October 8, 2025 • 29 mins
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Culture is the soil of your business—and the harvest you reap depends on how you tend it. We break down eight environments that turn good intentions into reliable results: collaborative, inclusive, innovative, supportive, growth-focused, learning-centered, accountable, and purpose-driven. Each one is grounded in Scripture, tested in real workplaces, and translated into steps you can implement without adding corporate fluff or complexity.
We start with collaboration that dissolves silos and honors diverse gifts, then move into inclusivity that reflects God’s impartial love and sparks better decisions. From there, we open space for innovation—creative work guided by prayer, ethical guardrails, and fast learning loops—before building a supportive culture that carries burdens, reduces burnout, and keeps talent thriving. We map a clear path for growth and learning with personal development plans, workshops, and peer teaching that make adaptability a daily habit, not a yearly retreat.
Accountability provides the backbone: clear roles, monthly feedback, and leaders who go first in humility. Finally, we anchor everything in purpose—linking every role to mission and impact so excellence becomes witness. Along the way, Harold shares a cautionary story of a toxic culture, practical tools like team huddles and cross-functional projects, and measurable outcomes like higher engagement, lower turnover, and stronger innovation. If you’re a Christian business owner, department head, or team lead, this is a field guide to building an environment where people grow, performance improves, and Christ’s light shines through everyday work.
If this helped you, share it with a leader who needs a fresh start, subscribe for new episodes, and leave a review with the one environment you’ll build first.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, Harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners and becomingeffective, efficient, and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, HaroldMilby.
SPEAKER_01 (00:17):
Thanks again, Kelly, and welcome everyone to this
week's Christian BusinessConcepts Podcast.
I'm so glad that you'vedownloaded this podcast and have
decided to join the CBC familytoday.
You know, you're a part of aworldwide listening audience
with people in over 20 countrieswho want to pursue true godly
(00:38):
success.
I just I'm asking if you wouldplease help us to continue to
grow the CBC family by sharingthis podcast with four or five
other people that you may feelthat it'll help, and by adding a
post on your Facebook andLinkedIn pages that you tell
people about the podcast and puta link there on how they can get
(00:59):
the podcast.
So, you know, it's my sinceresthope and my prayer today that
you are encouraged, enlightened,and empowered as you listen
today.
But before we get into today'stopic, I want to give a big
shout out to the country ofZambia, to the country of Zambia
and to the city of Cedar City,Utah.
(01:22):
So Cedar City, uh Cedar City isa new uh listening audience
there that have decided todownload some of our podcasts.
We appreciate you there in CedarCity, and we also appreciate
you, those of you that are inthe country of Zambia.
Welcome to the CBC family, andwe're so glad that you've
(01:42):
decided to be a part.
And uh we thank all of those ofyou who listen every week, who
are trying and striving to be uhbetter Christians, who are
trying to be Christian businessowners or trying to be um uh
Christian department heads orwhatever it may be, whatever
that career is in your life,you're trying to use biblical
(02:05):
principles to be better at whatyou do and to find that true
godly success.
And I thank you for that.
I'm excited.
Now, as uh Christian businessleaders, you know, it's
important, it's very importantto be in that right environment
uh that that fosters godlysuccess, you know, in business
(02:28):
and even in departments, youknow, there there are specific
environments that that wesometimes maybe call the culture
of the company or culture ofthat department.
And every every company uh hascreated these environments
either purposely orinvoluntarily.
Uh there are many types ofenvironments.
(02:48):
Some are good, some are not sogood, and some are even harmful.
I was once hired by a uh ownerof a small company as a VP of
sales and operations.
And that uh the owner told methat he wanted to step back from
the business and spend time onhis hobby, and it didn't take me
long to find out that thisperson had little to know about
(03:10):
true um leadership.
He didn't have uh very muchleadership skills at all, and
the company had a very horribleenvironment.
In fact, it was very toxic.
No one there ever smiled.
Uh the way that the ownertreated employees uh, you know,
was the reason for that, uh, notsurprising.
(03:33):
Uh and it was sad because thecompany had great potential.
But leading this, uh needless tosay, I didn't stay there long.
Uh that environment was notconducive to success.
It was not conducive to growtheither personally or uh as a
company.
You know, the environment ofthat company was not created
(03:53):
purposely, I don't think, butbut it was really just an
extension of the owner'spersonality.
And I felt really bad for theemployees as you could see the
lack of hope or encouragementthat they had.
So it's so important that thatwe create positive environments
that breed success.
Uh, and that we do that, it hasto be done purposely.
(04:16):
It doesn't just happen.
It doesn't just by accident justtake place, but you create those
environments that you want tohave, and you do that in a
purposeful manner.
And uh so anyway, I want toinclude a lot of those uh today
in today's podcast.
You know, it's it's like growinga garden.
You know, your harvest is goingto be greatly determined by the
(04:40):
condition of your soil.
So if you have really good soil,you're gonna have a good
harvest.
If you don't have good soil, ifit lacks the right nutrients, if
it doesn't have the right waterrunoff, if it doesn't absorb
water in the right way, if ithas too much clay in it.
There's all kinds of things insoil that can hinder your garden
(05:03):
from growing and producing agood harvest.
And it's the same way in anybusiness or department.
You've got to have those rightconditions, and you create that
by having these differentenvironments.
So I want to talk to you todayabout several environments that
you need to create within yourdepartment andor your business.
And so let's talk about thefirst one.
(05:23):
The first one is a collaborativeenvironment.
You know, a collaborativeenvironment encourages your team
members to work together towardsshared goals.
You know, you you leveragediverse skills and perspectives,
but but you have opencommunication and you've got
mutual respect and you've gotcollective problem solving.
(05:45):
You know, 1 Corinthians 12 uhand verses 12 through 27 in the
NIV, it just says, just as abody, though one has many parts,
so it is with Christ.
