“I Must Be About My Father’s Business.”

674 words – 3 minute-read

The Gospel of Luke in the Bible’s New Testament tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

You might find a reference to the Bible and Jesus in a business blog as strange or unusual some may even think it inappropriate.

However, we suggest that we can learn much about strategic planning and business management from the teachings of Jesus. After all, Jesus was in His “family business.”

As well as instructing us on how to live a better life, His teachings directly apply to our considerations for planning and running our organizations and how to deal with our clients and employees..

I credit and thank Jared Vineyard, a blogger with Universal Cargo, and his splendid piece entitled Seven Tips for Your Business From Jesus Christ Part 1 and 2 (March 15, 2012). I will cite his insights and add my own.

I came to the idea to develop this series as I was sitting and thinking about a personal issue and asking myself the proverbial question, “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD)

Over the years, I have found myself more often asking that question in the context of my personal life and when I am consulting with clients or facilitating a contentious meeting.

In keeping with Mr. Vineyard’s original piece, we will call Jesus’ Ministry His “business” and His disciples as His “team” or “employees.”

Let us consider the basics.

Success in any organization requires a mission, vision, an understanding of your values and your risk tolerance, a strategy to finance the operation, planning for possible hiccups, and continuous evaluation to ensure you are creating excellence as part of your product or service.

When Jesus was in the temple among His “business peers,” he was asking and answering inquiries and being subjected to critiques and questions. He was preparing for the business of doing business.

Jesus had a clear vision. He was the messenger of the coming Kingdom of God, which would replace the authority of all earthly kingdoms. His mission was to spread this good news to all people. He valued people of all worldly and societal classes. And he understood and accepted the risks.

Personally, I spent 21-years of my life educating myself, reading about, and listening intently to my mentors and other successful consultants. I sought out those who created excellence in their fields and analyzed their business structures, marketing, and evaluative systems.

I sought additional specialized guidance and education, especially in my areas of weakness, sometimes questioning my competency, which was a good thing, to prepare myself for the eventuality of announcing the opening of a unique business with an unheard-of model of communication and engagement.

After all, how many people have ever heard of “a behavioral public relations firm” promoting “collaborative informed consent?”

Now, 28-years after opening our firm and as we ease into semi-retirement, we have the time to reflect on our lessons learned and share them for your consideration.

That is the purpose of these blog articles. We will share the hard-earned lessons of our business as they say the good, the bad, and the funny.

Too often, we have seen good people with interesting ideas and good intentions jump into their business without taking the time to prepare appropriately.

Although I hold degrees in behavioral psychology and communications, I knew I needed further education in behavioral profiling, dealing with difficult people, and facilitation skills.

I took and taught classes, attended workshops, and sought out mentors. I had to learn Quickbooks, time and deadline scheduling, pricing, marketing, and writing requests for proposals.

Learning something new daily became an integral part of our business for almost three decades. It still is.

Jesus planned for success. He came to understand the “industry literature” thoroughly and came forward with a clear plan that incorporated His vision, mission, and values. Subsequently, he was able to lead His team to success.

Therefore, as we move forward, we commend to you this quote “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin said, which sums it up quite well.