The last week of July was a super week with Ascending Leaders, the organization I founded and lead. It included:
- A successful “Leading People from Busyness to Engagement” workshop in Des Moines--our first ever.
- The public premiere of Ascending Leaders’ DVD story for 2011 in the same town that Sarah Palin premiered her movie—Pella, Iowa.
- An Ascending Leaders staff retreat in Pella.
- An Ascending Leaders board planning and meeting in Pella.
- A visit with men who are using our Charting Your Course and other AL materials at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills.
During
this super week, our locations also had us interacting with a number of
employees of two very successful international companies. The founders of each
of these companies were strong Christians who began with something very small
and grew it to be an international corporation. Both of these men passed on
their companies to the next generation of leadership and passed away in recent
years.
The
employees of one of the companies told me that it is not the same company they
started working at. At one time, the company strongly valued the employees and
the community of its home office, but today many employees are feeling used by the
company for the sake of profit.
The
mood at the other company is drastically different. Employees welcomed us warmly as we
toured part of its manufacturing facility. I was told that this generation of
leadership built on the leadership of the first generation to shape the culture
of the company to care even more for its people. They talk about a 4P
perspective of Principles, People, Product and Profit. Principles are critical
to guide this company without its’ success relying on the personality of one or
a few individuals. People are important, as is product and profit so that this
company will have years of viability for everyone it blesses—customers,
dealers, employees and its community. In the downturn which this company experienced
in the 90s they learned how to become even more efficient in their work and to
produce better products with fewer employees—they call it lean manufacturing.
They showed us their next generation of engine that is so good ecologically
that the air it puts out is cleaner than it is when it enters. They also showed us a machine small enough to
be pulled behind a pickup truck on a single axle trailer—a machine that builds
blocks the size of concrete blocks. This machine can build the blocks on the
construction site, so that blocks do not have to be shipped to the
construction—thus decreasing costs. The machine also uses extremely durable
parts so that it will not break down easily. They are excited to develop this
for building earthquake and hurricane-wind resistant homes in developing
countries.
The
culture of this second company is the kind of culture I hope God grows through
us with Ascending Leaders:
- a culture that cares for the value and growth of people in our audience, as well as in our organization.
- a culture that efficiently produces high quality product that blesses people.
- a culture with a financial plan that allows us to be sustainable for years to come, to bless people for generations.
That
is the kind of Christian non-profit I can take delight and pride in
leading. I thank God for the inspiration
from this international corporation. May Ascending Leaders keep growing into
that kind of organization!