If one part suffers, every partsuffers with it.
If one part is honored, everypart rejoices with it.
And this just illustrates theunity and the interdependence uh
(06:07):
of God's people.
It's like a body workingtogether, you know, all the
different parts of your body.
You know, Ephesians chapter 4,verse 3 says, make every effort
to keep the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace.
It again, it just emphasizesthis collaboration uh for God's
purposes.
And and collaboration reflectsGod's design uh for a lot of
(06:31):
diverse gifts.
You know, you can you can readabout that Romans chapter 12.
It it fosters synergy and itreduces what I call silos.
That's not a term I've come upwith, but it's a common term uh
because a lot of times inbusinesses things get stuck in
silos, and you have all thesemultiple silos, and nobody's
(06:51):
communicating with each other.
They're just communicatingwithin their silo.
And uh so what we want to do isreduce silos and eliminate them
if at all possible.
And uh it also helps us to serveuh or or to align with that
servant leadership uh that Godcalls us to.
Uh, you know, in Philippianschapter two, verses three and
(07:12):
four, it says, in humility,value others above yourself.
And in business, uh, you know,this collaboration, it drives
efficiency.
It drives innovation.
You know, a lot like Apple, youknow, a lot like Apple products,
you know, that their company,it's a very uh uh efficient
(07:32):
business, but it's driven byinnovation, which is driven by
collaboration.
They're really strong oncollaboration.
So what are some practical stepsthat you can take to create it?
Well, first of all, you need tofoster that open communication.
We've talked about that.
Open communication.
Um, uh you can do that by usingtools like Microsoft Teams.
(07:56):
You can hold weekly meetings orhuddles, or you can share ideas.
Uh, the next thing you can do isorganize team building.
So have uh, you know, uh somespecial times together with your
employees where you just kind ofdevelop team building skills,
um, maybe some service projects,maybe some community projects
that you can do together.
(08:18):
And then create some kind ofcross-functional projects, you
know, assign tasks uh thatrequire input from different
departments, and then make sureyou find a way to reward
teamwork.
And uh and then make sure thatyou model humility, you know,
admit your mistakes, seek input.
Uh, and uh, you know, that againgoes back to 1 Corinthians
(08:41):
chapter 12 when we look at theanalogy, analogy of the body.
So collaboration boostsproductivity in most cases by 20
to 30 percent.
So there's a reason for doing itjust right there.
Uh, and that's according to manybusiness studies.
Uh, it reduces turnover, itcreates a great testimony of
Christian unity uh andspirituality, and it just
(09:03):
fosters this workplace whereemployees feel valued.
Uh, so that's important.
So the next environment is aninclusive environment.
An inclusive environment ensuresthat every individual,
regardless of what theirbackground is, what their gender
is, ethnicity is, or ability,they feel valued, they feel
(09:23):
respected and empowered to be acontributor, uh, to be fully
active.
And what we're trying to do hereis remove the barriers.
And we want to celebratediversity.
I want to celebrate differentpeople.
You know, it's easy to hirepeople that are like you.
We get a little uncomfortablewhen we begin to hire people
(09:44):
that are not like us, but canyou imagine a company filled
with people just like yourself?
Uh, I think you're gonna getstuck.
I think you're not gonna be asinnovative, and I don't think
you'll be as efficient, and Ithink that you will limit your
success.
So you want diversity.
You want diversity within yourcompany, diversity in education,
diversity in experiences and ageand and genders.
(10:07):
Uh, you want to have thisdiversity uh and you want to
have this inclusivity uh becausethat really reflects God's
impartial love.
Because God says in Acts chapter10, verses 34, 35, he says God
does not show favoritism.
Uh it, you know, it just kind ofcreates division, and what we
(10:27):
want to do is have justice andequity.
You know, in business, uhdiverse perspectives, that's
what drives innovation.
Everybody brings to bear theirexperiences and their
background.
And uh so that's what we do needto create, this inclusive
environment.
So, how do we do that?
Well, you need to have trainingwith people, you need to have
(10:50):
some workshops and try toexplain why you need different
types of backgrounds ineducation and those types of
things.
Um, you know, you need toimplement some inclusive
policies, you know, make surethat your HR department
understands what you're lookingfor, what you need, that they
they don't need to try to findanother you, um, you know, and
(11:12):
uh you want to make sure thatyou've got a lot of flexible
work options because you want toattract a lot of different
people, right?
Uh and then make sure youcelebrate, celebrate diversity,
you know, celebrate thatdiversity.
Um, and then make sure that you,you know, maybe mentor
underrepresented groups, youknow.
You you just want to modelChrist's inclusivity by
(11:34):
investing in a lot of diversetalent.
You know, inclusivity, it reallyincreases engagement by up to
50%.
It enhances creativity, it leadsto better decisions, and
spiritually, it demonstratesGod's love, fulfilling that
great commission.
All right, let's move on to thenext environment.
So the next environment is aninnovative environment, and you
(11:57):
want to have an innovativeenvironment and encourage
creativity, you know, uh uh, andespecially experimentation.
That's that's a great thing.
You know, you want to be forwardthinking where ideas are freely
shared and failure is a learningopportunity.
It's not a it's not a negativething.
You want to learn from thosefailures, but there's nothing
(12:19):
wrong with failure.
And uh so you you want theseideas there, and you want it you
want people to feel free toshare those ideas and try those
experiments and try things out.
You know, Genesis 1 and 1 says,in the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth.
You know, God has a creativenature, very, very creative
(12:40):
nature.
And so innovation, it justreally honors God's creativity.
I mean, it drives progress,obviously, to solve problems.
Uh you can see that in Proverbs2 and 6.
So, what are some practicalsteps that we need to take to
encourage and to have that typeof environment?
