"How I Work" Report Part 1

Over the last two days I’ve been studying an article from Fortune magazine. (I know Jeff, “why is a pastor reading Fortune?” ) But it is exactly this type of article that really connects me to the magazine.

I believe that leadership is a key ingredient in a successful pastor. “The world defines success as 1. How many people can I control, 2. How much money can I make. Success in the Kingdom of God is defined as 1. How many people can I serve, 2. How much money can I give away.” – Dr. H. Robert Rhoden

The article is called “How I Work”. It is a study of leaders in Business and Government and habits that they use in leading. The following are my reflections based on their interviews:

Carlos Ghosn (CEO Nissan and Renault): “It is also important to me to take a distance from the problem.” Mr. Ghosn doesn’t bring work home and spends time with his children and family on weekends. He believes that this distance helps him when he reengages the problem on Monday.

Marissa Mayer (VP, Google): “I pace myself by taking a weeklong vacation every four months.” I like this. Not just the idea of vacation, but pacing myself. I try to work hard. In fact, I fight against working too much. When people make comments about me not working hard enough (even jokingly) it drives me to work harder. My wife, Corie, has told me repeatedly that the biggest fear that she has going into church planting is that I’ll work too much and not be around for my family. That is a big challenge to me. I’m committed to pacing myself, and the better I do that, the better Father, Husband, and Pastor I’ll be.

Bill Gross (CIO, Pimco): “I don’t want to be connected—I want to be disconnected.” Specifically, Bill follows information on investments. Tickers and scrolling are a constant part of his job. He is in a 70 person trading room. There can, I’m sure, be quite a bit of overload. Though this work is not directly applicable to me, I do think that sometimes pastors can be too surrounded with the noise of the church rather than disconnecting and hearing the quiet cries of the lost. In turn pastors spend way too much time in their office, and should be in the harvest field.
Further, Gross works out for an hour and a half every day between 8:30-10:00. Anyone who knows me, know that I have a weight problem. I’m currently working out and trying to lose some weight. But mainly, I’m trying to increase strength and stamina. The better I can be physically, the better leader I can be. I believe that the toll ministry takes will only further emphasize the need for physical fitness and health.

Ok… To be continued. Your thoughts? Leave a comment.