Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’“
Jesus set a high bar for His followers with this one statement.
Principle: Business leaders often face tough calls, but they make decisions and do not turn back despite pressure to do so.
Brenda Barnes, former president and chief executive of Pepsi-Cola, made a tough decision to “go home to her family.” Great pressure was put on her to change her mind about her announced resignation. She was one of the highest-ranking women in corporate America and headed a division that generated 18% profit on sales of $1.43 billion in the year she resigned. She had invested twenty-two years of her life getting to the position. However, she made a choice to spend more time with her husband and three children who were ages seven, eight and ten.
Her position required hectic travel, dinner meetings, missing children’s birthdays and even living in separate cities from her husband. PepsiCo’s Chair, CEO, and many associates could not dissuade her. She wanted to be at home for the kids’ birthdays, become a soccer mom and be there for her children’s weekend games, so she stood her ground.
A decisive attitude with no second-guessing is admirable. The business world and the people at PepsiCo respected Barnes for it.
In Christian circles, the Chorus – “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” ends with the Bible phrase – “No turning back, no turning back.”
Discussion:
1. What does a difficult decision made say about the decision-maker’s character?
2. What difficult decision is the Lord asking you to make today? What will it cost you or your business?
3. How can you support your employees when they have hard decisions to make?