Well, you can encourage ideasharing.
(13:01):
I think that you you set upinnovative type uh
opportunities, do somebrainstorming sessions.
I think that's important.
Uh, you can pray for wisdom.
I think that's another greatthing.
It's very important to do.
So you and you want to rewardrisk taking.
You don't want to shut peopledown who take risks.
You want to reward that becauseyou celebrate those attempts,
(13:23):
even if it's it ends infailures, because they're
learning steps, right?
So provide some resources,allocate some uh uh allocate
some time and some tools.
You know, maybe you can you canlook at like um auto have an
AutoCAD, providing AutoCAD forcertain areas, and there's all
kinds of software out there thatyou can try and that will help
(13:45):
you.
And uh and and uh you know,foster curiosity, you know,
offer training.
Uh I would really encourage youto offer training in creative
thinking.
Uh and of course that's tied toProverbs chapter 9, verse 10.
Uh, but you can do that.
I I would definitely say that'suh like a number one thing you
(14:06):
can do is offer some creativethinking training.
And uh how to integrate faith,you know, start innovation, uh,
you know, initiatives withprayer, and you want to have
good ethical creativity, and letGod give you that.
I'm not the most creative personin the world, but I pray for
creativity on a regular basisbecause I know I don't have that
(14:28):
creativity.
And I gotta tell you something,God answers those prayers.
There's many times that I needto be creative, and God will
make a way and give me the ideasthat I need to have.
So that's important.
So let's look at the fourthenvironment.
The fourth environment is asupportive environment.
You know, a supportiveenvironment provides emotional,
(14:49):
practical, and even spiritualencouragement.
And that really ensures thatyour team members feel like
they're cared for, that theyfeel empowered to overcome
challenges.
Uh, you know, Galatians 6 and 2says, carry each other's
burdens, and in this way youwill fulfill the law of Christ.
Uh 1 Thessalonians 5 and 11says, therefore, encourage one
(15:11):
another and build up each other.
And again, that just kind ofemphasizes a lot of mutual
support.
So, so support reflects thisChrist compassion uh that he was
always a great example of.
And it builds resilience, uh, ithelps to counter burnout.
So in business, it reallyfosters a lot of loyalty, and uh
(15:35):
it really, you know, createsthis culture uh within the
company that you're verysupportive.
So, what can you do?
Well, you know, you can offer amentorship, you can put
employees together to try tohelp them mentor other employees
and give them guidance.
Um, you can provide likewellness resources, you can
(15:56):
implement some counseling orflexible policies, uh, encourage
open dialogue, you know, andcreate safe spaces for sharing.
Uh, that's important.
Uh, and recognize people'sefforts, you know, use
affirmations and lead withempathy, share testimonies of
God's support to inspire faith.
(16:17):
And this support, it reallyreduces absenteeism, according
to a lot of studies, even by upto 30%.
And it really fosters this greatcaring community, and uh you get
the opportunity to witnessChrist's love.
And uh I think it's it's prettypretty powerful.
Uh so the next uh growthenvironment is a uh or next
(16:41):
environment is a growthenvironment.
You know, a growth environmentprioritizes personal and
professional development.
Uh it really encourages peopleto have some type of a
continuous improvement programfor their skills, their
character, and even their faithso that they can achieve God's
(17:03):
purpose in their life.
You know, Philippians 3, 12through 14 says, not that I've
already obtained all of this,but I press on to take hold of
that for which Christ Jesus tookhold of me, straining toward
what is ahead.
So Paul's pursuit reallyreflected growth towards
maturity.
He said, I haven't got thereyet, but I'm striving for it.
(17:24):
So he saw the need for growth.
You know, Luke 14 in uh verses28 through 30 uh is the analogy
that Jesus gave of counting thecost for building a tower
because it emphasizes emphasizesthis preparation, this
preparation for growth.
Um, you know, a growthenvironment really aligns with
(17:47):
God's call to mature, to maturein Christ, mature as a person.
And uh so in business, it reallydrives performance uh and it
fuels growth.
And spiritually, it reallyreflects sowing for spiritual
maturity, according to James 1and 4.
So, how can we do that?
(18:07):
How can we establish this growthenvironment?
Well, first you got to set somegrowth goals.
So you need to encourageemployees to set personal and
professional goals, you know, uhthat are tied really uh to
Colossians 1 and 10, forexample, bearing fruit in every
good work, it says.
So we we want to encourage themto set some goals, but then you
(18:30):
want to provide some help.
So you want to provide someworkshops, maybe some
certifications, uh, qualityassurance training programs,
leadership programs.
Um, and so you want to providethis kind of training for your
for your employees.
And then you want to celebratethe progress, you know,
recognize those milestones thatthey have and have some rewards.
(18:53):
Um, you know, I think that'simportant.
And and and do everything thatyou can to help these employees
develop a personal growth plan,one that affects them
personally, but then alsoprofessionally.
And I think you can help them dothat.
So I think that's importantbecause growth environments
increase productivity by 25%,according to studies.
(19:15):
And it and it fosters a lot ofspiritual maturity too.
It aligns teams with God'spurpose, uh, which is growth.
Again, growth is so important.
Uh, and then here's anotherenvironment which I think is it
kind of couples with this uh onethat we just talked about, uh,
and that is a learningenvironment.
A learning environment reallypromotes continuous education,
(19:39):
curiosity, and skilldevelopment, and encourages
employees to seek knowledge andwisdom in their own uh work and
even in their faith.
You know, 2 Timothy 3, 16through 17 says, all scripture
is God breathed and is usefulfor teaching, so that the
servant of God may be thoroughlyequipped for every good work.
(20:00):
So this really emphasizeslearning for being equipped, you
know, being prepared.
Um, you know, Proverbs 2.6 says,For the Lord gives wisdom, from
his mouth comes knowledge andunderstanding.
