business model

friday was my wife's holiday party for work. i had been looking forward to going for weeks, mostly because i didn't know many of her co-workers. i didn't expect it to be a learning experience. my wife's employer is small (5 employees), but all world-class in what they do. there is an astonishing success rate from their previous experiences. i learned a number of things on friday that the church could apply to church leadership. i'm not usually a proponent of the church following business models (i think it is more prone to misdirection, but that's a different post), but the values that i saw should be utilized in the church.

first, it is good for people to eat together at a table that is shared. there is something to be said for dining in a family style setting. we went to a spanish tapas restaurant, and shared a meal. there was a definite community feel to the evening because of the environment set up by the restaurant. it wasn't pretentious or too casual, but enhanced an already warm feeling. dishes came out, we passed things around, went back for seconds, and shared the meal. we could talk about the food as a shared experience, rather than an individual meal that no one else tried.

second, there was a lot of talk about respect at the table. the talk was also lived out. i realized quickly that the 5 people that worked together really respected one another. the most interesting thing about this respect was that it wasn't about accomplishments and it wasn't about position. the respect was based on someone's willingness and ability to take the other one to task. it was about being encouraged to become better. employee a appreciated employee b because he cared enough to tell him that he was slacking or mediocre. employee b respected this comment and put more of himself into the project the next time. there was also positive affirmation involved, but the respect was based upon critique.

third, i felt that all the employees were valued. i know that some are being temporarily underpaid to work at this company. i also know that their contribution is appreciated - because i was told. i heard the ceo and managing director talk about how one of the other guys, a young guy, did not realize how good he was. they weren't saying it under their breath. they were saying it to the whole table. he must have felt affirmed, valued, appreciated and proud to be a part of that team.

fourth, there was an enormous value placed on the role of the spouses. as a spouse, i felt appreciated and thanked. from past church experience, i have felt my spouse denegrated and underappreciated. i felt nothing but love from this team. i would be willing to sacrifice for this company.

fifth, i can't say enough about good wine. enjoying something luxurious, that allows you to linger, is a topic of conversation, and allows some barriers to fall, is a valuable asset. i was able to have heart-to-heart conversations with folks over several fantastic bottles of wine. i don't know that these conversations would have happened in a dry party.


my eagerness was rewarded with a wonderful time. i did some things that i didn't think i would do, like eat octopus and mussels (octopus was awesome - mussels not so much). i also enjoyed numerous different wines, sherry and desserts. it was a glorious evening.