Four Business Traits; Four Aspects of Faith
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders. ”
I was reading a CNBC online article entitled, “CEO: When I meet someone with these 4 traits, I immediately want them to work for me-even if I’m ‘not hiring’,” by Suzy Welch. Suzy is a CEO and an MBA professor. The four values she looks for when hiring are 1. Nerve, 2. Elasticity, 3. Soundness, and 4. Wonderment. The minute I read her article, I recognized the parallel with a meaningful faith life.
A life of faith requires 1. Nerve. Too many Christians and their churches play to the smallest level of faith, the feel-good mentality. Telling people what they want to hear might be a good church marketing strategy, but it isn’t Biblical. From Abraham to Jesus, from Jesus to John of Patmos, and everyone in between took the challenging and meaningful road. God requires the prophetic; demanding faith takes nerve. But nerve without 2. Elasticity will end in rules and laws without long-term transformation. Learning to adapt as God transforms us is a divine expectation. I am not the same person I was when I was newly ordained at 25. Nor should I be. I’ve retained my faith, but many of my faith values have transformed over the years. God does not want us to have a stagnant relationship life.
Our elasticity cannot occur without 3. Soundness. We should evaluate each of our beliefs and actions prayerfully so that we can trust our decision-making is guided by the Holy Spirit and not by irrational whims. Finally, our lives should be focused on 4. Wonderment. God does not want us to live on cruise control. Instead, God has provided us with immeasurable gifts to recognize. Whether it is the beauty of God’s creation on the lake at Glasier National Park or the kindness of a stranger, wonderment is a reminder of God’s eternal love. God’s “four traits” are more beneficial than a business model. Remember these traits and make them your own.
