March 26, 2025 • 29 mins
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Harold Milby shares biblical business principles that guide Christians to stand out in the workplace while honoring God and maintaining their faith values. He provides actionable strategies based on scripture that help believers gain recognition through character and excellence rather than self-promotion.
• Excellence in work demonstrated by Daniel's exceptional qualities that made him stand out even in a secular environment
• Integrity and character as shown by Ruth's loyalty and Nehemiah's refusal to exploit his leadership position
• Servant leadership following Jesus's teaching that true greatness comes from serving others
• Practical strategies for getting noticed including mastering your craft and continuous learning
• Effective communication that highlights your contributions in terms of business outcomes
• Taking initiative by volunteering for visible projects and suggesting innovative solutions
• Building relationships through genuine interest in others and celebrating their successes
• Demonstrating problem-solving skills by addressing issues before they escalate
• Showcasing leadership by organizing team efforts and mentoring new employees
Remember that getting noticed isn't about self-promotion but reflecting Christ through your work. Start small, stay consistent, and trust God for the results as you seek to have more influence and let your light shine before others.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, thanks again, kelly, and welcome everyone to
this week's Christian BusinessConcepts podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and each week I try to share
with you biblical businessprinciples that will help you
find true godly success.
You know a lot of people don'tthink that there's that much in
the Bible about business, but,trust me, the Bible, from
(00:41):
Genesis to Revelation, has somegreat principles for us to live
by and define that kind ofsuccess that God defines as the
kind of success that he wantsyou to have.
It is my opinion that the Wordof God says that he wants you
blessed, he wants you to succeed, and so that's part of the
reason that this podcast wasstarted, and it's my hope every
(01:04):
week that you'll be encouraged,that you'll be enlightened and
you'll be empowered by what youhear.
Now let me give you a big shoutout to Springboro, ohio, for
having so many downloads.
We thank the Lord daily forthose of you who listen to the
(01:24):
podcast and we're so excitedthat you're downloading these
podcasts each week, and we'reglad that you're a part of the
CBC family, as well as all ofyou around the world who listen
on a regular basis.
Now this week's ChristianCompany Highlights segment is
about a furniture company that alot of people don't really know
(01:48):
about, or maybe you've heard of, but you didn't even know it
was a Christian company, a manby the name of DJ Dupre.
He was a founder and avisionary for a company called
Herman Miller, the Herman MillerFurniture Company, and he
turned that small littlefurniture manufacturer into a
(02:10):
global design leader.
And his decision to embracethis modern design was
influenced really in his wholedemeanor, influence really in
(02:33):
his whole demeanor, his wholecharacter.
Everything about him, he says,came from and was influenced by
his Christian values and it wasthese values that really laid
the foundation for the company'senduring success.
And it influenced hismanagement style and he really
emphasized integrity andemployee dignity.
He really took care of hisemployees and he treated them
the way he felt, like thatChrist would want them treated,
(02:57):
and that really became thecornerstone of Herman Miller's
operations.
So that's another greatChristian company that's out
there Herman Miller FurnitureCompany.
Well, as a Christian businessleader, you ultimately want to
glorify God in all that you do.
(03:18):
Colossians 3 and 23 through 24reminds us that whatever you do,
work it with all your heart asworking for the Lord and not for
human masters, since you knowthat you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as areward.
You know, getting noticed byyour boss or by the owner of a
(03:38):
company doesn't really mean thatyou're seeking personal glory.
It's really about demonstratingexcellence and integrity and
servant leadership.
That really is nothing morethan really just a reflection of
your faith, and if you do that,you can add value to that
(04:00):
organization and in turn, youbecome a person of influence
within that company.
You have the opportunity to letyour light shine in front of
others and in front of morepeople.
So today I want to combine alot of scriptural wisdom with
some, I guess you'd say,actionable or modern strategies
(04:25):
to help you stand out in acompetitive workplace while at
the same time making sure thatyou stay true to your Christian
values.
So what are the core principlesfor getting noticed at work?
And I work through this.
(04:45):
So these are things that I havedone in the past and these are
things that have worked, andI've seen others utilize them as
well.
So the first thing is excellence, and that is just consistently
delivering high quality work,because that'll set you apart as
(05:05):
being very reliable and verycapable.
And then the next is initiative.
You need to be proactive whenyou address challenges.
If you see challenges, you seethose opportunities.
You need to take someinitiative.
Show that you're invested in abigger picture.
Right, and the third out of thefour is visibility.
(05:29):
Make your contributions known.
Don't do it with arrogance, butyou want to be able to ensure
that your efforts are seen, thatthey don't go unnoticed.
And again, it's not trying tobe braggadocious, but you want
to make sure that the rightpeople know and understand what
(05:50):
you've accomplished.
Now, sometimes they see thatthrough.
If you have to fill outpaperwork for any kind of action
items that you've been assignedor it can come about through,
you know, maybe you have somekey economic indicators that you
have to show that you've doneso.
Whatever it may be, you want tomake sure you're visible, you
(06:14):
know, with some of the thingsthat you get done.
And the next is alignment.
You need to make sure that youunderstand and that you support
your bosses and your own goalsto build that trust and
relevance.
So let's look at somefoundations, some biblical
foundations for getting noticed.
Okay, so the Bible does providea lot of examples more than I
(06:39):
can share in this segment butthere are numerous examples of
individuals who really stood outthrough their character,
through their diligence, throughtheir trust in God.
And here are some of theseprinciples.
I think that can help you.
So again, excellence in work wesee that in Daniel, chapter six,
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verse three.
