Undercover CEO

One of the new TV shows that I enjoy watching is Undercover CEO. Each episode follows the CEO of a company while he or she takes a week out of the corporate office to work the lowest level jobs within the company in disguise. The supervisors and co-workers are told that a TV crew is following an older worker who has lost his/her job and is starting over at the bottom of the company in an entry level job.

In each episode, the CEO finds that there are some really hard-working people doing these difficult, low-paying jobs. Each CEO has been impressed with most of the people employed by the company. In some cases, the CEO has encountered management people who have not properly portrayed the type of management philosophy the CEO wants displayed.

At the end of every episode the CEO has the employees come to the corporate office where the CEO’s true identity is revealed. To the good, hard working employees, the CEO gives them something to show his gratitude for their hard work. The supervisors that have not been good representatives of the company have been chastised by the CEO and in at least one case, a supervisor was told to change or leave the company.

As a student of management, I like watching the show. Most of the CEOs are terrible at manual labor. I appreciate CEOs who are willing to leave the corporate office to see what really goes on their companies. Southwest Airlines’ former CEO Herb Kelleher did not need a TV show to encourage him to get out and mingle with the employees. He was renowned for showing up at an airport to throw bags with the baggage handlers or work at the ticket counter. While there, he not only understood the work the employees were doing but also engaged them in conversation. Sam Walton routinely drove his pickup truck to Walmart stores to see first-hand what was going in the stores. Harley Davidson requires its executives to go to motorcycle rallies to spend the weekend with HD customers, talking to them about their bikes.

The only way to know what is going on is get out of the office and go see how the work gets done. The Japanese term is “gemba”, which means the real place. Japanese managers are known for spending a great deal of time on the production floor. They want to see what is going on in their businesses.

Jesus came down from His “office” to see what living in this world was really like. He took the lowest level job in the universe, that of servant. He then took the job that no one else could do. He became the sacrifice for sin – not His sins, but our sins. We should have to die for our sins, but He became the sinless sacrifice for our sins.

As we enter this Easter season, carefully consider the sacrifice that Christ made to set you free of sin and to make you a candidate for heaven.

Short-term vs. Long-term Thinking

I just finished my work out routine. I feel great. I’m tired and a little sore, but I feel great. An hour ago I did not feel so well. I was tired. I was sore. I did not want to work out. I had plenty of reasons for not wanting to work out today. I had already worked out plenty of times this week. I just didn’t feel like working out. I didn’t have a lot of time to work out before I had to get ready and go out. How many reasons does a person need for not wanting to work out? But, I did go work out and now I feel better than I did before. I knew I needed to work out but I nearly let my feelings overcome what I knew to be the right thing to do.

Many things in life are like that. I have arthritis. One of the doctor-recommended ways to reduce the pain and stiffness of arthritis is to exercise. But, exercise hurts. What’s the sense in that? And yet, every time I exercise, the arthritis hurts less.

Feelings get us into trouble, many times. We know what is right, but we don’t feel like doing what is right. I don’t feel like exercising, so I don’t. Then I feel less like exercising the next time so I don’t. Eventually I never feel like it so I never exercise again.

Why should we exercise? Why should we eat right? Why shouldn’t we give in to what feels good at the time? We know the answer. Because, long-term it is best for us.

Mathew 16:24-26 says, Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Take up a cross? Deny myself? Why should I do that? Lose my life, why? Because long-term (and short-term) it’s best.

People that take a “long-term thinking” approach to life are the ones who are best able to overcome their feelings and make the correct choices in life. If I think short-term, I stay on the couch and don’t exercise. If I think long-term, I realize that a little pain now pays off. Long-term thinking means I save money today so that I have a retirement fund and a rainy day fund in the future. Short-term thinking allows me to spend every dime I have on my wants now. People, who take a long-term view of life, prepare themselves by going to college or learning a trade or just learning new skills. Short-term thinkers don’t worry about tomorrow.

Really long term thinkers, consider where they will spend eternity and prepare themselves now to meet God one day. Short-term thinkers don’t want to think that far ahead.

What are you thinking about? Are you thinking long-term or short-term?