James' coaching origin story

I’ve got a sad story for you, and it’s mine. (Don’t worry, it does have a great ending, though.)  

 

Here's how it goes:

 

I’ve never had a good boss who was also a Christian. 

 

Someone who took time to understand and encourage me in my work, and was even willing to make sacrifices to see me succeed. 

 

I worked for over a decade in hospitality- fast food and fine dining. I’ve worked for over two decades in Christian nonprofits. I’ve worked in a handful of other types of business. The number of bosses I can say I respect for their good work as a boss is small. And those spots belong to non believers. 

 

I’ve never had someone to mentor me in what it looks like to be a Christ follower as a manager. I’ve felt like I’ve made it all up as I went along. I’ve always found truth in the Bible, I’ve been helped in application through sermons and talks with friends, and I’ve gleaned truth from many secular business books and tools. I’ve had Christian bosses in both Christian and secular workplaces, but none that I could use as a model of Christian leadership. 

 

Not only that, I was personally a bad boss to many in the past. I wanted to be great at leading people and at times I wrongly thought I was. I cared, but the women and men who reported to me sometimes found me self-centered, myopic, controlling and apathetic. When I look back over my career, I regret my own lack of self-awareness and the many missed opportunities to pour grace and love into the lives of those I worked with.

 

For Christians who understand that God has made us to be our own unique reflection of Him, and to grow His Kingdom, I want to see a BETTER representation of what it means to lead as a servant, not this painful lack. 

 

How do we put our faith into action in the workplace? How do we show love in an environment that values productivity and profit? How do we build up the people we work with without burning ourselves out? How do we acknowledge power disparity when working in the service of leadership?  These are hard lessons to live out, and I’d love to be your sounding board and support in them. 

 

I held back from starting a coaching business for many reasons, perhaps the largest of which is that I work best around people. I love to be part of a team. I thrive on deep relationships, and much of coaching is solitary work and only for a season. But the Spirit continued to prod me in this direction, and so we’ve built a team that fills in the places where I need support in this endeavor.

 

I’m so thankful this has allowed me to pour myself into something that I’ve always loved- showing how the gospel is good news in particular, practical ways. The good news of Jesus should bring joy and productivity to the workplace, and I love being able to be a part of that.