It says now, daniel sodistinguished himself among the
administrators and by hisexceptional qualities that the
king planned to set him over thewhole kingdom.
So Daniel's excellence and hisconsistency made him it just
made him impossible to not see,to ignore.
(07:22):
You know, he had great workethic, he had great integrity.
That set him apart even in asecular environment.
So you need to strive toproduce high-quality work that
exceeds, go beyond what people'sexpectations are.
Be reliable and thorough.
Be proactive in yourresponsibilities.
(07:43):
Reliable and thorough, beproactive in your
responsibilities.
You know scripture in Ruth, thebook of Ruth, chapter 1, verse
16, and we're talking about thecharacter of Ruth.
But it says that.
But Ruth said do not urge me toleave you or to return from
following you, for where you goI will go and where you lodge I
will lodge.
Your people shall be my peopleand your God my God.
(08:05):
And so she decided, after herhusband died, that she was going
to stay with her mother-in-law.
And it was a lot of hard work,but she showed integrity, but
she showed loyalty, and loyaltywill make a way for you.
Now, it's not just blind loyalty.
I'm not talking about blindloyalty, but I am talking about
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loyalty and hard work.
So you need to do things theright way and you don't ever,
ever, ever, ever, ever speakbadly about your boss.
You just don't do that.
It lacks integrity.
God's not pleased with it.
It's one of the worst thingsthat you could ever ever do.
Uh, so keep that in mind.
(08:49):
Uh, you know?
Um, even in Nehemiah Nehemiahwas a great example of this as
well.
Nehemiah 5, verses 14-19,.
A little lengthy here, but staywith me.
Moreover, from the time that Iwas appointed to be their
governor in the land of Judah,from the 20th year, to the 32nd
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year of our taxis the king, 12years, neither I nor my brothers
ate the food allowance of thegovernor.
The former governors who werebefore me laid heavy burdens on
the people and took from themfor their daily ration 40
shekels of silver.
Even their servants lorded itover the people, but I did not
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do so because of the fear of God.
I also preserved in the work onthis wall, and we acquired no
land, and all my servants weregathered there for the work.
Moreover, there were at mytable 150 men, jews and
officials, besides those whocame to us from the nations that
were around us.
Now, what was prepared at myexpense for each day was one ox,
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six choice sheep and birds, andevery 10 days, all kinds of
wine in abundance.
Yet for all this I did notdemand the food allowance of the
governor, because the servicewas too heavy on this people.
Remember, for my good, oh myGod, all that I have done for
this people.
And so Nehemiah was talking tothe Lord and he was just sharing
(10:16):
that I didn't treat thesepeople badly.
I didn't treat them badly.
I didn't take from them theydidn't have it to take and I
didn't demand that they providefor my staff, for the people
that worked under me directly,and so he was just bringing that
to the Lord's remembrance.
(10:36):
But it's good for us to seethat too, because it shows how
to be a good leader.
So he did things the right way,and I think that's important,
because when he rebuilt thosewalls in Jerusalem, despite a
lot of opposition, he reallyrefused to exploit his position.
He refused to use his positionand have power because of it.
(10:58):
He worked alongside the people.
He worked beside them, heensured that they had the
resources that they needed.
So he really knew how to showteamwork and he was willing to
be an example, which is what wehave to do.
We have to be an example andyou participate with those that
you supervise, be accountablefor all the company resources
(11:19):
and let people see that.
So I think that's important.
And then, of course, you haveDavid.
In 1 Samuel 24, 6, it says thathe said to his men the Lord
forbid that I should do thisthing to my Lord, the Lord's
anointed, to put out my handagainst him.
Seeing, he is the Lord'sanointed Because this is when
(11:45):
Paul spared Saul's life, saul,he had the opportunity to kill
Saul.
He had already, you know,samuel had already anointed
David King, but you know heunderstood the timing.
But he also knew that he wasn'tgoing to speak out or do
anything against Saul, wasn'tgoing to speak out or do
anything against Saul, which wasthe king at that time, and so
that's very, very important aswe look at that.
So what we want to do, as Isaid, is we want to provide
(12:08):
excellence in our work.
And these were several examples.
Now the next thing is servantleadership.
If you want to be noticed,you've got to practice servant
leadership.
Mark 10 and 43 through 44 sayswhoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first
must be slave of all.
So Jesus teaches that reallytrue greatness comes from
(12:32):
serving others and notself-promotion.
It comes from serving othersand you got to look for ways.
Look for ways to support yourboss, look for ways to support
the owner's vision.
You know, even in small things,even in little things, that you
do and you show humility andput the team first.
(12:53):
Have that kind of an attitude,you know.
Put the team first and put theteam first.
Have that kind of an attitudeyou know.
Put the team first.
The next is integrity and havingtrustworthiness.
You know Proverbs 22 and 1 saysA good name is more desirable
than great riches.
To be esteemed is better thansilver or gold.
So your reputation as an honest, dependable leader will
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naturally draw attention to you.
So make sure that you continueto be transparent, that you keep
your word.
If you let your yes be yes andyour no be no, you act ethically
.
Make sure that you do that evenwhen nobody's watching.
That's the most important part.
And then diligence andinitiative.
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Make sure that you showdiligence and initiative.
Proverbs 10 and 4 says lazyhands make for poverty, but
diligent hands brings wealth.
So hard work and a willingnessto go the extra mile gets
noticed over time.
You just can't help that.
So you got to anticipate theneeds and you got to be able to
(13:59):
solve problems before even beingasked, and that'll show,
actually, that you're investedin the company's success and
that's what owners and uppertier leadership is looking for.
