JANUARY 22 • TRUE LEADERSHIP
Work Ethic
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
We are created for work! We are created in God’s image and He worked six days and rested one (Deuteronomy 5:13-14). There is purpose in this for us. Proverbs 13:4 says that the lazy person wants but gets nothing while the diligent person is richly supplied.
Level 3 of the 5 Levels of Leadership is Production (or Productivity), meaning that people will follow us if we are productive and good at our job. We will never get to be a Level 5 Leader if we are not as productive as we can be. It is a reflection of God’s character. How we work speaks volumes to those around us. Work serves several purposes: we are responsible to the organization and our leaders; we help grow the organization; we are a good example to others around us who may be tempted to just get by; we provide for ourselves and our family.
[btw, whenever I talk about an organization, that includes any group of people, work, church, family, team, etc., so apply this to all situations.]
In researching many other definitions of Work Ethic, I compiled, in order of most to least mentioned, the following characteristics: dedication, productivity, reliability, professionalism, cooperation, team player, integrity, punctuality, initiative, self-discipline, accountability, selflessness, changeability, perseverance, respectfulness, as well as a dozen more characteristics mentioned just once. Most of these — if not all — have been or will be covered in True Leadership because they are indeed good definitions of good character and good leadership traits.
The point here is that whatever we do we should do it incredibly with a desire to please the King of the Universe — not merely to get by for the day or the task. The better we do our task, the more we are helping ourselves as well as others! I want to be the best employee/parent/spouse/friend/worker that I can be so I rightly display the Author of Life in His true image! Plus, there is profit in all work so the better I work, the more value it has to me and others. Work matters!
Pray: Father, help me be a great reflection of your true image — help me work hard at everything I put my hand to!
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