Special Gifts in Our Lives

     As we think about the Christmas holiday we often think about gifts. Gifts and Christmas go together! God has reminded me of several special gifts in my life and that I need to focus on these this year at Christmas. 

So, I thought I would share these special gifts with you:

The Gift of God’s Son

o  Without baby Jesus there is no Christmas – He is the primary reason for celebrating at Christmas time.

o  This is a remarkable gift to us because wrapped up in baby Jesus is all of the goodness and grace the world will ever need.

o  So, our hearts should be full of worship and praise because of this special gift.

o   Mt. 1:21 – “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Gift of Relationships

o   We need each other and are really dependent upon each other

o   Spending time together on purpose is important. Like: having Fun together, Encouraging each other, Keeping each other accountable, Caring for each others needs and many more…

o  This is a great time of year to let each other know how much you appreciate them and love them

o   1 John 3:11 – “This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another

The Gift of Grace

o  I think that at this time of year when non-believers are more open to hearing about Jesus – it is easier to find common ground

§   Even secular radio stations (KSOI 101) play songs like: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

·   "Born that man might die no more"

·   "God and sinners reconciled"

o   God has given us the opportunity to reach out to those who do not know Him and share the glory of His grace. We should look for these opportunities.

o   We will be spending Christmas dinner with our neighbors across the street. It will be fun to be with them and relate together during this special time of the year

o   1 Corinthians 9:22 – “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.”

The Gift of Gratitude

o  We have a lot to be thankful for and Christmas is a great time to express our thanks to God and those around us

o  Even in the midst of difficult economic times and unsettled tension around the world

§   God is still in control

§   He is unchanging and faithful and these challenges do not faze him

o  Our thankfulness will grow as we trust God

o  Psalm 100:4 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.”

 

So, hopefully during this Christmas Season we can all embrace these special gifts in our lives. 

Merry Christmas to you all!!

Is Flexibility in Leadership Important?

One of our church elders recently sent me this article. I found this information to be interesting and enlightening. These perspectives on the tendencies of different generations seem to apply to the work place but can be used in multiple settings to attract these different generations. 

What do Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials (Gen Y) have in common?

They all want flexibility.

This new mix of generations brings many advantages for businesses, from life experience and honed expertise to innovation and finesse at navigating technology. Organizations  must strive to attract new talent while retaining the knowledge and expertise of the time-honored generations. Flexibility is crucial for all generations as we continually define and redefine how, when, why and where people work.

Who are these generations? What are the benefits of having this generational span in organizations? And how does leadership attract, retain and motivate them simultaneously?

The Traditionalists (1900-1945, 75 million), known as the "radio age," are a massive generation that predates modern technology and networks. They possess invaluable information and historical perspectives, and their knowledge and expertise need to be captured before all have left the workforce.

Like Traditionalists, Boomers (1946-1964, 80 million), known as the "TV age," have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that is indispensable to the organization. They generally possess a "can do" attitude. Boomers are experienced in forging relationships and are seen as mentors in their organizations. From a management perspective, flexibility is something this generation is seeking as they want and need to remain in the workforce longer but would prefer reduced workloads and more control of when and where they work.

Gen X (1965-1981, 51 million), known as the "computer age," has a strong affinity for technology because they are coming of age in a time when technology is being used as a tool for personal and professional empowerment. They have a strong streak of individualism and use technology as a vehicle for self-expression. They have more faith in themselves than established institutions and are adept and comfortable with change. This generation is noted for introducing successful, large-scale, flexible work arrangements.

Millennials (Gen Y) (1982-1989, 78 million) and the beginnings of some new entrants of the Screenagers (1989-1994, 24.3 million), known as the "Internet, digital age," are the real "digital natives" and view technology as an inclusive tool for social networking and reaching out to communicate and collaborate. Technology is transparent to them. The barriers of time and space have different meaning for this generation. Content is what drives them. They prefer using technology to communicate, and this generation is the largest and most networked in world history.

From a leadership perspective, Gen X and Millennials are accustomed to using technology to enable a looser, more improvisational work style and feel that traditional work environments are restricting. They place high value on work/life balance. In fact, Millennials don't make a traditional distinction between work and personal life. Both generations use technology to work smarter and more efficiently while trying to minimize process. They leverage mobile technology to work anytime, anywhere, putting less emphasis on "being there" as an indication of commitment.

Overall, companies are challenged with the changing definition of work and work styles. It is in the organizations best interest to empower employees with the tools needed to work anytime, anywhere. Employees now work outside the company's offices more than ever before. And as flexible work styles and increased mobility become the norm, secure and easy-to-use remote access to business resources becomes non-negotiable.

Beth Gulas, President of WorkForce Management (bgulas@aol.com, www.workforcemgmt.com), helps organizations understand how to collaboratively bridge the generational gaps and realize greater business success.

Choosing Wisely

So much of our lives is about the choices we make. This is especially true as leaders. Our individual choices effect us personally and they effect those we influence through leadership. There is a new business book coming out by David Cottrell entitled, "Monday Morning Choices: 12 Powerful Ways to Go from Everyday to Extraordinary." In this book Cottrell offers 12 principles for successful living, grouped into three types of choices:

Personal Choices

These are the choices people make that mold their character, including accepting responsibility, commitment, values and integrity.

Action Choices

These are the kind that lead to success, and include being focused by sticking to your objectives, maintaining enthusiasm about work and life, and being willing to deal with difficult issues head on instead of avoiding them.

Investment Choices

These have nothing to do with the economy or how you are investing in the stock market. Instead these are choices that we make by investing in relationships, accepting constructive criticism, seeking the truth, and giving back to others.

Our choices truly do make a difference in our lives. I hope that as a leader you can use wisdom with your personal choices, your action choices, and your investment choices.