So what are some practicalstrategies to get noticed?
(14:19):
What are some practicalstrategies?
And so, as we build on thesebiblical principles that we just
shared, you know, here are somepractical strategies.
First and foremost, master yourcraft.
Master your craft.
Competence is the foundation ofcredibility.
When you're exceptional at yourjob, people take notice.
(14:41):
When you excel in whatever yourcurrent responsibilities are
and you show curiosity aboutbeing and looking at the broader
business operations broaderbusiness operations Leaders take
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notice the one thing thatanytime that I was given a new
position or a new authority, Iread books.
I read and read and read andread, and I did everything that
I could to learn and to be thebest at what it was that I
needed to do, and I still dothat today.
But I didn't do it to take note, for people to look at me.
I just did it because that waswhat I wanted to do.
I wanted to be a master at whatI was doing, and so I did
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everything that I could to learn.
So you need to be consistentlyexceeding the expectations in
what people are asking you to doand then learn skills and
systems that are not part ofyour immediate role.
We'll say Things that you know.
Number one, that you're notstepping on somebody else's feet
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don't do that but that you canlearn things that you know can
add additional value.
You know you want to bevaluable to the company, and
then you want to be able toshare your insights from your
expertise.
When you do meetings or maybewhen you write reports, you want
to be able to share yourinsights.
(16:10):
And then, as I said, you wantto invest in continuous learning
.
You don't want to give up.
You don't want to stop learning.
You know you could take courses.
There's all kinds of thingsthat you could do but you want
to continuously learn and youwant to stay updated on any
kinds of trends or any kind ofcompetitive information.
(16:30):
You just want to make sureyou're updated and then deliver
those results on a consistentand on-time basis.
You know, if you look atsomebody like Nick Saban, he's a
legendary football coach, buthe's also a known Christian, and
you know he built a reputationfor excellence, but he did that
(16:53):
through meticulous preparation.
He's a very meticulous personand very disciplined, and his
consistent success really hasmade him indispensable to the
teams and has been noticedreally by the sports community.
So he's a great example of that.
Now, the next thing you want todo is you want to be able to
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communicate effectively.
That Now the next thing youwant to do is you want to be
able to communicate effectively.
That's why you need to be clearand confident in your
communication, because what thatdoes is that really shows your
ideas and leadership potential.
So make sure you share updateson your projects.
Don't wait for him to come toyou.
You go to him either by emailor quick meeting, but let him
(17:36):
know what's going on and makesure you're offering solutions,
not just complaints.
I used to tell people all thetime that would come to me.
I would say look, I can findanybody to find what's wrong.
But what I'm looking for is topeople show me how to make it
right, show me a way to overcomeit.
So I used to tell people neverbring me a problem that you
(17:57):
don't have, that you haven'talready thought about two to
three solutions before you bringit to me.
I don't want to hear it untilyou can do that, because anybody
can find a problem.
And so you know, the Bible saysin Proverbs 16, 24, it says
gracious words are a honeycomb,sweet to the soul and healing to
the bones.
So we want to be very, very,very effective in our
(18:19):
communication.
You know, a good example ofthat today is the Chick-fil-A
CEO, dan Cathy.
He's a devout Christian.
He's known for his articulate,very articulate, very
value-driven communication withpeople and it always reflects
his faith.
It always aligns with thecompany's mission and as he does
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that, he's really earning therespect of people, his employees
and other leaders.
He's really gaining theirrespect.
All right.
Next, you want to communicateyour value.
You want to communicate yourvalue.
Why is that important?
Well, great work doesn't justspeak for itself.
Sometimes leaders need to knowwhat you're contributing.
So you need to have somestrategic communication
(19:03):
highlights of what's takingplace.
The owners and your bosses,they want to know what's going
on.
So how do you do it?
Well, you know you got to sendsome concise updates to your
boss.
Do you do it?
Well, you know you got to sendsome concise updates to your
boss about completed projects.
You know, like you know, hey, Ijust wrapped up the quarter one
sales report.
Here's a key finding that mightinterest you.
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You know, make sure you speakup in meetings with any kind of
data, anything that you think isthoughtful or any great ideas,
and then you want to make sureyou frame your contributions in
terms of business outcomes and,in other words, you know you may
share something that you did,and then you say this change has
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saved us 15 hours this month,so you want to be able to show
what it means in business terms.
Right, you know Satya Nadella.
You know, before he becameMicrosoft CEO, he gained notice
as a division leader, but one ofthe things that he did he was
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always articulating how hiscloud computing initiatives
would drive revenue.
So they took notice of that.
It's not only what I'm doing,but here's how it's going to
impact the company.
His ability to really connecthis work to the company's
strategic goals is what got himnoticed.
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Number three take initiative.
Leaders notice employees whodon't wait to be told what to do
.
As you've heard me say manytimes, I believe there's two
types of people those who leaninto the work and those who lean
out to the work.
You want to be a person thatleans in.
You want to be a person thattakes initiative.
You want to volunteer forespecially very visible projects
(20:57):
, but maybe you take tasks onthat other people don't want.
They try to avoid them.
You want to suggest innovativeideas Anytime you can improve
efficiency and profitability.
A company is going to takenotice and then you follow
through with those results.
You propose different types ofsolutions to problems that are
(21:19):
just plaguing the company.
They always are happening.
You want to try to find a wayto overcome those problems.
Joseph in Genesis, chapter 41,he took the initiative to
interpret Pharaoh's dream wheneverybody else was afraid to,
and then he proposed a plan andthat got him promoted to become
(21:39):
the second in command of Egypt.
