Perhaps there is some entertainment value in reality shows like "The Apprentice". You can barely miss the promos. Every week Donald Trump callously eliminates one aspiring executive after another with his trademark words, "You're fired!" The stakes are always high. The competition is fierce. The process is brutal. The contestants walk on eggshells. The show climaxes when a sole surviving executive finally hears the words, "You're hired!"
This week it was Kendra, a real estate developer, who edged out the rest for the prize. But does "The Apprentice" represent reality? Does it represent the best of corporate America? Does it embody the ideals of the employer-employee relationship? Or is it a caricature?
Last Sunday we unpacked the application of Ephesians 6:5-8 for the employee. An employee is that person who finds himself at the bottom of the totem pole. When the book of Ephesians was written, it was slaves who were at the bottom of the totem pole. Slaves were the common laborers. They were subject to masters who controlled their livelihood and who often ruled over them with an iron fist. In Ephesians 6 the apostle Paul urges the slaves to transcend their circumstances and to see the bigger picture. To move beyond a psychology of victimization and "woe is me."
First, he instructs the slave to have a proper attitude. The slave is to have an attitude of respect, fear, sincerity of heart, and obedience. In Ephesians 6:5 (NIV) he says, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." Nothing is gained in any work environment with a sour attitude. A sour attitude and a spirit of insubordination is the least effective response to any wrong suffered in a workplace.
Second, Paul instructs the slave to exhibit godly character and to labor with integrity, whether the eye of his master is on him or not. To always do what is right, from the heart, and to always do the will of God, no matter who is looking. In Ephesians 6:6 (NIV)he says, "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart."
Third, Paul instructs the slave to serve productively with one’s whole heart, offering one’s personal best. Ultimately, the slave isn’t serving man, but rather God. In Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV) he says, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."
These three qualities, a right attitude, a godly character, and personal productivity, won’t win you a spot on "The Apprentice", but they will be rewarded by God and they will enable the employee to transcend the most difficult working environment. If the employee can work in a slave-master relationship, he is sure to work well in the employee-employer relationship.
The employer's responsibility to the employee.
So that is an overview of where we spent our time last week. This week we focus on the employer side of employer-employee relationship.
There are many of you here this morning who find yourselves in authority over others. Maybe you are the owner of a business or company, a restaurant, a store, a construction company, a real estate agency, or an accounting firm. In each case you have the ultimate say over everything that happens in your business. You set the tone for the whole business. But even if you aren't the owner, some of you are in positions of authority and responsibility over others. You are under authority, but others are under your authority. You are an executive, a manager, a supervisor, a trainer, a human resource officer, or a team leader. You hire and fire. You evaluate. You troubleshoot. You schedule. You motivate. You're responsible for the task, for results, and for attaining goals.
I have tremendous respect for both the leader and manager, but also for the subordinate. I think it is tough being in that subordinate role where another person is making decisions that greatly impact your livelihood. But it is equally as tough taking that leadership role and making the tough calls. Being responsible for what others do, having the difficult performance conversations, resolving conflicts, setting an example, and cultivating excellence.
The employer as a manager
The employer and employee really live in two completely different universes. When I came to Lakeside, the elders asked me to take a leadership role with the staff. Before that, I was a lone pastor in a smaller church. As a lone pastor I didn’t have anyone else to worry about in the office. It was just me! I was amazed at how well I could get along with myself. I always had a good attitude. I always understood my godly intentions.I always gave my personal best. If things weren’t going well in the office, I would have a meeting with me, myself, and I, and the three of us would take care of it.
But now, in a leadership role with multiple staff members, it is not so easy. If I am not vigilant about my attitude, it can be amplified in others. Have you ever gone to a store and all the clerks were nasty and snippy? Usually this happens because the boss is having a bad day. Or a bad month. As a leader, manager, employer, boss, or business owner, you set the tone for all those who are under your authority. That is no small amount of pressure!
Consider the godly character required of an employee. How much more is godly character required in a leader or manager? Or what about personal productivity? You set the bar for integrity and productivity by who you are and what you do, and not just by what you say, what title you hold, or what actions you demand. The attitude, character, and productivity of the employee gets noticed. But the attitude, character, and productivity of the boss gets magnified hundreds of times over.
Everything that applies to employees from Ephesians 6:5-8 equally applies to employers. In Ephesians 6:9 (NIV) the apostle Paul applies Ephesians 6:5-8 to masters. He says, "And masters, treat your slaves in the same way." Take all these things that apply to subordinates and to slaves, and apply them to yourselves! In other words, the employer is to model the attitude, the spirit, the respect, the submission, the obedience, the character, the work ethic, and the productivityhe expects out of those under him. It doesn’t matter thathe writes the check. The employer must be who and what he expects others to be.
