I recently had to ask myself a question that I don’t think is asked enough, especially with Christian working women.  And even more with women who are bosses. What does it mean to be a follower of God and a boss? What should it look like?  How are we showing God’s love? Are we leading by example or just getting the job done?

Over the years, I've found being a boss isn’t cracked up to what it looks like from the outside.  Let’s take away the Christian factor here and talk about what it means to be a normal boss. There’s a reason we get paid more. A good boss works more than their staff.  They are responsible for the hard decisions. You carry the weight of making sure your staff are safe and productive. Bosses respond to the crises and the not-so-happy clientele. We have people’s livelihood on our shoulders. We are responsible for when things don’t go right. In other words, it’s not glamorous like in the movies.

Now add in the factor that as women if we are assertive or “commanding” we are labeled harshly. So, even as a normal boss, we as women already tend to have a persona that we are cold, hard, and angry. Or it can be the complete opposite.  That we are emotional, completely helpless, and without a brain. I’ve personally been labeled both. Sometimes even on the same day.

Now to get back to the important stuff. How am I personally showing God’s love and reflecting his light to my staff?  I was instantly able to list off some small things like I don’t swear, yell (unless it’s an emergency), gossip, and dress accordingly.   This is all fine and dandy but I personally know non-believers who do all of that as well. Three of the biggest things I have full control of is how I treat others, my words and prayer. Let’s dive into those three things.

Prayer

Pray without ceasing. - 1 Thes. 5:17

Let’s start with prayer. Prayer is the foundation for everything.  Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do. And honestly it’s the most important thing we do.  Are you praying for your staff? Are they on your prayer list or wall? I’m going to be real. Mine wasn’t.  I personally felt ashamed. I spend a large amount of time with these individuals and know a lot about their lives.

My staff told me about the rocky marriages, the struggle of college, and the deaths in the family. I realized I wasn’t offering the five minutes to pray for them even on my drive into work. When I realized this, I began making it a point to pray.   Some prayers were answered instantly and some I’m still praying about.

God moves when we pray. It’s our greatest weapon against the anguish and the enemy. It’s the number one way we can lead and grow staff. And oddly enough it’s the easiest way to be a better leader. You can also pray for discernment and wisdom on how to lead as well. Praying how to handle situations and letting God take over the situation saves a lot of stress.

Words Matter

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. - James 3:z

The second thing I have control of is my words. How do I set my staff on fire? Not literally but how do I create a spark in them? How do I awake their soul?   I’m a firm believer in building people up. It takes 4 positives to overpower a negative comment. As a supervisor, we do at times need to correct our staff’s mistakes.  Make it a point to not do it in front of others. Watch your tone.

Be willing to teach or problem solve with them. Give credit when credit is due. When the opportunity arises, praise, praise, praise. Especially to others like your boss and consumers. When you treat people with value, they start valuing themselves and understanding they are worthy.   Think about it this way. We understand (hopefully, if not come talk to me) that we are treasured by God. He sent His only son just for you and me. Not everyone has that understanding and don’t understand their worth. Your words can make or break a dream.

Treat Others Well

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. - James 2:14-17

The third thing we can do is treat others well. Now that I just got done talking about how words are important, we’ve probably all heard the saying, “Action speaks louder than words.” When we say we’ll help with something and then don’t….that action speaks louder than your words.

What could that tell them when we don’t follow through? That we don’t keep our promises? Are you checking up on how they are doing? Not their work but themselves. Something that has stood out to me about my own boss is she asks me how I’m doing. She asks how my mental health is doing. Then, she asks how she can help with any issues. This is one way to treat others well.

Another is to speak the fruits of the Spirit. By this, we are displaying God’s love.  One of God’s fruits is joy. Joy is just as much an action as it is words. There are times, we will have to choose to act joyous when we want to complain. When we choose to hold our tongue and not roll our eyes (guilty) what’s the memo we are sending? We would be sending a lot of memos.

Demonstrating that we have peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and joy. What if your staff welcomes a new family member, can you bring them some freezer meals?  While this may not be expectable all the time, how can your actions support employees in the workplace? Know the new parents aren’t getting sleep from the kids, get them a coffee. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, but how we treat others is one of the most visible things we do. So, to end, what are you doing today to be a light as a boss?

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. - Phil. 2:14-16

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elle is enjoying her new lease on life following God first, coffee second, and hockey third. She currently is the program manager for two programs for a non-profit working with behavioral teens with trauma.  Elle’s passion is to awake the church for adoption and foster care as well as reform foster care laws. Elle has a hard time sitting still, thanks to God’s amazing grace and healing from a chronic immune disease. She’ll happily jump to play hockey, hiking, tough mudder races,  and well probably everything.