A modern example of that isSarah Blakely.
She's the founder of Spanx.
She's a Christian.
She started her company byidentifying this gap in the
market and then pitching heridea.
She was relentless and shefinally gained attention from
retailers and she eventuallybuilt an empire.
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So I think it's important.
Now.
The next thing that you need todo is you need to build
relationships, because peoplepromote those they trust and
connect with.
So you've got to have trust.
You've got to have rapport withyour boss or the owner.
That will only increase yourlikelihood that they're going to
have trust.
You've got to have rapport withyour boss or the owner.
That will only increase yourlikelihood that they're going to
notice you and then support you.
(22:24):
So make sure that you havebrief but purposeful meetings
with your boss check-ins, so tospeak.
Tell them, hey, I'd love tohave 10 minutes to discuss how I
can support your goals thisquarter.
Things like that Show genuineinterest.
You know this isn't fake, thisis real.
But show genuine interest intheir vision and in their
(22:45):
challenges and then celebratewith other people their
successes too.
You know, romans 12.10 says bedevoted to one another in love.
Honor one another aboveyourselves.
I just think it's importantthat you build these
relationships.
You know Truett Cathy, who'sthe founder of Chick-fil-A.
He built this legacy ofrelational leadership because of
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the way he treated employees.
He treated them like family,which earned him a lot of
loyalty and visibility as aleader, all right.
Next, you want to demonstrateproblem-solving skills before
they get out of hand.
So before a problem gets out ofhand, you need to recognize it
and then deal with it, becauseleaders really value those who
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really reduce the stress thatthey have.
If you can solve a problem sothat your boss doesn't have to
solve it, it really lowers thatstress to them.
So what you want to do is youwant to be able to solve those
problems before they become sobig and monstrous that it just
(23:52):
creates so much stress.
So identify whatever thosecurrent issues are that keep
happening, those reoccurringissues, and then give some kind
of solution.
You know things like hey, Inoticed our inventory process.
It's just really slow.
Here's a better way to do it.
Here's a way we can streamlinethat and then take ownership of
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any of your mistakes and thenfix them.
Fix them, stay calm when you'repressured and just kind of
reflect your faith-drivenconfidence, because we can have
confidence in the Lord, becausehe said he'd bless the work of
our hands, and so you know, Ithink it's important that you
demonstrate these types ofskills.
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And then next, what you want todo is you want to showcase your
leadership in small ways, youwant to demonstrate leadership,
even without a formal title.
It really shows them thepotential you have to do things
and to be in bigger positionsand higher levels of leadership.
(25:02):
And you do that by organizingteam efforts, maybe, or you
organize a training session oryou know, hey, I set up a quick
tutorial on the new CRM for theteam, those kinds of things and
then take it upon yourself tokind of be the mentor, maybe for
new employees, because whatthat does is that will help them
(25:26):
to perform these new employeesto perform at a higher level,
and you'll be noticed for that.
And then stay really positivewhen others don't seem to be
like, during tough times, youwant to stay positive, and an
example of that would be ReedHastings.
He's the Netflix co-founder andhe really stood out early in
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his career.
He was at a company called PureSoftware and he was very
informal in leading teams but hehelped them to really improve a
lot of the product developmentsystems and he was just kind of
a leader that caught theattention of his bosses and it
really set the stage for him tobe noticed, not only within his
(26:11):
company but by and within othercompanies as well, and within
other companies as well.
So you know putting into actionsome of these things.
You know just briefly.
You know maybe your boss isoverwhelmed.
You know you say, hey, Inoticed you've been juggling a
(26:31):
lot with the upcoming deadline.
I'd be happy to handle theclient report for you.
Would that help you?
Those kinds of things?
Just make sure that you keepyour faith grounded in all of
this too.
I can't say that enough.
That's so important.
Don't ever compromise yourvalues, no matter what you're
doing, and keep your focus onGod during this time.
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Throughout your career, makesure you're praying for guidance
, asking God to direct yourefforts and open doors.
Make sure you avoid pride atany cost.
You always give credit to Godand your team for success.
And then you've got to trust inGod's timing.
Trust me promotion the Biblesays in Psalm 75, 6-7,.
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It says promotion comes fromthe Lord.
So be patient and be faithfuland trust God's timing.
You know, as a Christianbusiness leader, getting noticed
isn't about, you know,self-promotion, and I know a lot
of the things we've talkedabout.
It seems like that, but it'snot about that.
It's not about self-promotion.
(27:39):
It's about reflecting Christthrough your work.
You know, when you combine yourexcellence and initiative and
integrity with just practicalstrategies, like I said, like
effective communication andproblem solving.
You know you're going to standout to your boss and to your
company and to the owner of thatcompany, and you're going to
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stand out in ways that reallyhonor God, and then it advances
your career at the same time.
So start small, stay consistentand trust God for the results.
Lord, we thank you for helpingus strike that balance, lord, of
promoting ourselves for yourglory and for your benefit.
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Lord, for the kingdom's benefit.
Help us to strike that balancebetween that and arrogance.
Lord, our desire is to havemore influence, lord, to live a
godly life in front of morepeople, so that our light shines
before men and women, that theymay know you, lord and Lord,
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some people that's all the Godthey're only going to see is
going to be seen through us.
So, lord, help us to applythese principles in our lives.
In the name of Jesus, lord, weask Amen in our lives.
In the name of Jesus, Lord, weask Amen Now.
