March 19, 2008

Five-minute video was shown on Reclaiming the “7 Mountains of Culture”

1.       Government

2.       Education

3.       Media

4.       Arts & Entertainment

5.       Religion

6.       Family

7.       Business/Marketplace

Key Points from Reclaiming the 7 Mountains of Culture Video

·         All the other mountains depend on Business (the marketplace funds and fuels the other mountains).

·         When we lose influence, we lose the culture.  When we lose the culture, we fail to advance God’s kingdom.

·         There is a vast army waiting to be engaged and equipped.

Brief Bio on Bill Hyatt

·         Bill Hyatt’s professional background spans a broad range of experience ranging from Silicon Valley start-ups to larger public Health Care companies.

·         Bill has been CEO/President of a number of high tech, venture backed companies in fields which include software, computer peripherals, medical lasers and industrial sensing.

·         In addition, Bill has served as a Board member for a number of early stage companies – and as a consult in international marketing, business strategy and organizational development.

·         He has most recently worked at Varian Medical Systems - Palo Alto, CA, successfully launching a new cancer therapy product line.

·         Bill’s primary involvement in ministry has been as a member of the Board of Elders at Peninsula Bible Church (Palo Alto and Cupertino, CA) for nearly thirty years.

·         He has also led numerous seminars and classes focused on work/family/faith issues.

·         Bill and his wife, Yvonne, live in Northern California.  They have four grown children and two grandchildren.

Identified 3 responses to faith from Silicon Valley

·         Those individuals who are fully committed to Christ and live it out

·         Whatever works for you – “It’s just not for me.”

·         Cynics

Person of Faith Must Focus on 3 Areas

1.       Internal

2.       External

3.       Outcome

Internal

·         Who are you?

·         Are you a person of integrity?

·         What is your character like?

·         What is your commitment to living out faith in the workplace?

·         Once individuals know you follow Christ, you are held to a different standard.  You will be under the microscope.

-        It is important that your actions line up with your words.

·         Are you committed to growing?

-        Small groups and one-on-one meetings with other business leaders helps you grow in understanding.

·         Bill told a story about how he prayed one morning while in Japan that the Lord would provide him with a friend/peer/businessman to come into his life so that he could be transparent about issues he was facing in the workplace, business, etc.

-        The same day that he prayed that prayer, he got on a plane leaving Japan heading back to Silicon Valley. 

-        He actually saw a gentleman from his church who he did not know very well on the same flight.

-        They actually had seats beside each other on the return flight.

-        A friendship eventually developed that allowed Bill to grow in his faith, expand his views on faith@work, etc.

·         Be comfortable with who you are – we must focus on the internal so that the external and the outcomes flow out of who we are.

External

·         What you do?

·         The external is how you interact with others (co-workers, those working for you, your boss, your family, etc.), the types of relationships you have with others.  This is the internal made visible.

·         Servant leadership is an example of the external

·         Carrying water to the troops

·         Coming alongside your co-workers, peers, etc. and asking “How can I help?”

·         Another example is understanding what your customers need and forming relationships with them.

-        How do you treat your vendors?

-        How do you treat your customers?

-        Do you have meaningful relationships with them?

·         Bill explained that in the 70’s and 80’s in Silicon Valley there was a perception that permeated business that said you show up and work and you don’t care for people.  The focus was getting your job done, not getting your job done and caring for people also.

·         There has been a shift there along with other areas of the US that focuses on the “whole person” or the “whole employee.”

·         There is a call that we treat those around us like whole people

-        Bill told the story of one of his engineers who was disengaged in a meeting one afternoon.  After the meeting was over, he approached the engineer and asked him how he was doing.  The engineer went on to explain that his wife had left him.  Bill was dealing with the whole person and had opportunities to minister to this engineer’s needs.

·         We are to demonstrate servant leadership to co-workers, boss, managers, customers, vendors.

·         Bill had a requirement for those who worked for him that they properly balance their family life with work life.  A part of their annual review was whether the employee took his/her spouse (at a minimum) on a weekend trip away every six months.  He encouraged family time.

·         Bill and his wife would go to dinner with employees’ and their spouses to build and cultivate relationships.

·         A question to ask those we work with, “How can I help you do your job?” or “How can I as your manager or your employee do my job in a way that makes your easier?”

·         “How can I help you?” Is a simple question we can ask.

·         Get to know our customers – ask about their families, their hobbies, etc.

·         Relationships take time.  It takes work to build and cultivate relationships.  This is better than having to replace employees, etc.

Outcome

·         What does this look like?  What does this feel like?

·         What are the results?  Refreshment

-        We will refresh people around us with our presence.  We will encourage people.  We will bless people.  We will help people.

·         The test of OUTCOME is does your behavior cause employees to be refreshed?

·         When you read 2 Samuel 23:1-4, the thought that comes to your mind is of refreshing and peace (see translations of these verses below).

·         The “Rule of a Righteous Person” – 2 Samuel 23:1-4

The Last Words of David (NIV Translation)

¹These are the last words of David:

"The oracle of David son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

Israel's singer of songs:

²"The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;

his word was on my tongue.

³The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said to me:

'When one rules over men in righteousness,

when he rules in the fear of God,

⁴he is like the light of morning at sunrise

on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain

that brings the grass from the earth.'

The Last Words of David (The Message Translation)

These are David's last words:

The voice of the son of Jesse,

the voice of the man God took to the top,

Whom the God of Jacob made king,

and Israel's most popular singer!

God's Spirit spoke through me,

his words took shape on my tongue.

The God of Israel spoke to me,

Israel's Rock-Mountain said,

"Whoever governs fairly and well,

who rules in the Fear-of-God,

Is like first light at daybreak

without a cloud in the sky,

Like green grass carpeting earth,

glistening under fresh rain.”

Concluding Remarks

·         Journey – the Christian walk is a journey.  The key is to allow Jesus to live through us.

·         Bill showed a picture (see image below)

-        The Lord is with us on the roads of life.

-        He is our resource today and also for the difficult miles ahead.

-        He is the God of the Mountain and the God of the Valley.

·         Internal and External must match up – not phony, not inconsistent.

-        The result of the internal and external matching up is a positive outcome.

·         Be who you are – the internal

·         How to build relationships with customers?

-        Start by caring for them

-        Start at the work level (if your company has a product, follow the product.  Go on site when it is delivered, examine what it looks like when it arrives, how easy is it to use, etc.)

-        Visit people, be creative

·         Living out your faith in the workplace is a process – it does not happen in one day, it happens daily.  Ask for the Lord’s grace upon your life, your business, your job, etc.

·         Build relationships

-        People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.