Stewardship: With great power comes great responsibility
Stop what you’re doing.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Now think about this: Your next breath is not guaranteed. That could have been your last one.
If it wasn’t, keep reading.
So much is out of our control. For example: I am the CEO and owner of Accord Group. I can look at all sorts of financial documents and performance reports that will predict how we will do in the future and how much we will grow.
But none of that is guaranteed. I can never truly be 100% sure about anything.
If you really think about it, we own nothing. When we take our last breath, we take nothing that we “owned” with us. Everything we have is on loan – eventually, it must be returned.
So what are we supposed to do with all the stuff we’ve “borrowed”?
Treat the company wallet like it’s yours
In the Bible, Acts 17:26 talks about how we are all uniquely positioned in a certain time and place and provided with gifts and talents that we can use as we see fit. I believe it’s my job to use the time I’ve been given to get the best return on the gifts I’ve been given.
Getting the best return starts with being a good steward. Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”
Basically, it means treating everything I have like I borrowed it from my best friend.
To be good stewards, we must operate our business well within our means.
One way we do that is by becoming and staying debt-free. We want to be able to take care of our employees and our customers, and that starts with making sure we have the resources to support and serve them.
Without stewardship, we don’t have a business – we can’t pay people, we can’t pay our contractors, we can’t take care of our customers, and we can’t make a difference in people’s lives.
If you don’t meet your commitments, your thoughts, values, and vision don’t matter. We can be on the best mission in the world, but if we can’t pay the light bill, then we won’t have an impact.
Stewardship means everything is your responsibility
When it comes to stewardship, corporate America has a major flaw. Often people see a problem that needs to be fixed, and instead of doing something, they say “that’s not my job.” That’s a toxic attitude.
If you really think about it, everything is your responsibility. It’s all interconnected. Nothing is wholly “someone else’s job.”
Your actions affect others. A lack of stewardship will have a cascading effect. The things that “aren’t ours” will become ours quickly. If it is not your problem and you ignore it, it will quickly become your problem.
Instead of saying “that’s not my job,” be proactive. Offer to help. Create solutions for problems that others haven’t even noticed yet. Be someone who is on the lookout for the best interests of everyone. These are all attributes of good stewards.