Thank you for listening todayto today's podcast and I hope
you'll help us grow the CBCcommunity by sharing this
(29:07):
episode with four to five othersand by posting the link on your
social media pages likeFacebook and LinkedIn, media
pages like Facebook and LinkedIn.
That'll really help us.
We're really trying to reachone million people with
principles to help them findtrue godly success.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today, so until next
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time, remember that Jesus isLord and he wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go toChristianBusinessConceptscom 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 in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, thanks again, kelly, and welcome everyone to
this week's Christian BusinessConcepts podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and each week I try to share
with you biblical businessprinciples that will help you
find true godly success.
You know a lot of people don'tthink that there's that much in
the Bible about business, but,trust me, the Bible, from
(00:41):
Genesis to Revelation, has somegreat principles for us to live
by and define that kind ofsuccess that God defines as the
kind of success that he wantsyou to have.
It is my opinion that the Wordof God says that he wants you
blessed, he wants you to succeed, and so that's part of the
reason that this podcast wasstarted, and it's my hope every
(01:04):
week that you'll be encouraged,that you'll be enlightened and
you'll be empowered by what youhear.
Now let me give you a big shoutout to Springboro, ohio, for
having so many downloads.
We thank the Lord daily forthose of you who listen to the
(01:24):
podcast and we're so excitedthat you're downloading these
podcasts each week, and we'reglad that you're a part of the
CBC family, as well as all ofyou around the world who listen
on a regular basis.
Now this week's ChristianCompany Highlights segment is
about a furniture company that alot of people don't really know
(01:48):
about, or maybe you've heard of, but you didn't even know it
was a Christian company, a manby the name of DJ Dupre.
He was a founder and avisionary for a company called
Herman Miller, the Herman MillerFurniture Company, and he
turned that small littlefurniture manufacturer into a
(02:10):
global design leader.
And his decision to embracethis modern design was
influenced really in his wholedemeanor, influence really in
(02:33):
his whole demeanor, his wholecharacter.
Everything about him, he says,came from and was influenced by
his Christian values and it wasthese values that really laid
the foundation for the company'senduring success.
And it influenced hismanagement style and he really
emphasized integrity andemployee dignity.
He really took care of hisemployees and he treated them
the way he felt, like thatChrist would want them treated,
(02:57):
and that really became thecornerstone of Herman Miller's
operations.
So that's another greatChristian company that's out
there Herman Miller FurnitureCompany.
Well, as a Christian businessleader, you ultimately want to
glorify God in all that you do.
(03:18):
Colossians 3 and 23 through 24reminds us that whatever you do,
work it with all your heart asworking for the Lord and not for
human masters, since you knowthat you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as areward.
You know, getting noticed byyour boss or by the owner of a
(03:38):
company doesn't really mean thatyou're seeking personal glory.
It's really about demonstratingexcellence and integrity and
servant leadership.
That really is nothing morethan really just a reflection of
your faith, and if you do that,you can add value to that
(04:00):
organization and in turn, youbecome a person of influence
within that company.
You have the opportunity to letyour light shine in front of
others and in front of morepeople.
So today I want to combine alot of scriptural wisdom with
some, I guess you'd say,actionable or modern strategies
(04:25):
to help you stand out in acompetitive workplace while at
the same time making sure thatyou stay true to your Christian
values.
So what are the core principlesfor getting noticed at work?
And I work through this.
(04:45):
So these are things that I havedone in the past and these are
things that have worked, andI've seen others utilize them as
well.
So the first thing is excellence, and that is just consistently
delivering high quality work,because that'll set you apart as
(05:05):
being very reliable and verycapable.
And then the next is initiative.
You need to be proactive whenyou address challenges.
If you see challenges, you seethose opportunities.
You need to take someinitiative.
Show that you're invested in abigger picture.
Right, and the third out of thefour is visibility.
(05:29):
Make your contributions known.
Don't do it with arrogance, butyou want to be able to ensure
that your efforts are seen, thatthey don't go unnoticed.
And again, it's not trying tobe braggadocious, but you want
to make sure that the rightpeople know and understand what
(05:50):
you've accomplished.
Now, sometimes they see thatthrough.
If you have to fill outpaperwork for any kind of action
items that you've been assignedor it can come about through,
you know, maybe you have somekey economic indicators that you
have to show that you've doneso.
Whatever it may be, you want tomake sure you're visible, you
(06:14):
know, with some of the thingsthat you get done.
And the next is alignment.
You need to make sure that youunderstand and that you support
your bosses and your own goalsto build that trust and
relevance.
So let's look at somefoundations, some biblical
foundations for getting noticed.
Okay, so the Bible does providea lot of examples more than I
(06:39):
can share in this segment butthere are numerous examples of
individuals who really stood outthrough their character,
through their diligence, throughtheir trust in God.
And here are some of theseprinciples.
I think that can help you.
So again, excellence in work wesee that in Daniel, chapter six,
(07:02):
verse three.
It says now, daniel sodistinguished himself among the
administrators and by hisexceptional qualities that the
king planned to set him over thewhole kingdom.
So Daniel's excellence and hisconsistency made him it just
made him impossible to not see,to ignore.
(07:22):
You know, he had great workethic, he had great integrity.
That set him apart even in asecular environment.
So you need to strive toproduce high-quality work that
exceeds, go beyond what people'sexpectations are.
Be reliable and thorough.
Be proactive in yourresponsibilities.
(07:43):
Reliable and thorough, beproactive in your
responsibilities.
You know scripture in Ruth, thebook of Ruth, chapter 1, verse
16, and we're talking about thecharacter of Ruth.
But it says that.
