Faithful Leadership at Work and Home

About

Dr. Mike Zigarelli has more than two decades’ worth of experience researching and writing about the intersection between business, faith, and leadership. This week, he talks with Redeemed director Nate Dewberry to share what he’s learned from successful Christian business leaders and from Messiah University’s phenomenally successful men’s and women’s soccer programs. His insights—such as pursuing a purpose higher than winning and owning responsibility rather than shifting blame—are practical habits men can apply in their daily lives as businessmen, husbands, and fathers.

Show Notes

Segment chapters

Discussion

1. Mike admits his marriage hit a very rough patch when he started to resent that he was coming in “fifth place” behind his four children. He had to learn how to lead as a servant – putting others first instead of fighting for his own place. In your own marriage or relationship, have you experienced any similar lessons? Did those humbling moments ultimately make you a better husband, partner, or father? Explain. Philippians 2:3-4
   
   
2. Mike says he was inspired to seek a more meaningful legacy upon the untimely death of his father-in-law, an accomplished researcher and veterinarian. Have you lost anyone important to you whose death inspired you to seek a new path in life? How did that loss affect you, and what did you feel newly called to do? Psalm 90:12
   
   
3. Discuss the common characteristics Mike says he noted among numerous Christian-owned businesses: having a Christ-centered purpose; giving generously to charitable causes; offering a product or service with a direct connection to customers’ faith journeys; and treating employees as family and paying them a living wage. Does your company or business currently employ any of these practices? Are there practices they’re not currently utilizing that you could recommend implementing? Colossians 3:23-24
   
   
4. Mike says one of the most significant contributors to the success of the Messiah University soccer programs is their culture of accountability and intentionality. The coaches understand there’s a lot they can control, and as a result, they accept responsibility if something goes wrong. Do you promote that same kind of culture in your own business, household, or even within yourself? When something bad happens, are there any common “crutches” you lean on in terms of assigning blame? Why do you think you turn to scapegoats so often rather than asking what you can do better? Galatians 6:4-5
   
   
5. In the “battle between striving and contentment” that Mike describes, do you find yourself veering more toward one side than the other? How has that tendency – whether toward constant striving or settling into contentment – impacted you and those closest to you? When you wrestle with that balance, how often do you invite God into the process and ask him to help move you toward the middle ground? Philippians 4:11-13
   
   
6. When you achieve a goal or accomplish something meaningful, do you take time to celebrate and appreciate that achievement, or do you immediately launch into striving toward the next big thing? Why do you think you behave that way? Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Other resources

A few of Mike’s books (this is by no means a complete list, but they’re the ones he specifically mentioned as being proud of)

Management by Proverbs: Scriptural Wisdom for Superior Results

Faith at Work: Overcoming the Obstacles of Being Like Christ in the Workplace

Christian-Owned Companies: What Does It Look Like When a Follower of Jesus Runs a Business?