So learning really reflects thepursuit of God's wisdom and it
equips people for service.
(20:21):
You know, in business, it reallydrives a lot of uh adaptability.
Um, you know, so you want tohave this environment, this
great environment of learning.
You know, you want to you wantpeople to learn.
And and learning takes a lot offorms.
You don't have to have, youknow, send somebody to college
(20:41):
to learn.
Nothing wrong with going tocollege, but there's a lot of
other opportunities.
There's things online, there'spodcasts, there's there's uh uh
uh training programs that youcan enroll in that are day-long
training sessions or two orthree-day seminars.
There's all kinds of ways, butyou want to have a learning
(21:02):
environment, and that'ssomething that you create again
purposely.
So you have to figure out a waywhat is going to be the way that
you help your employees learn.
It's very important because itboosts a lot of innovation uh as
people learn new things and theyapply them.
So that's important.
All right, another environmentis an accountable environment.
(21:25):
An accountable environmentensures really clear
expectations.
Um, you know, I think a lot ofhonest feedback, a lot of mutual
responsibility.
Uh it encourages integrity.
I think that's important.
You know, Proverbs 27, 17 says,as iron sharpens iron, so one
(21:46):
part person sharpens another.
And that kind of highlightsmutual accountability.
Uh you know, Galatians 6.1 says,if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spiritshould restore that person
gently.
So there's not only this mutualaccountability, but there's this
loving accountability too.
Because accountability uhfosters this idea of integrity.
(22:10):
Uh, you know, uh in Hebrewschapter 10, it talks a lot about
trying to urge uh people to helpuh one another, to encourage one
another towards good deeds.
And in business, it really helpsus to ensure alignment with our
goals.
So that's important.
So what can we do?
What are some practical steps?
(22:32):
Well, first set clear, veryclear expectations.
So you got to define the rolesand the goals.
I think it's important that inevery management position and in
mostly every position in yourcompany, you should have a job
description, a job description.
Because what happens a lot oftimes is employees don't really
(22:52):
know what's expected of them,and then all of a sudden they
get called in on the carpet forsomething they really didn't
even know was theirresponsibility, and so they
leave feeling very discouraged.
So you want to be able to havethese job descriptions so that
employees know exactly what'sexpected of them.
They even know when they'redoing a good job because they
can compare it to what theyunderstand from the job
(23:14):
description.
So I think that's reallyimportant.
I think that's really important.
So give very clear expectations,provide regular feedback.
Uh, I would say at leastmonthly.
You ought to review, sit down,and have some guidance and some
performance uh uh advice forthem to help them.
(23:36):
Uh and you need to have some uhyou know some peer-to-peer
accountability.
So you want to encourage teamcheck-ins, you know, again, like
that that verse we read, likeiron sharpens iron.
I think that's um important.
And uh I think you you again youmodel integrity.
Make sure you admit mistakes,seek forgiveness, you know.
(23:58):
I I think that's important.
I think that's important, andpeople see that that is really
uh the opportunity to helpcreate uh this accountable
environment.
You know, if you're if you'regonna be successful in business
or even in a department or anorganization, you have to have
this absolute um uh environmentof accountability.
(24:22):
So what's the next one?
Well, this next one uh is isreally uh I think important.
It it's a purpose-drivenenvironment.
You know, Steve Jobs said, be ayardstick of quality.
Some people aren't used to anenvironment where excellence is
expected.
So we need to have this purpose,you know, a purpose-driven
(24:44):
environment because that alignsour work with our mission.
Uh, it really inspires employeesto see their roles as part of,
you know, not just the overallvision of the company, but even
as God's kingdom work, you know,because you you're trying to
help foster meaning anddirection.
You know, you want to have apurpose-driven environment.
(25:06):
You know, Matthew 5 and 16 says,let your light shine before
others that they may see yourgood deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven.
So this is emphasizing purpose.
In this case, purpose andglorifying God.
You know, Ephesians chapter 2says, we are God's handiwork,
created in Christ to do goodworks, which God has prepared in
(25:29):
advance for us to do them.
I think it's really important tocreate these environments.
A purpose-driven environmentconnects work to our mission, it
helps us to stand againstaimlessness.
I mean, that's the worst thing abusiness can have is just no aim
at anything.
Uh, it drives motivation and uhI just think it fosters
(25:53):
maturity.
Uh so what can we do?
How can we create that?
Well, you know, what you want todo is you want to define your
mission.
You want to define the visionand the mission of your company
or organization.
You need to have a very goodmission statement.
Um you need to make sure youconnect every role to the
(26:13):
purpose that you haveestablished.
Um, you can share a lot ofexamples, a lot of testimonies
to highlight how work impactslives and how it inspires
purpose.
Uh, I think those are those aregreat.
And you need to celebrate theimpact uh that the organization
uh has because of its purpose,you know, and recognize those
(26:36):
contributions that advance themission, advance the vision.
I think that's important too.
So purpose-driven environmentsincrease engagement, according
to studies, by 40%, and itreally inspires employees to
live out their faith, uh,impacting the marketplace for
Christ, which is what we'retalking about.
(26:56):
You know, creating thesecollaborative, these inclusive,
innovative, supportive growth,learning, accountable and
purpose-driven environments,it's really a calling uh for
Christian business leaders toreflect God's kingdom.
These environments, I think,prepare our organizations for
(27:17):
leadership and and to reallyseek accountability from other
believers.
And uh, you know, I just praythat that your workplace can be
a place of light where it drawsothers, you know, to Christ.
Lord, we thank you today for theability and the responsibility,
Lord, to create the properenvironment in our lives, in our
(27:41):
careers that will help us findyour success.
Lord, we pray right now that yougive us the courage, the desire,
and the focus to apply theseprinciples and create those
proper environments.
