The Gift of Good Works

A person's gift opens doors for him,

bringing him access to important people.

(Proverbs 18:16)

Do you know the origins of the modern day handshake? I cannot say for certain, but all indications are that the gesture dates back to ancient times. One explanation is that in historic times, an outstretched handshake signaled that neither participant was carrying a weapon. In other words, I come in peace, to do you no harm. I started thinking about handshakes yesterday as I participated in a business development meeting and wondered how I gained access to the audience and the people in the room.

In my head, I hear the words: You were born with grace. That grace is your gift, a divine enablement that gives you confidence to do the work you are purposed to do. So, I sit in these meetings with companies that are much larger than Latrobe, who have more resources, yet I have no trouble communicating what we bring to the table. One of the exercises in the business development accelerator is to be able to visualize, write, and articulate the future state of your business three years from now. In other words, I have access to this audience, not because of who I am today, but because of what we are being prepared for…GREATER WORKS!!!

 

I used to be afraid to share my vision with others, thinking that someone might steal my idea and implement it before I could. As I learn more about grace, I realize that because my talents are enabled from On High, I do not have to worry because what God has for me is for me. My gift works only for me. Sharing the vision demonstrates confidence that I trust and believe what God He is doing through me. And when people see my confidence, they want to help. My divine gift, what I was purposed to accomplish, opens doors for me and allows me to meet the people who are pre-destined to enable these good works.

I have been graced to have audiences with influential people to discuss our vision for educating and training through workforce readiness initiatives. These are the decision makers who have expressed a need to fill manufacturing or industrial jobs, either today or in the near future, and have the ability to hire. We agree on the next set of shared deliverables and expectations and we shake hands, signaling that we are not carrying weapons (or competing). In this instance, concerns of harm are replaced with a shared desire to help both companies succeed and to improve employment conditions in our community.

Each of us has a gift or a talent that was divinely designed for His purpose. I challenge you to work your gift, operate in your grace, and watch it manifest into good works. What is your gift? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Preparing Kids for Good Works

Every writing which is written by The Spirit is profitable for teaching,

correcting, and training in righteousness;

that children may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for all good works.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

This weekend, we dropped our son off for his first sleep-away-camp. It sounded like a good idea, when he first got the invitation for the leadership academy. During the week of preparation, I realized that this was the first time that he would be away from us and not in the presence of our family, friends, or church members. I was a little apprehensive, until I thought about my first camping experience…

I was not a member of 4-H or FFA (Future Farmers of America) but somehow, during the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, I was selected to attend a summer leadership program at Camp Couchdale, near Hot Springs, AR. No one else from Stuttgart participated during the same week as me, so it sounded like a good idea to ride the camp-sponsored bus. My parents were told to have me at a designated gas-station at the Hazen exit on I-40 for pick up. During the wait, I realized that I would not know anyone once they drove away. I was nervous when I first stepped on the bus, but a group of kids from Cotton Plant immediately invited me to sit with them, and they became my friends for the week (and for a lifetime).

I researched Camp Couchdale to see if it was still in operation and I was happy to learn that the mission continues--to educate and inspire lifelong leadership through horticultural service learning. I do not remember much about the horticultural activities, but I do remember the impact of knowing that my parents trusted me enough to allow me to go to this camp and not wanting to disappoint them. Now that I am on the other side of this experience, I realize that as parents, we try our best to teach our kids to do the right things and hope that they follow suit when not in our presence. I pray that our son has watched our example of when we do not know what to do, we know who to call upon for correction and guidance. I look forward to hearing his stories about his camping experiences and leadership application.

My grandmother told me that parents know their children, who is a leader and who needs to be lead. I feel confident that we are doing good job of preparing our child and appreciate the confirmation from his teacher, who nominated him to participate in this leadership academy. I am no longer apprehensive. Instead, I am excited as my son takes an initial step toward his journey of leadership and training for his good works. What childhood experience do you remember having an impact on your desire to do good works? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Employee-Owned Good Works

Well done, my good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful in handling this small amount,

so now I will give you many more responsibilities

(Matthew 25:23)

I get to tour some fascinating manufacturing operations in my travel. Last week, the intended purpose was to conduct voice of the customer and market research for a specific industrial sector. When the visits were over, I realized that I was blessed to experience a rare phenomenon in my career: I interviewed employees from two companies that were both American-Owned and 100% Employee-Owned.