But Ruth said do not urge me toleave you or to return from
following you, for where you goI will go and where you lodge I
will lodge.
Your people shall be my peopleand your God my God.
(08:05):
And so she decided, after herhusband died, that she was going
to stay with her mother-in-law.
And it was a lot of hard work,but she showed integrity, but
she showed loyalty, and loyaltywill make a way for you.
Now, it's not just blind loyalty.
I'm not talking about blindloyalty, but I am talking about
(08:27):
loyalty and hard work.
So you need to do things theright way and you don't ever,
ever, ever, ever, ever speakbadly about your boss.
You just don't do that.
It lacks integrity.
God's not pleased with it.
It's one of the worst thingsthat you could ever ever do.
Uh, so keep that in mind.
(08:49):
Uh, you know?
Um, even in Nehemiah Nehemiahwas a great example of this as
well.
Nehemiah 5, verses 14-19,.
A little lengthy here, but staywith me.
Moreover, from the time that Iwas appointed to be their
governor in the land of Judah,from the 20th year, to the 32nd
(09:11):
year of our taxis the king, 12years, neither I nor my brothers
ate the food allowance of thegovernor.
The former governors who werebefore me laid heavy burdens on
the people and took from themfor their daily ration 40
shekels of silver.
Even their servants lorded itover the people, but I did not
(09:32):
do so because of the fear of God.
I also preserved in the work onthis wall, and we acquired no
land, and all my servants weregathered there for the work.
Moreover, there were at mytable 150 men, jews and
officials, besides those whocame to us from the nations that
were around us.
Now, what was prepared at myexpense for each day was one ox,
(09:55):
six choice sheep and birds, andevery 10 days, all kinds of
wine in abundance.
Yet for all this I did notdemand the food allowance of the
governor, because the servicewas too heavy on this people.
Remember, for my good, oh myGod, all that I have done for
this people.
And so Nehemiah was talking tothe Lord and he was just sharing
(10:16):
that I didn't treat thesepeople badly.
I didn't treat them badly.
I didn't take from them theydidn't have it to take and I
didn't demand that they providefor my staff, for the people
that worked under me directly,and so he was just bringing that
to the Lord's remembrance.
(10:36):
But it's good for us to seethat too, because it shows how
to be a good leader.
So he did things the right way,and I think that's important,
because when he rebuilt thosewalls in Jerusalem, despite a
lot of opposition, he reallyrefused to exploit his position.
He refused to use his positionand have power because of it.
(10:58):
He worked alongside the people.
He worked beside them, heensured that they had the
resources that they needed.
So he really knew how to showteamwork and he was willing to
be an example, which is what wehave to do.
We have to be an example andyou participate with those that
you supervise, be accountablefor all the company resources
(11:19):
and let people see that.
So I think that's important.
And then, of course, you haveDavid.
In 1 Samuel 24, 6, it says thathe said to his men the Lord
forbid that I should do thisthing to my Lord, the Lord's
anointed, to put out my handagainst him.
Seeing, he is the Lord'sanointed Because this is when
(11:45):
Paul spared Saul's life, saul,he had the opportunity to kill
Saul.
He had already, you know,samuel had already anointed
David King, but you know heunderstood the timing.
But he also knew that he wasn'tgoing to speak out or do
anything against Saul, wasn'tgoing to speak out or do
anything against Saul, which wasthe king at that time, and so
that's very, very important aswe look at that.
So what we want to do, as Isaid, is we want to provide
(12:08):
excellence in our work.
And these were several examples.
Now the next thing is servantleadership.
If you want to be noticed,you've got to practice servant
leadership.
Mark 10 and 43 through 44 sayswhoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first
must be slave of all.
So Jesus teaches that reallytrue greatness comes from
(12:32):
serving others and notself-promotion.
It comes from serving othersand you got to look for ways.
Look for ways to support yourboss, look for ways to support
the owner's vision.
You know, even in small things,even in little things, that you
do and you show humility andput the team first.
(12:53):
Have that kind of an attitude,you know.
Put the team first and put theteam first.
Have that kind of an attitudeyou know.
Put the team first.
The next is integrity and havingtrustworthiness.
You know Proverbs 22 and 1 saysA good name is more desirable
than great riches.
To be esteemed is better thansilver or gold.
So your reputation as an honest, dependable leader will
(13:15):
naturally draw attention to you.
So make sure that you continueto be transparent, that you keep
your word.
If you let your yes be yes andyour no be no, you act ethically
.
Make sure that you do that evenwhen nobody's watching.
That's the most important part.
And then diligence andinitiative.
(13:37):
Make sure that you showdiligence and initiative.
Proverbs 10 and 4 says lazyhands make for poverty, but
diligent hands brings wealth.
So hard work and a willingnessto go the extra mile gets
noticed over time.
You just can't help that.
So you got to anticipate theneeds and you got to be able to
(13:59):
solve problems before even beingasked, and that'll show,
actually, that you're investedin the company's success and
that's what owners and uppertier leadership is looking for.
So what are some practicalstrategies to get noticed?
(14:19):
What are some practicalstrategies?
And so, as we build on thesebiblical principles that we just
shared, you know, here are somepractical strategies.
First and foremost, master yourcraft.
Master your craft.
Competence is the foundation ofcredibility.
When you're exceptional at yourjob, people take notice.
(14:41):
When you excel in whatever yourcurrent responsibilities are
and you show curiosity aboutbeing and looking at the broader
business operations broaderbusiness operations Leaders take
(15:01):
notice the one thing thatanytime that I was given a new
position or a new authority, Iread books.
