Ten Important Skill Sets for Business Professionals

Ten Important Skill Sets for Business Professionals

By Joe Walenciak

December 11, 2024

First, I think that a business professional should be a person who possesses integrity and values.  We have always taught that the character of the leader matters, and for so many reasons, I believe that now more than ever.  We live in a society that tells us that only results matter, regardless of what you do to get results.  I disagree.  I believe that “right is right,” period.  Also, in the long term, integrity helps to build the strongest relationships and businesses.

Second, there is certainly a broad skill set that good business people must possess to some extent.  Business people don’t have to be experts in everything, but they need foundations in areas related to skills like accounting, HR, finance, law, people, statistics, technology, and so forth.  These are all part of daily business, and a business person must understand (to some extent) how all of these things work in their business.  Then, each business person must have a deeper skill set in some area of specialization, such as marketing, accounting, operations, finance, IT, analytics, etc.  Business people must have a set of deeper skills that bring value to the organization.  Finally, with regard to skills, business professionals must be continuous learners and must be able to change, grow, and adapt.  The world of business is changing daily, and business leaders must keep learning.  Three years ago, nobody knew what AI was, and now it is considered essential for business strategy.

Third, business people must create an honest and healthy balance between people and the business.  As human beings, we need to show honor and respect for others.  We should listen.  We should disagree with civility.  We should act in a way that will not hurt others.  As leaders, one of our jobs is to develop our people.  At the same time, we are part of a business for a purpose.  The business has a mission, goals, objectives, and so forth.  The job of a business leader is to find a healthy and honest way for the business to pursue and achieve its goals while honoring and growing people in the process.  If we only care about people and the expense of the business, then the business will fail.  If we only care about the business at the expense of people, then we fail the test of humanity.  We have to understand all aspects of our role and work to achieve them.

Fourth, regardless of the job, a business person really needs to be a good communicator.  Accurate flow of information is important for any job.  Period.  But also, to the extent our role allows us to do this, we should create an environment around us where people feel free to express thoughts, ideas, and opinions…always with civility.  We should not be afraid to express what we think, and we should learn from each other and build relationships.

Fifth, there is something that goes along with character and integrity.  That is a willingness to follow process and rules.  It is sometimes very tempting to show favoritism or to take short cuts around rules.  A good business person should be willing to follow the rules and processes of the business.  If a rule, process, or policy needs to be changed, then we can deal with that directly, not by breaking or ignoring rules.  When favoritism and rule-breaking become part of culture, the workplace becomes toxic.  The good people leave, and the people who stay are the once only seeking to advance their own interests.  Trust vanishes.

Sixth, business people need to be able to understand strategic perspectives and think strategically.  We often have a specific job in front of us, but we need to understand how that specific job contributes to the larger work of the organization and how organizational mission and perspectives shape the work that we do.  Ultimately, each job exists to promote a larger mission; the organization does not exist to support a specific job.

Seventh, successful business people must be able to solve problems…“to think their way out of a box.”  When confronted with challenges and obstacles, people often become paralyzed.  In those moments, a good business person must be able to maintain their composure and begin working toward solutions.  If we don’t know what to do, we should try to do something.  Good business people find answers to problems.

Eighth, business professional should have financial literacy.  Every business has certain numbers, measures, indexes, ratios, etc., that relate to the finances and operations of that business.  It is like a person who needs to track their blood pressure and heart rate.  They know what to measure, and they know what those measurements mean.  This is part of the language of that business.  Just like a diabetic needs to track and understand their blood sugar, businesses need to track and understand the things that matter for that business.  If we are to contribute to a healthy business, we have to be able to do this.  If we don’t know or care about contributing to a healthy business, then we won’t be there very long.

Ninth, whether personal or professional, every life is faced with challenges.  Business people need to care for their physical and emotional health, but we also need to learn to develop resilience and perseverance.  We cannot simply collapse every time we are faced with a difficult challenge.  We have to learn how to address challenges, and we need to grow the strength to do so more and more, because the challenges will always be there, and they get bigger.  There is certainly a time to rest and recover, but there is also a time to take a deep breath and stand strong in the face of challenge.