The Employer as a model
And herein lies the great difficulty for masters, bosses, leaders, managers, or whoever. Before addressing the attitude gap, character gap, and performance gap in those under you, you have to address these gaps in yourself! As you address the incongruities in your own life,you gain the credibility and necessary authority to address them in others. The leader must first face the deep changes needed within himself or herself before demanding deep change in others.
Your title, your position, your power, your authority,or your ownership of the company does not make you exempt from being godly. Employers complain about employees not taking care of the customer. But is the employer taking care of the employee? Is the employee getting a fair wage? Is he being treated with respect?Is he being valued?
Employers complain about employees not being loyal or possessing commitment. But is the employer demonstrating this same loyalty and commitment? At a store I worked at, a bunch of employees quit and left the company one day. Upper management grumbled. But a week earlier they had dismissed a half dozen department managers, without notice, because of company downsizing. In fact, they made the managers leave the store immediately and wished them luck in finding new jobs without showing concern for their families or for the contributions they had been making.
The old adage, "you reap what you sow" holds true in every part of life. The employer truly reaps what we sow. But to keep it fair, so does the employee. Those in positions of authority over others have tremendous responsibility. And there really aren’t any shortcuts. Leading and managing others is some of hardest work.
Common mistakes made by employers.
Now let’s consider the rest of Ephesians 6:9 (NIV)."And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him." One of the mistakes that employers often make is threatening employees.
Threatening and manipulating employees.
In the employer’s mind, threats are often justified. He is concerned about the bottom line and about making money. He is concerned about meeting a goal or deadline, or about completing the task. He is concerned about meeting the customer’s needs. He is concerned about his company’s reputation. He has tried everything else! A lot of times employees aren’t in tune with the bottom line, the bigger picture, the customer’s needs, or the company’s image. They are doing their job. They have bills to pay, a mortgage to meet, and kids to send to college. They are in a different world.
Out of desperation, many employers resort to manipulation. They threaten the employee’s job security. "Do this or else." They make an example of someone. They become demanding and insist on higher productivity. They withhold a raise or benefit that the employee deserves. They wield their positions like a club.
A lot of times a boss or employer will emotionally manipulate his employees. He makes everyone walk on eggshells until a problem is resolved or a goal is met. He explodes in anger or he withdraws in anger and silence.
Of course, some of these actions may generate short term results, but not for the long haul! Any psychologist will tell you that fear is one of the least effective motivators. One reason coercion doesn’t work is because it undermines the employee’s security. Uncertain of the future or of his place in the company, the employee opts for a "peace and pay" mindset where self-preservation and survival become the ultimate goals. While they search for a better opportunity, they merely go through the motions, logging hours, and collecting the next paycheck. Instead of making a contribution, the leech wastes precious resources, and then nobody wins. Coercion destroys morale and erodes productivity as fast as any workplace malady.
Showing favoritism or disrespect.
Another mistake employers make is showing favoritism. In Ephesians 6:9 (NIV) Paul reminds the employer that with God, there is no favoritism. "Both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him." Favoritism is valuing one person more than another. In our state we have laws against discrimination. But discrimination happens all the time in the best workplaces.
Whether we admit it or not, we value certain people more because of their personality, their appearance, their age, their weight, their health, their economic status, their family connections, their educational background, their religion, and yes, their race. Of course, none of these things may actually have any real bearing on their ability to do their jobs. In our sinful nature we subconsciously and consciously favor some people over others.
Employers make a grave error if they don’t respect people in the core of their being. Whether you realize it or not, your body betrays your heart. If you don’t respect someone, it is apparent from your lack of eye contact, the tone of your voice, slumped shoulders, inattentiveness, wrinkles on your forehead, posture- you name it. If you don’t think that an entry level worker matters, they’ll know it in a snap. And they will give you less productivity and more attitude than you care to receive.
As an employer, everyone who works for you is a person of dignity and as such, deserves respect. If you don’t value your employees and give them the respect they deserve, they’ll become even more disrespectful. And that is in no one’s best interest.
Forgetting who and what our work is ultimately done for.
Now, the biggest mistake employers make I have saved for last. It is missing who and what our work is ultimately for. In Ephesians 6:9 (NIV) Paul says he who is, "....both their Master and yours is in heaven." Whether you are an employee or an employer, you are ultimately serving Christ, not man. Whether you are relating to a customer, an employee, or your boss, you are ultimately relating to Jesus Christ. We serve Christ and show our relationship with him in the workplace.
You don’t work for a living and you don’t run a business to make money. Everything we do is for the glory of God. It is for Christ to be magnified in our lives. Your boss needs to know Christ. Your employees need to know Christ. Your customers need to see Christ. They see him as you become an imitator of God.
We do God’s will, not because other people deserve it or because it helps us, but because God deserves it, and because God says it is right, and because we know that God will reward those who do what is right. In Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV) Paul says, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."