André Olivier, Lead Pastor of Rivers Church Sandton & Durban, shares principle for Christian business success.  Andre shares that your thinking must be aligned with accurate Biblical thinking.  Primarily believing that God wants you to succeed and you have gifts which need to be developed.

Take what you have, release your gifts and believe for multiplication.  As you do, you may just discover that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are at their best when on display in the marketplace.

Many are called to the world of business, we pray that you discover,unlock and live that Godly destiny with which you were born.  Ultimately, the fullness with which you live your life helps us all.

C12 shares the following case study, "Barnhart Crane - Building a GREAT Business for a GREATER Purpose, presented by Alan Barnhart, President & CEO, Barnhart Crane & Rigging.

True servant leadership produces enduring results in the lives, businesses, and stakeholders of those who practice it. The compelling story of Barnhart Crane & Rigging's rise to industry leadership over three decades while fueling vibrant Christ-centered ministry is a window into what can happen when senior company leaders serve Christ first.

Alan shares his own initial Biblical convictions about the potential dangers of wealth, key decisions made along the way to produce a distinctive Christ-honoring growth company, and practical ways they have tried to minimize any distractions related to growing company value and prominence.

Barnhart's unique, God-honoring story includes how they deliver marketplace ministry through The GROVE Group (God's Resource Operating Very Effectively), the giving arm of the company. In many ways, Barnhart Crane is an example of what can happen when we keep first things first, through humble but firm leadership, and invite others to join us in this worthy journey!"

Should you be one whose destiny leads to tremendous wealth, then this story of generosity will help you along the way to discover, unlock and live your Godly destiny.

Since the early 1990's, the business world has been talking about and innovating around the idea of a balanced scorecard.  This concept attempts to move the purpose of business from profitability, which only cares for and esteems the shareholder as the ultimate winner, while all other parties in the transaction are left in second status.

As this idea has progressed, it has fostered debate that shareholders, customers, vendors, employees and the community must all be winners in the business process.  And, as the theory goes, everyone ends up better off, including the shareholder who was previously at the center of the economic model.

In this video, Darden School of Business Professor R. Edward Freeman hosts a conversation with John Mackey, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, on the purpose of business.

This is an especially important concept for Christian Business people as they struggle between the need to be profitable and the need to give all - as unto the Lord.  However, as you live your Godly destiny through your business, you may discover that God has a desire to bless everyone who comes in contact with your business.  Sort of the ultimate God centered scorecard.  Just saying.

According to TedxCharlottesville, "R. Edward "Ed" Freeman is a prolific educator, consultant and speaker, best known for his work on the topics of Stakeholder Management and Business Ethics. He also teaches Leading with Meaning, helping organizations create a culture that brings out the best in everyone.

Freeman is perhaps best known for his award winning book, Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, first published in 1984 and reissued in 2010 by Cambridge University Press. This landmark book has helped to define and shape our understanding of how good management practice really is based on relationship - relationships with the stakeholders who affect or are affected by the business.

Today, Freeman is working passionately to create long-term stakeholder value in business through the Institute for Business in Society and Conscious Capitalism, Inc. He believes that the ultimate purpose of business is to create value rather than to maximize profit. Freeman is excited about innovation and entrepreneurs that can help to solve the world's toughest problems. His massive online offering course (MOOC), New Models of Business in Society is reaching thousands around the globe."

The pursuit of a culture of purpose may be one of the most important things you can do as a leader in your company.  And, it may be one of the most important things you can do to discover, unlock and live your Godly destiny.

In this video, Margaret Heffernan makes a strong argument for what lies at the foundation of great teamwork and ultimate success.  Even within the local church, ask yourself, is there a pecking order of superstars, or is there a team working to unleash destinies and expand the Kingdom of God?

Her Ted talks shares the idea that, "Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what drives the most high-achieving teams. Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It's a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. Because as Heffernan points out: “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.”

Having great togetherness and teamwork is crucial in discovering, unlocking and living Godly destiny.

In this video, Margie Warrell encourages us to know our why, to connect with our purpose, to understand our calling in life.  While Margie focuses her teaching toward those in the world of business, we believe that this is one of the most important aspect of human existence and the key to engaging your Godly destiny - whatever your area of influence.