Tenth, love your people.  Period.

 

Two Surprises of Christmas, A Communion Meditation

Two Surprises of Christmas, A Communion Meditation (Shared December 22, 2024)

As we prepare our hearts for communion, let’s reflect on the season of Christmas and the surprising ways God’s grace was revealed to us through the birth of Christ.  How would you expect the God of the universe to reveal himself to people?  How does the creator reach out to the created?

The first surprise of Christmas is the humility of God’s incarnation.  Think about this:  the infinite, all-powerful Creator of the universe chose to enter His creation as a vulnerable baby.  Not born in a palace, but in a manger.  Not to wealthy, powerful parents, but to a young couple of modest means.  God didn’t come to us in grandeur but in humility.  Philippians 2:6–8 tells us that Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”  As we partake of the bread and the cup, let us be thankful for the humility of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life for us.

The second surprise of Christmas is the inclusion of the marginalized.  When Christ was born, the first to hear the good news weren’t rulers or religious leaders—they were shepherds, people on the fringes of society.  And not long after, wise men from the East—Gentiles, outsiders to God’s chosen people—came to worship Him.  From the very beginning, the message of Jesus was one of radical inclusion:  that God’s salvation is for all people, regardless of status, nationality, or background.  As we come to the table, we’re reminded of the words of Jesus:  “This is my body, broken for you” and “This is my blood, poured out for many.”  Communion invites everyone who believes to remember and rejoice in this truth:  through Christ, we are all brought near to God.

Today, as we take the bread and the cup, let us be grateful for these surprises:  the humility of our Savior, who came to serve, and the inclusiveness of His love, which welcomes us all.  May this time of communion remind us that Christ’s birth, life, and sacrifice were part of God’s perfect plan to redeem and unite us as one family in Him.

Journeys and Destinations

Communion Devotional: “Journeys and Destinations”

By Joe Walenciak, March 2025

I spent Christmas and the new year in Guatemala. On the day that I flew out, my United Airlines flight from Guatemala to Houston was fine, but my flight home to XNA was delayed by several hours. I don’t enjoy waiting in airports.  Like most people, I just wanted to get home. When things go bad in airports, people become frustrated and vocal, and that day was no exception. The United agents were doing their best, but they couldn’t fix weather or broken airplanes.

While waiting, I spoke with an agent who had just dealt with a very angry customer. I tried to be a pleasant contrast. Our conversation was pleasant, and I remember telling her, “I just want to get home sometime today, if possible.” She smiled and reassured me that I would. I was telling myself that the journey doesn’t really matter—only the destination. Right?

It is amazing what gets you thinking.  Since that day, I’ve been reflecting on journeys and destinations—especially my own life’s journey. For every believer, our destination is clear. We hold on to promises like Revelation 21:3-4: "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’”

Sometimes, we see this life as something to endure—just surviving this mess until all things are made new. But God has given us both a journey and a destination, and we need to understand, value, and be thankful for both. The extremes are the problems. One extreme is to become so absorbed in our present life that we lose sight of eternity. The other extreme is to dismiss this life as meaningless, simply holding on until we reach heaven.

Heaven is our goal, but the journey is our preparation. It is in the journey that we grow spiritually, practice obedience, and walk in faithfulness. The trials and challenges we face refine us and shape us to glorify God daily. The destination is our eternal home, but the journey is where God prepares us for that.  As James 1:2-4 reminds us: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

While waiting in the airport, I watched people, ate a meal, and had in a few friendly conversations. I tried to be kind to people and keep moving in the right direction—toward Arkansas and home. When I finally arrived, I was tired but content. Complaining and lashing out at others would not have gotten me home any sooner, and I would have left damaged people in my wake.