Lord, let us see theirimportance to not only our
lives, but to the lives of thosewe affect.
(28:01):
In the name of Jesus, Lord, wethank you for it.
Praise you for it, Lord.
Amen and amen.
Well, thanks again fordownloading this week's uh
Christian Business ConceptsPodcast.
We're so thankful that you're apart uh of CBC.
Continue to pray for CBC andcontinue to pray for the impact
(28:22):
that we can have on Christianbusiness and Christian business
leaders.
Well, that's all the time wehave for for this week.
So until next time, rememberJesus is Lord and He wants you
blessed.
SPEAKER_00 (28:39):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts Podcast.
Go to Christian BusinessConcepts.com for more
information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, Harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners and becomingeffective, efficient, and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, HaroldMilby.
SPEAKER_01 (00:17):
Thanks again, Kelly, and welcome everyone to this
week's Christian BusinessConcepts Podcast.
I'm so glad that you'vedownloaded this podcast and have
decided to join the CBC familytoday.
You know, you're a part of aworldwide listening audience
with people in over 20 countrieswho want to pursue true godly
(00:38):
success.
I just I'm asking if you wouldplease help us to continue to
grow the CBC family by sharingthis podcast with four or five
other people that you may feelthat it'll help, and by adding a
post on your Facebook andLinkedIn pages that you tell
people about the podcast and puta link there on how they can get
(00:59):
the podcast.
So, you know, it's my sinceresthope and my prayer today that
you are encouraged, enlightened,and empowered as you listen
today.
But before we get into today'stopic, I want to give a big
shout out to the country ofZambia, to the country of Zambia
and to the city of Cedar City,Utah.
(01:22):
So Cedar City, uh Cedar City isa new uh listening audience
there that have decided todownload some of our podcasts.
We appreciate you there in CedarCity, and we also appreciate
you, those of you that are inthe country of Zambia.
Welcome to the CBC family, andwe're so glad that you've
(01:42):
decided to be a part.
And uh we thank all of those ofyou who listen every week, who
are trying and striving to be uhbetter Christians, who are
trying to be Christian businessowners or trying to be um uh
Christian department heads orwhatever it may be, whatever
that career is in your life,you're trying to use biblical
(02:05):
principles to be better at whatyou do and to find that true
godly success.
And I thank you for that.
I'm excited.
Now, as uh Christian businessleaders, you know, it's
important, it's very importantto be in that right environment
uh that that fosters godlysuccess, you know, in business
(02:28):
and even in departments, youknow, there there are specific
environments that that wesometimes maybe call the culture
of the company or culture ofthat department.
And every every company uh hascreated these environments
either purposely orinvoluntarily.
Uh there are many types ofenvironments.
(02:48):
Some are good, some are not sogood, and some are even harmful.
I was once hired by a uh ownerof a small company as a VP of
sales and operations.
And that uh the owner told methat he wanted to step back from
the business and spend time onhis hobby, and it didn't take me
long to find out that thisperson had little to know about
(03:10):
true um leadership.
He didn't have uh very muchleadership skills at all, and
the company had a very horribleenvironment.
In fact, it was very toxic.
No one there ever smiled.
Uh the way that the ownertreated employees uh, you know,
was the reason for that, uh, notsurprising.
(03:33):
Uh and it was sad because thecompany had great potential.
But leading this, uh needless tosay, I didn't stay there long.
Uh that environment was notconducive to success.
It was not conducive to growtheither personally or uh as a
company.
You know, the environment ofthat company was not created
(03:53):
purposely, I don't think, butbut it was really just an
extension of the owner'spersonality.
And I felt really bad for theemployees as you could see the
lack of hope or encouragementthat they had.
So it's so important that thatwe create positive environments
that breed success.
Uh, and that we do that, it hasto be done purposely.
(04:16):
It doesn't just happen.
It doesn't just by accident justtake place, but you create those
environments that you want tohave, and you do that in a
purposeful manner.
And uh so anyway, I want toinclude a lot of those uh today
in today's podcast.
You know, it's it's like growinga garden.
You know, your harvest is goingto be greatly determined by the
(04:40):
condition of your soil.
So if you have really good soil,you're gonna have a good
harvest.
If you don't have good soil, ifit lacks the right nutrients, if
it doesn't have the right waterrunoff, if it doesn't absorb
water in the right way, if ithas too much clay in it.
There's all kinds of things insoil that can hinder your garden
(05:03):
from growing and producing agood harvest.
And it's the same way in anybusiness or department.
You've got to have those rightconditions, and you create that
by having these differentenvironments.
So I want to talk to you todayabout several environments that
you need to create within yourdepartment andor your business.
And so let's talk about thefirst one.
(05:23):
The first one is a collaborativeenvironment.
You know, a collaborativeenvironment encourages your team
members to work together towardsshared goals.
You know, you you leveragediverse skills and perspectives,
but but you have opencommunication and you've got
mutual respect and you've gotcollective problem solving.
(05:45):
You know, 1 Corinthians 12 uhand verses 12 through 27 in the
NIV, it just says, just as abody, though one has many parts,
so it is with Christ.
If one part suffers, every partsuffers with it.
If one part is honored, everypart rejoices with it.
And this just illustrates theunity and the interdependence uh
(06:07):
of God's people.
It's like a body workingtogether, you know, all the
different parts of your body.
You know, Ephesians chapter 4,verse 3 says, make every effort
to keep the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace.
It again, it just emphasizesthis collaboration uh for God's
purposes.
And and collaboration reflectsGod's design uh for a lot of
(06:31):
diverse gifts.
You know, you can you can readabout that Romans chapter 12.
It it fosters synergy and itreduces what I call silos.