Regarding Margie Warrell, Big Speak shares, "Recognized internationally as a thought leader in human potential, Margie Warrell’s personal and professional development programs as a top female motivational speaker engage, educate and empower.  Margie has walked her talk when it comes to living bravely and building resilience. Her message of courage – and it’s imperative to rethink risk and challenge self-limiting ’stories’ – stems from the many challenges and personal adversities she’s faced in her life. Since growing up on a dairy farm in rural Australia, she has traveled extensively, venturing off the beaten track in over 60 countries through the Middle East, South America, Africa and Asia and relocated around the world several times with her husband and four children."

Whether in the world of business or in the business of life, service to others is a key to living your Godly destiny.  This type of purpose can be in the "big" things or the "little" things, but regardless of the size of the thing - significance matters.  Also, don't forget little things can be hidden as big things and big things can be disguised as little things.

As you watch this video and listen to this story, please kindly consider how a little act of kindness and service mushroomed into motivating and inspiring tens of thousands of people directly.  Also, please kindly contemplate the incredible power of service.

In this video, Gary Hamel outlines the changes in management and leadership thought that are shaping the future.  At the core of his presentation is his understanding that human beings are amazingly adaptable, innovative and engaging - that we are built to aim high and start working.

Be encouraged as this bit of leading business thought helps to prepare you discover, unlock and live your Godly destiny.

This video by Rich Sheridan introduces us to the idea that we should experiment with ideas without fear.  He suggests that fear must be sucked from the room to truly unleash purpose and destiny.  Is it possible that your Godly destiny is stalled out by fear of making a mistake?  What if the answer to true spiritual authority and destiny was to make mistakes faster, free from fear?  Could embracing the joy of the Lord help you unlock and live your Godly destiny.  Might unspeakable joy follow?

Before discounting this idea as foolishness, you might want to here Rich's story and how experimenting without fear transformed his business and life.

From Menlow Innovations website, "Learn what focusing on Joy can do for your company Menlo is a software design and development company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Last year, 2,197 people came from around the world to visit us. They made the trek not to learn about technology, but to witness a radically different approach to workplace culture — one intentionally designed to produce joy.

At Menlo, we have built a culture that removes the fear and ambiguity that traditionally makes a workplace miserable. With joy as the explicit goal, we've changed everything about how our company is run, and have brought that joy into the lives of our clients and their end users. Joy, Inc. offers readers an inside look at our belief system and how it influences our physical environment, embraces making mistakes, and eliminates stereotypical meetings all while fostering dignity and respect for each other.

Joy, Inc. is for readers in any field who want tangible examples for a healthier, happier atmosphere at work—and the sustainable business results required for growth. Readers will come away with an inspirational blueprint for how to create a corporate culture centered on joy in their own workplace."

What would happen if we were animated by joy rather than fear?

Hebrews 10: 24-25 instructs us to, "...think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (NLT) 

Great togetherness in pursuit of Godly destiny requires that we root for each other, and encourage each other.  And, as Godly destinies are expressed through business enterprise, we find that the same Biblical principals apply.

To that end we share this video by Chester Elton, where on his website he describes the power of the Carrot Principle.  He opines, "The Carrot Principle shows definitively that the central characteristic of the most successful managers is that they provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition—a practice that unquestionably taps into our own human nature. Recognition inspires results in every age group, career level, and culture! With breakthrough research of 200,000 people over ten years from The Jackson Organization, and massive, new global data collected by Towers Perrin, The Carrot Principle demonstrates how constructive praise and meaningful rewards powerfully motivates people from every walk of life and inspires employees to excel, engage, and bring their best to work every day.

Drawing on case studies from leading companies including Disney, DHL, KPMG, and Pepsi Bottling Group, bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton show how the transformative power of purpose-based recognition produces astonishing results—whether measured by return on equity, return on assets, or operating margin. And they show how great managers who lead with carrots achieve higher:

• Productivity
• Engagement
• Retention
• Customer satisfaction

The Carrot Principle illustrates that the relationship between recognition and improved business results is highly predictable—it’s proven to work, time and time again. But, it’s not the employee recognition some of us have been using for years. This is recognition done right, recognition combined with four other core traits of effective leadership. And, effective recognition, which all managers can easily learn and begin practicing for immediate results doesn’t take time—it can be done in a matter of moments, and it requires very little investment to create a huge ROI."