 

The premise behind employee-owned businesses is that these companies tend to perform well financially as well as stand out as an employer-of-choice in their respective communities. According to The ESOP Association, ESOPs (employee stock option programs) exists primarily exist in small businesses. Because I come from a large, corporate background, I was surprised to learn that manufacturing firms represented 22%, construction 13%, and engineering 9% of the industry participants (http://www.esopassociation.org/explore/employee-ownership-news/resources-for-reporters).

I walked away for the interviews feeling the employees’ pride in their work, not simply because of their jobs, but because of ownership awareness of processes, costs, customers, and market conditions. There was a sense of commitment to the entrepreneur who originally had the vision for the business (ironically, both companies were started about forty years ago) that has transcended over time to employee-driven innovation of premium, high value products and services for their customers and markets. Another big takeaway for me was a genuine concern for safety (for employees and consumers/users of their products) and on the impact to the environment. This did not feel like a company sustainability message, but a true desire to do no harm. This pride manifested, as indicated above, in that both of these companies are predicting profitability and continued growth in spite of the uncertainty of the current economy. To learn more about the benefits of employee-owned business for growth and job creation, read http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=6816).

 As a newly formed small business, I had not considered employee-ownership as a segment of the business model. However, this is a noble way to reward the people for their efforts in these good works. We used to sing the more you give, the more He gives to you, just keep on giving, because it’s really true! What a wonderful example of sowing into the lives and families of those who support the vision…who by becoming stakeholders may take on more responsibilities for accomplishing these greater works.

 
Are you a small business owner who participates some form of employee-ownership or profit-sharing? If so, will you share your experiences of the impact to your business, the community, or your customers? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Stress-Free Good Works

In all things, show yourself to be an example of good works.

In your teaching, show integrity, dignity, and sincerity.

(Titus 2:7)

Every weekend in July has been committed to reunions of sorts. We have invitations to gather with family, classmates, community, and friends to celebrate. There was a time in our lives when we would limit such interactions, claiming that we were too busy or coming up with some excuse. However, now we are at a point in our lives where we recognize the importance of celebrating and making sure our son knows his village.

One of the things that I hear most from family and friends is how relaxed I appear. I will be the first to admit that since I left corporate America, I have a sense of peace and purpose that I did not experience in my former work. The pressure to live up to a standard model of success that was never meant for me took a toll on me physically. I laughed when I did a search for studies and articles to support this post and found titles such as “how women experience stress: what the research tells us about feeling anxious or sad,” “chronic stress linked to health problems for middle-aged women,” “stressful jobs could leave women unlucky in love,” and my favorite: “stress decreases attractiveness in women’s faces!" Really? So I am happy to tell my story of being graced to focus on my purposed work, which has allowed me to release stress and to start living my life like it’s golden! Ain’t it funny that the way you feel shows on your face…no reunion is complete without timeless EWF music. I dare you to listen to this song and hold on to stress or sadness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMH6MegYEY)

There are a lot of triggers of stress in the workplace. I started to exhibit signs of stress when I knew it was time to step into the work that I was purposed to do, although I was not committed to do the work. I was doing a job that had a lot of man-made and self-inflicted deadlines, except it had nothing to do with my destiny. When I accepted that all things work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, I realized that all of my experiences had prepared me to walk by faith and focus on my good works. Since then, I have a different kind of worry, save I have peace that the work is from the heart, sincere. More importantly, I found balance to relax and celebrate the good times.

Stress is a natural part of life. Sometimes, its purpose is to trigger a need for a change. Can you identify the stressors that you need to release in order to focus on your purposed work and your personal race? Remember, stress bears no remedy for the problems in your life, so while you’re running your race, keep a smiling face! If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.