I don’t like winter—the cold and gray wear on me. But I love spring. And I’ve realized that passing through winter prepares me to love spring even more. I don’t like airports, but I love to be in Guatemala. Navigating the airport is necessary for me to get to my destination. Life may take us through the “valley of the shadow of death,” but the struggles help us learn to love and trust God more. The journey and the destination are a bundle. Our life’s journey, although painful at times, is our training for heaven.

And that brings us to this moment—the Lord’s Supper. This table reminds us that we are on a journey, but we do not travel alone. Jesus walked this path before us, enduring suffering and hardship so that we might reach our eternal home. As we take the bread and the cup, we remember His sacrifice, His presence with us now, and the promise of the destination He has secured. May this meal strengthen us for the journey and remind us of the joy that awaits when we are finally home with Him.

God's Purpose in My Generation

God’s Purpose in My Generation

By Joe Walenciak, March 2023

Sermon delivered at Iglesia Bautista Cristo es el Camino, Guatemala City

Good morning!  It is good to be with you today.  After several years of pandemic and separation, I bring you greetings from John Brown University and from many brothers and sisters in Arkansas!  I am blessed to have a wonderful group of people who will spend this next week with you.  We are looking forward to ministering and serving together with you.

Today, I want to share something that God has been placing on my heart for some time.  I want to talk a little bit about our purpose.  Even though this may sound a little bit dark at the beginning, I want this to be a message of encouragement for the church.

The world has problems.  Christians know this.  2 Timothy 3:1 tells us this:  “There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

God’s word teaches us that we are living in difficult times.  In his sermon on the Mount of Olives, Jesus told the crowd that there would be wars and rumors of wars, that nations and kingdoms would rise up against each other, and that there would be famines and earthquakes.  Jesus went on to say that because of him, we (his followers) will be hated by all nations and that we will be persecuted and put to death.

The headlines are difficult to read.  Russia continues to attack Ukraine.  There were mass shootings in cities around the world.  Politicians fight for power, and the people suffer.  There is poverty and hunger.  Women and children are abused and trafficked.  The climate is changing, and unusual weather patterns are causing damage from wind and floods.  And every day, we see news that sin is not only accepted in our world; it is also celebrated.

Paul’s words to Timothy are true.  “There will be terrible times in the last days.”  But life has always been difficult for Christians.  In the early years of Christianity, believers were imprisoned, tortured, and executed by the Roman Empire.  During the middle ages, Christians were burned at the stake for their beliefs.  In more recent times, we see countries where churches are destroyed and believers were imprisoned, tortured, and executed.  To this day, the Church is persecuted, and Christians around the world risk their lives when they share the good news of Jesus Christ.  We see injustice in our own communities and neighborhoods.

In his letter to the Church at Rome, Paul spoke of trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, and danger, and then he reminded us that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  In John’s letter to believers he said, “greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.”  “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”  More than conquerors.  Our God is greater.  We are never left or forsaken.  These are the promises that we hold on to that encourage us.  And yet, evil seems to win.  How many of us have lost someone we loved through violence or disease?  How many in our communities have been victims of assault or abuse?  How many of us have experienced injustice?  Sometimes, when I am honest with myself, I find it hard to understand how I can be more of a conqueror when I cannot stop the evil around me, much less the War in Ukraine, political corruption, and the battle against cancer.  The battle can be overwhelming, and sometimes when we begin to think that we cannot do very much, we stop trying to do anything.  Why try?  The battle is too big.  I’m just one person.  What can I do?

For centuries, the children of Israel waited for the Messiah, believing that he would be the leader of a political state and change the world.  He would fix what was broken, punish the evil, and bless those who were good.  They saw some kind of earthly kingdom…with Jesus as the center of power…that would create and enforce a good world order.  But Jesus never said that he was here to create a government or establish an earthly system of justice.  He never said that he came to stop wars or famines or earthquakes.  And instead of promising to end persecution, he actually told us to expect persecution and all kinds of trouble.  Things were going to get even more difficult!  In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus specifically tells us his purpose.  In his conversation with Zacchaeus, Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”  Jesus was not sent to establish a new earthly government.  He was sent to reclaim broken hearts.