I read and read and read andread, and I did everything that
I could to learn and to be thebest at what it was that I
needed to do, and I still dothat today.
But I didn't do it to take note, for people to look at me.
I just did it because that waswhat I wanted to do.
I wanted to be a master at whatI was doing, and so I did
(15:27):
everything that I could to learn.
So you need to be consistentlyexceeding the expectations in
what people are asking you to doand then learn skills and
systems that are not part ofyour immediate role.
We'll say Things that you know.
Number one, that you're notstepping on somebody else's feet
(15:49):
don't do that but that you canlearn things that you know can
add additional value.
You know you want to bevaluable to the company, and
then you want to be able toshare your insights from your
expertise.
When you do meetings or maybewhen you write reports, you want
to be able to share yourinsights.
(16:10):
And then, as I said, you wantto invest in continuous learning
.
You don't want to give up.
You don't want to stop learning.
You know you could take courses.
There's all kinds of thingsthat you could do but you want
to continuously learn and youwant to stay updated on any
kinds of trends or any kind ofcompetitive information.
(16:30):
You just want to make sureyou're updated and then deliver
those results on a consistentand on-time basis.
You know, if you look atsomebody like Nick Saban, he's a
legendary football coach, buthe's also a known Christian, and
you know he built a reputationfor excellence, but he did that
(16:53):
through meticulous preparation.
He's a very meticulous personand very disciplined, and his
consistent success really hasmade him indispensable to the
teams and has been noticedreally by the sports community.
So he's a great example of that.
Now, the next thing you want todo is you want to be able to
(17:14):
communicate effectively.
That Now the next thing youwant to do is you want to be
able to communicate effectively.
That's why you need to be clearand confident in your
communication, because what thatdoes is that really shows your
ideas and leadership potential.
So make sure you share updateson your projects.
Don't wait for him to come toyou.
You go to him either by emailor quick meeting, but let him
(17:36):
know what's going on and makesure you're offering solutions,
not just complaints.
I used to tell people all thetime that would come to me.
I would say look, I can findanybody to find what's wrong.
But what I'm looking for is topeople show me how to make it
right, show me a way to overcomeit.
So I used to tell people neverbring me a problem that you
(17:57):
don't have, that you haven'talready thought about two to
three solutions before you bringit to me.
I don't want to hear it untilyou can do that, because anybody
can find a problem.
And so you know, the Bible saysin Proverbs 16, 24, it says
gracious words are a honeycomb,sweet to the soul and healing to
the bones.
So we want to be very, very,very effective in our
(18:19):
communication.
You know, a good example ofthat today is the Chick-fil-A
CEO, dan Cathy.
He's a devout Christian.
He's known for his articulate,very articulate, very
value-driven communication withpeople and it always reflects
his faith.
It always aligns with thecompany's mission and as he does
(18:41):
that, he's really earning therespect of people, his employees
and other leaders.
He's really gaining theirrespect.
All right.
Next, you want to communicateyour value.
You want to communicate yourvalue.
Why is that important?
Well, great work doesn't justspeak for itself.
Sometimes leaders need to knowwhat you're contributing.
So you need to have somestrategic communication
(19:03):
highlights of what's takingplace.
The owners and your bosses,they want to know what's going
on.
So how do you do it?
Well, you know you got to sendsome concise updates to your
boss.
Do you do it?
Well, you know you got to sendsome concise updates to your
boss about completed projects.
You know, like you know, hey, Ijust wrapped up the quarter one
sales report.
Here's a key finding that mightinterest you.
(19:25):
You know, make sure you speakup in meetings with any kind of
data, anything that you think isthoughtful or any great ideas,
and then you want to make sureyou frame your contributions in
terms of business outcomes and,in other words, you know you may
share something that you did,and then you say this change has
(19:47):
saved us 15 hours this month,so you want to be able to show
what it means in business terms.
Right, you know Satya Nadella.
You know, before he becameMicrosoft CEO, he gained notice
as a division leader, but one ofthe things that he did he was
(20:11):
always articulating how hiscloud computing initiatives
would drive revenue.
So they took notice of that.
It's not only what I'm doing,but here's how it's going to
impact the company.
His ability to really connecthis work to the company's
strategic goals is what got himnoticed.
(20:32):
Number three take initiative.
Leaders notice employees whodon't wait to be told what to do
.
As you've heard me say manytimes, I believe there's two
types of people those who leaninto the work and those who lean
out to the work.
You want to be a person thatleans in.
You want to be a person thattakes initiative.
You want to volunteer forespecially very visible projects
(20:57):
, but maybe you take tasks onthat other people don't want.
They try to avoid them.
You want to suggest innovativeideas Anytime you can improve
efficiency and profitability.
A company is going to takenotice and then you follow
through with those results.
You propose different types ofsolutions to problems that are
(21:19):
just plaguing the company.
They always are happening.
You want to try to find a wayto overcome those problems.
Joseph in Genesis, chapter 41,he took the initiative to
interpret Pharaoh's dream wheneverybody else was afraid to,
and then he proposed a plan andthat got him promoted to become
(21:39):
the second in command of Egypt.
A modern example of that isSarah Blakely.
She's the founder of Spanx.
She's a Christian.
She started her company byidentifying this gap in the
market and then pitching heridea.
She was relentless and shefinally gained attention from
retailers and she eventuallybuilt an empire.
(22:03):
So I think it's important.
Now.
The next thing that you need todo is you need to build
relationships, because peoplepromote those they trust and
connect with.
So you've got to have trust.
You've got to have rapport withyour boss or the owner.