That's not a term I've come upwith, but it's a common term uh
because a lot of times inbusinesses things get stuck in
silos, and you have all thesemultiple silos, and nobody's
(06:51):
communicating with each other.
They're just communicatingwithin their silo.
And uh so what we want to do isreduce silos and eliminate them
if at all possible.
And uh it also helps us to serveuh or or to align with that
servant leadership uh that Godcalls us to.
Uh, you know, in Philippianschapter two, verses three and
(07:12):
four, it says, in humility,value others above yourself.
And in business, uh, you know,this collaboration, it drives
efficiency.
It drives innovation.
You know, a lot like Apple, youknow, a lot like Apple products,
you know, that their company,it's a very uh uh efficient
(07:32):
business, but it's driven byinnovation, which is driven by
collaboration.
They're really strong oncollaboration.
So what are some practical stepsthat you can take to create it?
Well, first of all, you need tofoster that open communication.
We've talked about that.
Open communication.
Um, uh you can do that by usingtools like Microsoft Teams.
(07:56):
You can hold weekly meetings orhuddles, or you can share ideas.
Uh, the next thing you can do isorganize team building.
So have uh, you know, uh somespecial times together with your
employees where you just kind ofdevelop team building skills,
um, maybe some service projects,maybe some community projects
that you can do together.
(08:18):
And then create some kind ofcross-functional projects, you
know, assign tasks uh thatrequire input from different
departments, and then make sureyou find a way to reward
teamwork.
And uh and then make sure thatyou model humility, you know,
admit your mistakes, seek input.
Uh, and uh, you know, that againgoes back to 1 Corinthians
(08:41):
chapter 12 when we look at theanalogy, analogy of the body.
So collaboration boostsproductivity in most cases by 20
to 30 percent.
So there's a reason for doing itjust right there.
Uh, and that's according to manybusiness studies.
Uh, it reduces turnover, itcreates a great testimony of
Christian unity uh andspirituality, and it just
(09:03):
fosters this workplace whereemployees feel valued.
Uh, so that's important.
So the next environment is aninclusive environment.
An inclusive environment ensuresthat every individual,
regardless of what theirbackground is, what their gender
is, ethnicity is, or ability,they feel valued, they feel
(09:23):
respected and empowered to be acontributor, uh, to be fully
active.
And what we're trying to do hereis remove the barriers.
And we want to celebratediversity.
I want to celebrate differentpeople.
You know, it's easy to hirepeople that are like you.
We get a little uncomfortablewhen we begin to hire people
(09:44):
that are not like us, but canyou imagine a company filled
with people just like yourself?
Uh, I think you're gonna getstuck.
I think you're not gonna be asinnovative, and I don't think
you'll be as efficient, and Ithink that you will limit your
success.
So you want diversity.
You want diversity within yourcompany, diversity in education,
diversity in experiences and ageand and genders.
(10:07):
Uh, you want to have thisdiversity uh and you want to
have this inclusivity uh becausethat really reflects God's
impartial love.
Because God says in Acts chapter10, verses 34, 35, he says God
does not show favoritism.
Uh it, you know, it just kind ofcreates division, and what we
(10:27):
want to do is have justice andequity.
You know, in business, uhdiverse perspectives, that's
what drives innovation.
Everybody brings to bear theirexperiences and their
background.
And uh so that's what we do needto create, this inclusive
environment.
So, how do we do that?
Well, you need to have trainingwith people, you need to have
(10:50):
some workshops and try toexplain why you need different
types of backgrounds ineducation and those types of
things.
Um, you know, you need toimplement some inclusive
policies, you know, make surethat your HR department
understands what you're lookingfor, what you need, that they
they don't need to try to findanother you, um, you know, and
(11:12):
uh you want to make sure thatyou've got a lot of flexible
work options because you want toattract a lot of different
people, right?
Uh and then make sure youcelebrate, celebrate diversity,
you know, celebrate thatdiversity.
Um, and then make sure that you,you know, maybe mentor
underrepresented groups, youknow.
You you just want to modelChrist's inclusivity by
(11:34):
investing in a lot of diversetalent.
You know, inclusivity, it reallyincreases engagement by up to
50%.
It enhances creativity, it leadsto better decisions, and
spiritually, it demonstratesGod's love, fulfilling that
great commission.
All right, let's move on to thenext environment.
So the next environment is aninnovative environment, and you
(11:57):
want to have an innovativeenvironment and encourage
creativity, you know, uh uh, andespecially experimentation.
That's that's a great thing.
You know, you want to be forwardthinking where ideas are freely
shared and failure is a learningopportunity.
It's not a it's not a negativething.
You want to learn from thosefailures, but there's nothing
(12:19):
wrong with failure.
And uh so you you want theseideas there, and you want it you
want people to feel free toshare those ideas and try those
experiments and try things out.
You know, Genesis 1 and 1 says,in the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth.
You know, God has a creativenature, very, very creative
(12:40):
nature.
And so innovation, it justreally honors God's creativity.
I mean, it drives progress,obviously, to solve problems.
Uh you can see that in Proverbs2 and 6.
So, what are some practicalsteps that we need to take to
encourage and to have that typeof environment?
Well, you can encourage ideasharing.
(13:01):
I think that you you set upinnovative type uh
opportunities, do somebrainstorming sessions.
I think that's important.
Uh, you can pray for wisdom.
I think that's another greatthing.
It's very important to do.
So you and you want to rewardrisk taking.
You don't want to shut peopledown who take risks.
You want to reward that becauseyou celebrate those attempts,
(13:23):
even if it's it ends infailures, because they're
learning steps, right?
So provide some resources,allocate some uh uh allocate
some time and some tools.
You know, maybe you can you canlook at like um auto have an
AutoCAD, providing AutoCAD forcertain areas, and there's all
kinds of software out there thatyou can try and that will help
(13:45):
you.
