It Matters How You Cut...
The market is shifting.
I see people making cuts,
Getting lean,
Being smart.
I just want to remind you that even in this very logical and practical act of responding to the market, we can still shine Jesus' love and light in the process.
I'll just share the mistakes I made in the past...
"It's only business..." = Permission to act logically (without compassion)
The market is shifting and expenses need to be cut. No biggie, right? Everyone is doing it. It's being encouraged if not required. So what's the big deal?
It matters the WAY you do it not the fact that you did.
For example, firing an employee or contractor...
It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to say "I have bad news. The market it shifting. I have to let you go. I truly wish you the best. (Hug and awww)".
And that could be the end of the conversation and no one would accuse you of being cruel or harsh.
So let me ask you this...
How would Jesus do it?
There's no single right answer, but let's explore it...
If we were to dig into our creative box and see that person through God's eyes and consider them JUST as precious as you or MORE...
What would you do differently?
Would you take the extra step to make some calls beforehand and offer some better solutions? Would you proactively put a word in for them at other companies? Write them a stellar letter of recommendation to help them find their next job? Would you give them severance pay or any extra depending on how long they've been with you?
I'm just saying that I used to be the person that didn't even think about doing anything "more" when letting an employee go... until I developed a real relationship with Jesus.
The deeper I got with Him, the better I treated my employees, teammates, contractors and 3rd party vendors.
The more I got to know Christ, the more I wanted to be like that with EVERYONE. Even those I was ending a business relationship with.
I became more patient, kinder, gentler, more generous in ways I never would have imagined.
That's how I know it's 100% Jesus doing it and not me.
I would have never been patient, kind and generous to the degree He led me to.
I'm not saying that you have to go overboard with every release, but I would encourage you to review HOW you are doing so that if you're on the receiving end, you can think...
"Wow...! They didn't have to do that and there's something about it that touched my heart." (aka they felt Jesus' love in the way you handled the situation)
What would it take to produce that type of response?
I'm just inviting you to PRAY about it.
Holy Spirit has the best ideas.
He is VERY creative.
Just sit with it for a while.
Perhaps you can earnestly pray for provision for that person's career and family.
Perhaps you can earnestly pray for a new opening for that person to show up.
Perhaps you can ask for specific guidance on when and how to deliver the news.
I don't know the "right" way to do this except, integrate Holy Spirit into the process.
Let Him LEAD you in new ways.
With that said...
God's got you during this shift. Lean IN!
Remember, even from back in the days of Israel out of Egypt, God always made provisions for the poor and less fortuante.
He never wants us to milk people or things for everything it's worth.
It's not about US getting the best deal all the time.
(I used to do that all the time... negotiate the crap out of everything.)
We probably could negotiate our way into it, but does that really reflect His spirit?
(I know I didn't.)
I definitely had to take a hard look at the way I handled myself in negotiations and structuring deals after reading this verse...
"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God."
God gifted us a business to STEWARD.
It's actually HIS business not ours.
So we must represent Him in excellence in ALL that we do.
What do you need to handle differently?
How can you reflect His character in ALL things we do, even the hard stuff?
Cheers to God's light shining through EVERYTHING you do! ^_^