That will only increase yourlikelihood that they're going to
have trust.
You've got to have rapport withyour boss or the owner.
That will only increase yourlikelihood that they're going to
notice you and then support you.
(22:24):
So make sure that you havebrief but purposeful meetings
with your boss check-ins, so tospeak.
Tell them, hey, I'd love tohave 10 minutes to discuss how I
can support your goals thisquarter.
Things like that Show genuineinterest.
You know this isn't fake, thisis real.
But show genuine interest intheir vision and in their
(22:45):
challenges and then celebratewith other people their
successes too.
You know, romans 12.10 says bedevoted to one another in love.
Honor one another aboveyourselves.
I just think it's importantthat you build these
relationships.
You know Truett Cathy, who'sthe founder of Chick-fil-A.
He built this legacy ofrelational leadership because of
(23:10):
the way he treated employees.
He treated them like family,which earned him a lot of
loyalty and visibility as aleader, all right.
Next, you want to demonstrateproblem-solving skills before
they get out of hand.
So before a problem gets out ofhand, you need to recognize it
and then deal with it, becauseleaders really value those who
(23:32):
really reduce the stress thatthey have.
If you can solve a problem sothat your boss doesn't have to
solve it, it really lowers thatstress to them.
So what you want to do is youwant to be able to solve those
problems before they become sobig and monstrous that it just
(23:52):
creates so much stress.
So identify whatever thosecurrent issues are that keep
happening, those reoccurringissues, and then give some kind
of solution.
You know things like hey, Inoticed our inventory process.
It's just really slow.
Here's a better way to do it.
Here's a way we can streamlinethat and then take ownership of
(24:15):
any of your mistakes and thenfix them.
Fix them, stay calm when you'repressured and just kind of
reflect your faith-drivenconfidence, because we can have
confidence in the Lord, becausehe said he'd bless the work of
our hands, and so you know, Ithink it's important that you
demonstrate these types ofskills.
(24:38):
And then next, what you want todo is you want to showcase your
leadership in small ways, youwant to demonstrate leadership,
even without a formal title.
It really shows them thepotential you have to do things
and to be in bigger positionsand higher levels of leadership.
(25:02):
And you do that by organizingteam efforts, maybe, or you
organize a training session oryou know, hey, I set up a quick
tutorial on the new CRM for theteam, those kinds of things and
then take it upon yourself tokind of be the mentor, maybe for
new employees, because whatthat does is that will help them
(25:26):
to perform these new employeesto perform at a higher level,
and you'll be noticed for that.
And then stay really positivewhen others don't seem to be
like, during tough times, youwant to stay positive, and an
example of that would be ReedHastings.
He's the Netflix co-founder andhe really stood out early in
(25:47):
his career.
He was at a company called PureSoftware and he was very
informal in leading teams but hehelped them to really improve a
lot of the product developmentsystems and he was just kind of
a leader that caught theattention of his bosses and it
really set the stage for him tobe noticed, not only within his
(26:11):
company but by and within othercompanies as well, and within
other companies as well.
So you know putting into actionsome of these things.
You know just briefly.
You know maybe your boss isoverwhelmed.
You know you say, hey, Inoticed you've been juggling a
(26:31):
lot with the upcoming deadline.
I'd be happy to handle theclient report for you.
Would that help you?
Those kinds of things?
Just make sure that you keepyour faith grounded in all of
this too.
I can't say that enough.
That's so important.
Don't ever compromise yourvalues, no matter what you're
doing, and keep your focus onGod during this time.
(26:55):
Throughout your career, makesure you're praying for guidance
, asking God to direct yourefforts and open doors.
Make sure you avoid pride atany cost.
You always give credit to Godand your team for success.
And then you've got to trust inGod's timing.
Trust me promotion the Biblesays in Psalm 75, 6-7,.
(27:19):
It says promotion comes fromthe Lord.
So be patient and be faithfuland trust God's timing.
You know, as a Christianbusiness leader, getting noticed
isn't about, you know,self-promotion, and I know a lot
of the things we've talkedabout.
It seems like that, but it'snot about that.
It's not about self-promotion.
(27:39):
It's about reflecting Christthrough your work.
You know, when you combine yourexcellence and initiative and
integrity with just practicalstrategies, like I said, like
effective communication andproblem solving.
You know you're going to standout to your boss and to your
company and to the owner of thatcompany, and you're going to
(28:03):
stand out in ways that reallyhonor God, and then it advances
your career at the same time.
So start small, stay consistentand trust God for the results.
Lord, we thank you for helpingus strike that balance, lord, of
promoting ourselves for yourglory and for your benefit.
(28:23):
Lord, for the kingdom's benefit.
Help us to strike that balancebetween that and arrogance.
Lord, our desire is to havemore influence, lord, to live a
godly life in front of morepeople, so that our light shines
before men and women, that theymay know you, lord and Lord,
(28:45):
some people that's all the Godthey're only going to see is
going to be seen through us.
So, lord, help us to applythese principles in our lives.
In the name of Jesus, lord, weask Amen in our lives.
In the name of Jesus, Lord, weask Amen Now.
Thank you for listening todayto today's podcast and I hope
you'll help us grow the CBCcommunity by sharing this
(29:07):
episode with four to five othersand by posting the link on your
social media pages likeFacebook and LinkedIn, media
pages like Facebook and LinkedIn.
That'll really help us.
We're really trying to reachone million people with
principles to help them findtrue godly success.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today, so until next
(29:28):
time, remember that Jesus isLord and he wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go toChristianBusinessConceptscom 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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