarily by the work that I do or who ...

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I likely won't do this very often, but I got something for my birthday late last year that I just cannot get enough of. It is the Maxwell Leadership Bible. And knowing that my readers are here because of their interest in becoming a better leader in any aspect of life (but especially the workplace), I thought that it would be valuable to offer some insight into this incredible resource. ...

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Awards are great, but one of the greatest honors that I think that I could have received is to be interviewed by another leader. Manager, Leader, Coach Ron Hurst from Developing Leaders and Material Leadership has recently interviewed me for a new series of podcasts that he is putting together on the topic of purpose. I am quite honored and humbled by his desire to interview me and share some of the management by God story. ...

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No one likes selfish people, but our natural human tendency is to be selfish (at some level). We tend to think of how things affect ourselves before we ever consider how it affects other people. In the English language, there is no literal distinction between the singular and plural versions of the word "you". Therefore, often when people are talking, and they say the word "you", our natural inclination is to think of the singular "you" as opposed to the plural referring to whatever community we may be a part of. ...

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I love the classic (and remake) movie The Stepford Wives. I think that every man has thought about what it would be like to have that "perfect" wife. You know, the one that anticipates and meets your every need. I think that even most women can even relate that it would be cool to have a husband that caters to their every desire. I think that this movie makes an incredible statement about our human nature and the natural desire to want something without having to invest the effort that it takes to "earn" the kind of ...

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Managers are leaders with something left to prove. Front-line employees look at managers as "the boss". And when a front-line employee gets promoted into a Supervisor/Manager position, it sometimes feels like they have reached "the top". But I prefer to look at supervisor/manager positions as "entry-level" into leadership. Granted, I also feel that everyone has and should develop certain leadership qualities, but the true manager is really just getting started in the process of leadership development...

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I remember getting my first position as a manager. There was so much excitement, and so much pride in the fact that your hard work has finally paid off. And I know that many people can identify with these feelings as well, but I also felt a bit anxious about the great level of uncertainty about what my future held for me. Remember that feeling? Your first role in some sort of leadership, and rather than standing strong on what got you there, you suddenly fear what might be in your now so uncertain future ...

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I have worked in and around Call Centers for a good number of years, and one thing that never ceases to amaze me is the negativity that seems to prevail. Part of it could be that the Call Center agents only really take calls from the customers who are having problems. Think about it, when is the last time that you called your credit card company just to thank them for being there when you need them? Instead the only time that you are going to make the effort to get in touch with them is when you are upset ...

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When I set out to do what I am doing with this site, I never expected to be called "nice". I try to share the Word of God, and deliver it in a way that causes everyone who reads it to be a better leader and/or a stronger Christian example in the workplace. I know that sometimes the messages that I deliver hit some people in that spot that makes them say "ouch", but it is typically taken with the agape heart that they were shared in.

So when Isaiah from Joie de Vivre: A Wretched Man's Quest to Follow In Jesus Christ's Footsteps tagged me with the Nice Matters Award. Isaiah selects me, "for being one of the nicest people on the blogosphere. He is one of the bloggers I most respect." The award is given out to ...

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It is a question that the average Christian has been asking since the "American Dream" was first dreamed. American consumerism tells us that we need more, and that if we don't want more, then there must be something wrong with us. Even the church is split on this issue of "how much money is enough". On one side, you have the poverty-minded groups that think that money is evil, and that financial poverty is the way to Godliness. Then you have the "Health-and-Wealth" gospel folks that believe that if you are not filthy rich, then you must have some sort ...

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It is always cool getting recognized by fellow bloggers, but Casey from Casey's Critical Thinking just passed on an award to me that really means a lot. Casey recognized me with the "You Lift Me Up" Award. The funny thing is that it is not my intent to "lift people up" through my blog. I like to challenge people with the Word of God, and help people to become the every bit of the leaders in the workplace that God intends them to be. The cool thing is that this only shows how powerful the Word of God can be in encouraging people and lifting them up! Thank you Casey for this great honor! And as I know many others would say, I can only say that it is not me that is deserving, but the Christ in me ...

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Much is said about drinking and drugs, and it is not my intent to diminish any value that they have when used appropriately. However, often it is the misuse of these things that tends to bring problems. Personally, I am not against alcohol, but only rarely enjoy a drink (a few times a year). I used to be a big drinker when I was in the Marine Corps and in college. Not only do I have first-hand understanding about the principles that I am about to discuss here, but I have also seen the effects that it has on others ...

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One thing that disgusts me these days is how comfortable people have become with lying. Not telling the truth has become so common place and accepted, that you don't know who to believe about anything anymore. People hide their thoughts, their feelings, and their perceptions. Now I'm not saying that everyone is bad, because there is nobody that tells the truth at all anymore. But what I am saying is that the idea of not being truthful is becoming more and more ...

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Tightrope walking is the art of walking across a rope or wire usually suspended over great heights. This act requires incredible balance and focus, because with one slightly wrong move the walk could be over. Depending on the safety precautions taken, tightrope walking could be a very dangerous sport. However, while the dangers of this activity could be enough to scare some people into not even wanting to attempt it, the reward for succeeding in it must be great. Karl Wallenda (founder of the great Flying Wallendas) once said, "Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is ...

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There is one person (or group of people) in any organization that determines that organization's level of success more than anyone else. You may argue that it is the front-line. And while I agree that the front line is indispensable as the group that carries out the mission, I still feel like there is a more important group. Some may say that the executive-leaders are the most important, because without them, there would be no organization or vision. Again, while I recognize the importance of this group in setting the direction and creating the "spirit" of the organization, I again ...

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