I have a consulting client that is a 3rd generation family business.  The young “Gen 3” leader has been rediscovering and redeploying some of the core values that drove his grandfather in founding the business, and that had been lost over the course of the 2nd generation of family leadership.  One might say that the business had grown more efficient at generating profits, but less effective at living out ethics.  As I watch the “Gen 3” leader once again lift up timeless corporate values, I’m reminded of the Biblical story of King Josiah.  Josiah became a king in Jerusalem at only 8 years of age, and “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 22:2).  About halfway through his reign, amidst repairing the temple, an old scroll believed to be from Deuteronomy was brought to Josiah and read in his presence.  This was a profound moment for the King, who realized that the people of Judah had strayed from their spiritual beliefs.  This led Josiah to enact a wide range of reforms (2 Kings 23:1-24) that became an enduring standard of excellence.  As Christian workplace leaders, we are to be “in the work world but not of it”, charged with nothing less the bringing “heaven to earth” throughout our spheres of influence.

 

Photo by Hasnain Sikora on Unsplash