Dear Customers and Friends:
I have been occasionally sharing good business practices based on biblical principles in our Faith Over Fear series. For this segment, I would like to address the importance of fostering teamwork in your business.
In his book Well Done, Christian business coach Ken Gosnell discusses teamwork in his chapter on Principle #10 – “Improve Your Team to Improve Your Organization.”
At our company, we don’t use the word “employee.” We show respect by calling them a “team member.” We want our people to have pride in themselves and feel motivated to be part of our company’s success.
A team helps you build something bigger than you can build alone. No great leader ever led alone. That’s why they say it’s lonely at the top. Jesus knew that. He had his own team, His disciples.
Don’t add just any warm body to your team. Gosnell says to recruit passionate people. “A passionate person is worth four regular people.” Like the Bible says in Ephesians 2:10, we are all created with a purpose. So, find the gifts and passions of your team members, Gosnell advises, then inspire them to release those talents for higher productivity that will be enjoyed by the person and the company.
Mentoring is also important for your company. At Syfan Logistics, we invest heavily in training programs to help our team do a better job. Likewise, encourage your team members to come up with ideas for better operations. We do this at our company and reward the best thoughts with cash bonuses and displaying those ideas on our TV Innovation Wall. Because “the wisdom of others,” Gosnell says, “can be powerful.” It’s also an additional way to show respect.
In another book on business principles, Relationomics, Dr. Randy Ross puts it more bluntly: If you treat people as company assets rather than valued team members, then you better “reassess your leadership.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Blessed to be a Blessing,
Greg Syfan
President, Syfan Logistics