And uh and and uh you know,foster curiosity, you know,
offer training.
Uh I would really encourage youto offer training in creative
thinking.
Uh and of course that's tied toProverbs chapter 9, verse 10.
Uh, but you can do that.
I I would definitely say that'suh like a number one thing you
(14:06):
can do is offer some creativethinking training.
And uh how to integrate faith,you know, start innovation, uh,
you know, initiatives withprayer, and you want to have
good ethical creativity, and letGod give you that.
I'm not the most creative personin the world, but I pray for
creativity on a regular basisbecause I know I don't have that
(14:28):
creativity.
And I gotta tell you something,God answers those prayers.
There's many times that I needto be creative, and God will
make a way and give me the ideasthat I need to have.
So that's important.
So let's look at the fourthenvironment.
The fourth environment is asupportive environment.
You know, a supportiveenvironment provides emotional,
(14:49):
practical, and even spiritualencouragement.
And that really ensures thatyour team members feel like
they're cared for, that theyfeel empowered to overcome
challenges.
Uh, you know, Galatians 6 and 2says, carry each other's
burdens, and in this way youwill fulfill the law of Christ.
Uh 1 Thessalonians 5 and 11says, therefore, encourage one
(15:11):
another and build up each other.
And again, that just kind ofemphasizes a lot of mutual
support.
So, so support reflects thisChrist compassion uh that he was
always a great example of.
And it builds resilience, uh, ithelps to counter burnout.
So in business, it reallyfosters a lot of loyalty, and uh
(15:35):
it really, you know, createsthis culture uh within the
company that you're verysupportive.
So, what can you do?
Well, you know, you can offer amentorship, you can put
employees together to try tohelp them mentor other employees
and give them guidance.
Um, you can provide likewellness resources, you can
(15:56):
implement some counseling orflexible policies, uh, encourage
open dialogue, you know, andcreate safe spaces for sharing.
Uh, that's important.
Uh, and recognize people'sefforts, you know, use
affirmations and lead withempathy, share testimonies of
God's support to inspire faith.
(16:17):
And this support, it reallyreduces absenteeism, according
to a lot of studies, even by upto 30%.
And it really fosters this greatcaring community, and uh you get
the opportunity to witnessChrist's love.
And uh I think it's it's prettypretty powerful.
Uh so the next uh growthenvironment is a uh or next
(16:41):
environment is a growthenvironment.
You know, a growth environmentprioritizes personal and
professional development.
Uh it really encourages peopleto have some type of a
continuous improvement programfor their skills, their
character, and even their faithso that they can achieve God's
(17:03):
purpose in their life.
You know, Philippians 3, 12through 14 says, not that I've
already obtained all of this,but I press on to take hold of
that for which Christ Jesus tookhold of me, straining toward
what is ahead.
So Paul's pursuit reallyreflected growth towards
maturity.
He said, I haven't got thereyet, but I'm striving for it.
(17:24):
So he saw the need for growth.
You know, Luke 14 in uh verses28 through 30 uh is the analogy
that Jesus gave of counting thecost for building a tower
because it emphasizes emphasizesthis preparation, this
preparation for growth.
Um, you know, a growthenvironment really aligns with
(17:47):
God's call to mature, to maturein Christ, mature as a person.
And uh so in business, it reallydrives performance uh and it
fuels growth.
And spiritually, it reallyreflects sowing for spiritual
maturity, according to James 1and 4.
So, how can we do that?
(18:07):
How can we establish this growthenvironment?
Well, first you got to set somegrowth goals.
So you need to encourageemployees to set personal and
professional goals, you know, uhthat are tied really uh to
Colossians 1 and 10, forexample, bearing fruit in every
good work, it says.
So we we want to encourage themto set some goals, but then you
(18:30):
want to provide some help.
So you want to provide someworkshops, maybe some
certifications, uh, qualityassurance training programs,
leadership programs.
Um, and so you want to providethis kind of training for your
for your employees.
And then you want to celebratethe progress, you know,
recognize those milestones thatthey have and have some rewards.
(18:53):
Um, you know, I think that'simportant.
And and and do everything thatyou can to help these employees
develop a personal growth plan,one that affects them
personally, but then alsoprofessionally.
And I think you can help them dothat.
So I think that's importantbecause growth environments
increase productivity by 25%,according to studies.
(19:15):
And it and it fosters a lot ofspiritual maturity too.
It aligns teams with God'spurpose, uh, which is growth.
Again, growth is so important.
Uh, and then here's anotherenvironment which I think is it
kind of couples with this uh onethat we just talked about, uh,
and that is a learningenvironment.
A learning environment reallypromotes continuous education,
(19:39):
curiosity, and skilldevelopment, and encourages
employees to seek knowledge andwisdom in their own uh work and
even in their faith.
You know, 2 Timothy 3, 16through 17 says, all scripture
is God breathed and is usefulfor teaching, so that the
servant of God may be thoroughlyequipped for every good work.
(20:00):
So this really emphasizeslearning for being equipped, you
know, being prepared.
Um, you know, Proverbs 2.6 says,For the Lord gives wisdom, from
his mouth comes knowledge andunderstanding.
So learning really reflects thepursuit of God's wisdom and it
equips people for service.
(20:21):
You know, in business, it reallydrives a lot of uh adaptability.
Um, you know, so you want tohave this environment, this
great environment of learning.
You know, you want to you wantpeople to learn.
And and learning takes a lot offorms.
You don't have to have, youknow, send somebody to college
(20:41):
to learn.
Nothing wrong with going tocollege, but there's a lot of
other opportunities.
There's things online, there'spodcasts, there's there's uh uh
uh training programs that youcan enroll in that are day-long
training sessions or two orthree-day seminars.
There's all kinds of ways, butyou want to have a learning
(21:02):
environment, and that'ssomething that you create again
purposely.
