Gallup finds that a manager having one meaningful conversation per week with each team member develops high-performance relationships more than any other leadership activity. Here are several reasons this is true, even in a Kingdom business.
- Conversations with sons around purpose is how God communicates what it means to put the Kingdom first. When you talk to me about my purpose, that’s when I know your putting me first.
- The goal of a Kingdom business includes people. We’re not just producing widgets and services for customers, we’re growing people; discipling them to embrace their calling. Helping them experience being chosen by God to do something great.
- When we train people to do well in our business, we don’t just want their best effort. We’re looking for anointing. In a Kingdom business we want what God can do through sons and daughters. We’re intentional about helping our staff connect with the path God wired into their heart. We use conversations to get there.
- Losing employees costs about 2X their annual salary to find and train their replacement. Ignoring the hearts of people comes with a big price tag. Kingdom business is good for cash flow. It pays to love people and demonstrate it practically by taking time to “know” them.
- We are proactive about intentionally building a Kingdom culture in our business. Conversational 1-on-1’s is a big part of how we get there. Shared Kingdom purpose is the foundation for the partnership we’re looking for in our staff.
How to Conduct 1-on-1’s in business – We tapped Chris Orecchio to help build the bridge between 1-on-1 conversations and building a Kingdom Culture in your business. It comes extemporaneously (relationally) in approximately these three stages:
#1. Conversations – Start without an agenda and just listen… to their heart. The topics might be work, co-workers, family, hobbies… whatever. The goal is to hear what’s in their heart and how God has wired them. You can’t find that out by talking, you have to listen! People want to know if you are willing to take the time and see them; what they can do is another facet. They want to know if you (and God) see them as important. Are they serfs or sons?
Ask them about job performance or KPI’s and build a bridge to understand where they are doing well and what they find frustrating. Help remove the obstacles so they can be productive. Offer to help with training, or mentoring, or additional tools that will help them.
#2. Relationships – the next second level of conversation down the road a few weeks is answering the questions in their heart: Do you see me? The dream in my heart? Is there a purpose for being here? At this level were steering the conversation into two topics:
- Asking (or helping) them articulate their own Kingdom purpose. We may even offer to take them through a purpose profile at this level. This can be done formally or informally. It doesn’t have to feel like a test. We’re inviting them into the space of becoming themselves and expressing that uniqueness at work.
- The second topic is the Corporate Kingdom Purpose or the Business Purpose Profile. While we’re inviting them into the transparency of sharing their dream, and we’re candidly sharing ours and looking for the synergism in shared purpose. Does our corporate purpose resonate with them prophetically? It should!
We can also engage them around tweaking or expanding our corporate purpose. It communicates the reality of shared purpose. If it needs to change, can they help us fix or add to it?
#3. Shared Purpose – Realizing the Kingdom Purpose of our business is the reason we’re in business. Helping our staff realize their dream in the process is also something we intentionally own in a Kingdom business. We see our team as treasures in earthen vessels and feel the assignment to disciple and development their potential naturally and spiritually. If their career track is inside our business, we want to cooperate with that. We do the same if their track is outside our business. We graduate and celebrate rather than terminate.
There is also a level of partnering or collaborating with our star performers. We can offer stock, employee ownership, leading a new wing on our business, even subcontracting them from outside our business. Wherever the conversation and the purpose of Heaven leads, we are willing to go there and find a way to make it work. Because we know this simple kingdom truth, Father loves and leads us and our staff in the direction of His purpose, and that’s good for people and business.
Rom 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose.
🔥 There is a sister blog on this topic, Staff Engagement in a Kingdom Business.
🔥 Part 1 is Face Time in Heaven.
We start by helping businesspeople clarify their Kingdom Purpose; as in get it prophetically correct and on paper. We use that month of getting purpose on paper with weekly zooms to get to know one another and to see if additional coaching will help your business take the next step. It’s thrilling for your heart and your business when you can feel the chosen-ness that goes with Kingdom purpose. Others will resonate and join your and Father’s cause.
- The self-help online version is called the Nail Your Purpose Field Guide ($47)
- If you’re a business owner and want 1-on-1 help crafting your Purpose Profile ($1000)
John Garfield (Book a Zoom Call with John)
