067 Why your faith matters at work with guest Larry Julian

Some of the greatest tests of our faith are in the very places we work. Your faith matters at work and in this episode, best-selling author of God is My CEO, Larry Julian discusses why.

Our guest for this episode is Larry Julian, best-selling author, speaker and executive coach. Larry is the author of three nationally acclaimed books, God Is My CEO: Following God’s Principles in a Bottom-Line World, God Is My Coach: A Business Leader’s Guide to Finding Clarity in an Uncertain World and God Is My Success: Transforming Adversity into Your Destiny.

Larry offered week’s Inspire Me quote from Joshua 1:9:

“Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.”

Larry described the number one issue facing business leaders is fear. Venturing into the unknown takes courage and the willingness to leave your comfort zone. It’s not surprising then that one of the biggest questions in leadership today is how to overcome the issue of fear.

This is why it is important for us to take our faith into the workplace. The Bible says that perfect loves casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Larry asks, “Do you really feel the love and acceptance of God or is there a level of fear that you have that is coming from yourself? Is it real or is it something that’s in your own mind?” The major battleground is internally—in our mind—and not in the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Many leaders fear showing their soft underbelly, as Larry puts it, their vulnerable side, because they’re afraid they’ll “get burned” by it. Transparency displays courage and builds trust in you to those leaders are leading.

Larry’s advice to the next generation of leaders is to slow down and hit the pause button. Develop good decision making skills because the decisions you make may have long, life-changing effects in both your business and personal life. For Larry, that meant becoming a more attentive listener to be able to draw the best out of those he is coaching. One of his “big aha” moments was discovering that underlying every material issue is a deeper personal issue, which can be very hard to get at.

“Business is about relationships,” Larry says, and good leadership fosters a deeper sense of purpose to connect with the business. Larry recalls a time when Os Guinness put a powerful question to a group of business leaders: “How are you going to help each other find and fulfill your calling? How do you hold your feet to the fire to make that thing happen?”

This week’s Challenge Me:

Larry offered a challenge to listeners to build a passport, as Ken Sandy puts it, with others to develop a deeper relationship with them.

Resources mentioned or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:

• God is My CEO, Larry Julian’s book at Amazon.com
• LarryJulian.com, Larry Julian’s website.