So you have to figure out a waywhat is going to be the way that
you help your employees learn.
It's very important because itboosts a lot of innovation uh as
people learn new things and theyapply them.
So that's important.
All right, another environmentis an accountable environment.
(21:25):
An accountable environmentensures really clear
expectations.
Um, you know, I think a lot ofhonest feedback, a lot of mutual
responsibility.
Uh it encourages integrity.
I think that's important.
You know, Proverbs 27, 17 says,as iron sharpens iron, so one
(21:46):
part person sharpens another.
And that kind of highlightsmutual accountability.
Uh you know, Galatians 6.1 says,if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spiritshould restore that person
gently.
So there's not only this mutualaccountability, but there's this
loving accountability too.
Because accountability uhfosters this idea of integrity.
(22:10):
Uh, you know, uh in Hebrewschapter 10, it talks a lot about
trying to urge uh people to helpuh one another, to encourage one
another towards good deeds.
And in business, it really helpsus to ensure alignment with our
goals.
So that's important.
So what can we do?
What are some practical steps?
(22:32):
Well, first set clear, veryclear expectations.
So you got to define the rolesand the goals.
I think it's important that inevery management position and in
mostly every position in yourcompany, you should have a job
description, a job description.
Because what happens a lot oftimes is employees don't really
(22:52):
know what's expected of them,and then all of a sudden they
get called in on the carpet forsomething they really didn't
even know was theirresponsibility, and so they
leave feeling very discouraged.
So you want to be able to havethese job descriptions so that
employees know exactly what'sexpected of them.
They even know when they'redoing a good job because they
can compare it to what theyunderstand from the job
(23:14):
description.
So I think that's reallyimportant.
I think that's really important.
So give very clear expectations,provide regular feedback.
Uh, I would say at leastmonthly.
You ought to review, sit down,and have some guidance and some
performance uh uh advice forthem to help them.
(23:36):
Uh and you need to have some uhyou know some peer-to-peer
accountability.
So you want to encourage teamcheck-ins, you know, again, like
that that verse we read, likeiron sharpens iron.
I think that's um important.
And uh I think you you again youmodel integrity.
Make sure you admit mistakes,seek forgiveness, you know.
(23:58):
I I think that's important.
I think that's important, andpeople see that that is really
uh the opportunity to helpcreate uh this accountable
environment.
You know, if you're if you'regonna be successful in business
or even in a department or anorganization, you have to have
this absolute um uh environmentof accountability.
(24:22):
So what's the next one?
Well, this next one uh is isreally uh I think important.
It it's a purpose-drivenenvironment.
You know, Steve Jobs said, be ayardstick of quality.
Some people aren't used to anenvironment where excellence is
expected.
So we need to have this purpose,you know, a purpose-driven
(24:44):
environment because that alignsour work with our mission.
Uh, it really inspires employeesto see their roles as part of,
you know, not just the overallvision of the company, but even
as God's kingdom work, you know,because you you're trying to
help foster meaning anddirection.
You know, you want to have apurpose-driven environment.
(25:06):
You know, Matthew 5 and 16 says,let your light shine before
others that they may see yourgood deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven.
So this is emphasizing purpose.
In this case, purpose andglorifying God.
You know, Ephesians chapter 2says, we are God's handiwork,
created in Christ to do goodworks, which God has prepared in
(25:29):
advance for us to do them.
I think it's really important tocreate these environments.
A purpose-driven environmentconnects work to our mission, it
helps us to stand againstaimlessness.
I mean, that's the worst thing abusiness can have is just no aim
at anything.
Uh, it drives motivation and uhI just think it fosters
(25:53):
maturity.
Uh so what can we do?
How can we create that?
Well, you know, what you want todo is you want to define your
mission.
You want to define the visionand the mission of your company
or organization.
You need to have a very goodmission statement.
Um you need to make sure youconnect every role to the
(26:13):
purpose that you haveestablished.
Um, you can share a lot ofexamples, a lot of testimonies
to highlight how work impactslives and how it inspires
purpose.
Uh, I think those are those aregreat.
And you need to celebrate theimpact uh that the organization
uh has because of its purpose,you know, and recognize those
(26:36):
contributions that advance themission, advance the vision.
I think that's important too.
So purpose-driven environmentsincrease engagement, according
to studies, by 40%, and itreally inspires employees to
live out their faith, uh,impacting the marketplace for
Christ, which is what we'retalking about.
(26:56):
You know, creating thesecollaborative, these inclusive,
innovative, supportive growth,learning, accountable and
purpose-driven environments,it's really a calling uh for
Christian business leaders toreflect God's kingdom.
These environments, I think,prepare our organizations for
(27:17):
leadership and and to reallyseek accountability from other
believers.
And uh, you know, I just praythat that your workplace can be
a place of light where it drawsothers, you know, to Christ.
Lord, we thank you today for theability and the responsibility,
Lord, to create the properenvironment in our lives, in our
(27:41):
careers that will help us findyour success.
Lord, we pray right now that yougive us the courage, the desire,
and the focus to apply theseprinciples and create those
proper environments.
Lord, let us see theirimportance to not only our
lives, but to the lives of thosewe affect.
(28:01):
In the name of Jesus, Lord, wethank you for it.
Praise you for it, Lord.
Amen and amen.
Well, thanks again fordownloading this week's uh
Christian Business ConceptsPodcast.
We're so thankful that you're apart uh of CBC.
Continue to pray for CBC andcontinue to pray for the impact
(28:22):
that we can have on Christianbusiness and Christian business
leaders.
Well, that's all the time wehave for for this week.
So until next time, rememberJesus is Lord and He wants you
blessed.
SPEAKER_00 (28:39):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts Podcast.
Go to Christian BusinessConcepts.com for more
information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
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