Tis the season to be thankful! Actually, we should be thankful year-round, but many of us struggle to be thankful, particularly for our work. Researchers have tracked worker satisfaction since 1987. The surveys generally divide worker attitudes into three categories: engaged (satisfied), disengaged (ambivalent), and actively disengaged (highly unsatisfied). Those who are engaged work proactively to support the mission of their organizations. The disengaged don’t really care whether their organizations succeed or not; all they want are their paychecks. And the actively disengaged oppose their organizations—meaning they proactively work against their organizations even though they are paid by them. Throughout the years, I have seen statistics from various studies, all indicate, on average, 25 percent of workers are engaged, 50 percent are disengaged, and 25 percent are actively disengaged. (Here are two recent examples. A 2013 Gallup study of Americans put these numbers at 30 percent, 52 percent, and 18 percent, respectively. (see note 1) And the results of a 2012 study done in China yielded 6 percent, 68 percent, and 26 percent, respectively. (see note 2)) Why are only approximately one in four workers satisfied with their work? Gallup blamed management’s lack of sensitivity to workers. (see note 3) Engaged people are those who enjoy their work—their work is interesting, challenging, and rewarding. When management promotes an organizational culture that shows little sensitivity to human needs and seeks to primarily use people to meet organizational objectives, it is demoralizing. Even workplace perks cannot overcome a poor culture fostered by insensitive management. Communication and management coach Dr. Serena Reep argues that "no matter how generous your sweeteners, all your efforts to engage and inspire your employees will come to naught if you get your company culture wrong." (see note 4) This begs the question, what management philosophy produces a healthy culture that encourages workers to be engaged? Workers are most likely to be motivated when their work is interesting, challenging, and rewarding. Can this threesome be externally orchestrated by management or is this something that flows from the workers hearts—or both? Certainly management can embrace a number of external factors to facilitate a healthy culture, such as, adopting strong cultural values that encourage treating people well, building teams that work effectively (equal yoking), developing clear compelling strategic plans, executing with excellence, and listening to customers. An organizational culture that reflects these traits will build an excellent reputation and an opportunity for positive worker morale. But this is still not enough to guarantee that workers have interesting, challenging, and rewarding work. While a healthy organizational culture is necessary, it is not sufficient by itself. External culture must be combined with an internally motivated workforce that finds work interesting, challenging, and rewarding. Interesting, challenging, and rewarding work captivates a workers' imagination. When their imaginations are captured, there is something inside workers that makes them want to work; they thoroughly enjoy their work activities and are moved by the challenge of performing their tasks. The fruit of their labors produces an internal sense of satisfaction that drives them to improve both the quality and quantity of their work. No longer do they work primarily to make money, instead they work out of passion and are content with and thankful for whatever compensation they receive. This is not a license for management to be parsimonious, rather it is intended to encourage management to build workers and organizations that seek to release the potential in the workforce that will then enable organizations to achieve new levels of effectiveness and excellence. The task for management is therefore not only to produce a healthy cultural environment but also to tap into the internal passion of the workers. Given that human beings are created by an intentional, purposeful Creator, the only way to release this internal passion is to discover the passion that God has placed in each worker. Because of the fallen condition of mankind, however, the divinely implanted passion in each person’s heart can best be discovered as the person matures in Christ. (see note 5) This maturity in character is part of the biblical principle that I call C4, which is an acronym for calling, character, capability, and commissioning (see note 6). •Calling is the sovereign work of the caller (the Creator) (see note 7) to reveal his purpose for each person. Coupled to the external call is an internal witness in the heart of the worker, which we know as passion. (see note 8) •Character is the maturity in Christ to set aside selfish, self-centered human desires to fulfill the purpose of God for our lives. •Capability is the divinely implanted skill and ability that enables a person to perform excellent work. Each person has a unique set of skills that facilitates the wise performance of work. (see note 9) •And commissioning is the confirmation from and direction by authorities sovereignly placed in each worker’s life that helps the worker find and fulfill his or her divinely ordained work. (see note 10) The C4 principle is a wonderful tool for management and workers to help develop both a healthy organizational culture and to release the internal passion in workers. Of course, in a fallen world where people live in rebellion against God, only those who are surrendered to the will and ways of God will be able to most fully work in accordance with the C4 principle. Therefore, management must adopt a hiring philosophy that is sensitive to finding workers who are ready to function or can be trained to function as C4 workers. Anecdotally, I find few workers ready to function as C4 workers, therefore it is incumbent on management to find workers whom they can train. Such workers will display the traits of humility, submission, and teachability. People who lack these traits will not be able to connect well with either the external or internal call of God on their lives and therefore will have great difficulty in being engaged workers. The best engaged workers will display C4 traits. These workers will practice the principle given by the apostle Paul: “And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (see note 11) In this text, the word translated “deed” is the Greek word for work. Therefore Paul described how a believer in Christ should work, which is to speak and act with thanksgiving as a representative of Christ. This is surely a picture of engaged workers; people doing the will of God according to the ways of God. Therefore the challenge of management is to build organizations with C4 workers—engaged workers who are the right people in the right positions doing the right things for the right reasons. Such workers will work with excellence and thanksgiving, knowing that their real reward will come from Christ. (see note 12) May I suggest a Christmas wish for you? If you are not an engaged worker, find what you have C4 to do in the organization you are called to serve. And work in the name of the Lord Jesus with thanksgiving. If you are a manager, build a culture that values people and embrace the C4 principle to find the right people and place them in the right positions so they can do the right things for the right reasons. The result of these practices will be organizations populated with engaged workers producing great value for those whom they serve. Furthermore, not only will the workers be thankful, but all stakeholders will be grateful as they experience the excellence of the fruit of the organization. Merry Christmas! ________________________________________________ 1. http://www.ryot.org/gallup-poll-70-americans-disengaged-jobs/376177 2. http://www.gallup.com/poll/160190/employee-engagement-increases-china-low.aspx 3. Op Cit 4. http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/why-your-perks-are-not-motivating-your-employees.html 5. Psalms 37:4 6. http://strategieswork.net/publications/BusinessTips/2013/2013-07.htm 7. Exodus 35:30 8. Exodus 36:2 9. Exodus 35:31 10. Exodus 36:1 11. Colossians 3:17 NKJV 12. Colossians 3:23–24