There is a big lesson here for us and also a wonderful example.  The Bible is full of stories of people who were sent.  Moses was sent by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the promised land.  Jonah was sent to preach to the people of Nineveh.  Jesus’ disciples were sent by him to spread the gospel and make disciples all around the world.  Paul was sent by God to be an apostle and preach the Gospel. 

But the best example is Jesus.  Jesus was sent by his father to seek and save the lost, and much of that time was spent in one-on-one encounters with all kinds of sinners…broken people, including prostitutes and adulterers, tax collectors, lepers, the sick and disabled, and more.  Jesus was known for his ministry to individual people in the streets.  In fact, one of his most notable teachings recorded in the Gospel of Mark, was that he had come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Jesus was known for his love and compassion towards all people, regardless of their social status or how sinful they were believed to be. He saw beyond people's outward appearances and recognized their inherent value as children of God, created his God’s image.  He spent time with individuals and ministered to their minds and bodies.

In this way, Jesus gave us a very important example to follow.  Matthew tells us the story of the Pharisee who approached Jesus and tried to trick him with a question.  “What is the greatest commandment?”  Jesus responded by saying to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  Then Jesus went on to say, “and the second is like it: “love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

"Love God and neighbor" is a central teaching in Christianity.  For Christians, the command to love God and neighbor is essential to our faith and practice.  Loving God involves putting God first in our life, following His commandments, and worshiping Him with sincerity and devotion.  Loving one's neighbor means treating others with kindness, compassion, and respect.  This includes not only those who are similar to oneself but also those who are different in terms of culture, race, or religion.  The Bible teaches that all people are created in God's image and are therefore deserving of love and respect.

Matthew 28 tells us that we are to go and make disciples, to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey Jesus’ teachings.  Just as Jesus was sent to seek and save the lost, you and I are sent. 

For most of us, God is not calling us to change the world through our own power or wealth or personality.  I cannot stop wars, pandemics, street violence, and a lot of other things.  But as James tells us, “religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  I can follow the example of Jesus and wash the feet of the person that God puts in front of me today.  God is calling us to love Him and to love each other, and we can be more than conquerors in the way that we love God and neighbor.  He is calling us to wash the feet of the people that He puts in front of us today. 

To seek and save the lost.  To love God and neighbor.  To look after the orphans and widows.  That doesn’t leave a lot of time to stop the wars and the earthquakes.  Jesus didn’t change the world through revolution.  He changed the world through a revolutionary idea…loving our neighbor.  Jesus went out to the streets to seek and save broken people, and in the next 300 years, the world Christianized.  By the third century, Christianity had become a significant force in the Roman Empire, and the conversion of Emperor Constantine signaled that Christianity had become the favored religion of the known world.  The growth of the Christian church was a testament to the faith, dedication, and perseverance of the early Christians, as well as to the power of the message of the gospel…to love God and love our neighbor.

What is my job today?  What is your job today?  It is the same.  Go to the streets, seek and save the lost, and minister to the needs of the person that God puts in front of me today.

David was a great king, a humble man who loved, trusted, and served God faithfully.  He made some big mistakes, but he was still called “a man after God’s own heart.”  He did what God placed before him, and then he died.  Acts 13:36 says, “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.”  My challenge today is to ask that question, “what is God’s purpose in my generation?”  Our purpose happens with the next person we see.  And the person after that.  When we walk out of that door, we are fulfilling our purpose with every person that God places in our path.  Let’s not allow ourselves to get so overwhelmed by the bigness of the world’s problems that we cannot see God’s purpose right in front of us.  And, like David, may we serve God’s purpose in our generation.

God bless you!

 

The Time In Between - A Devotional for the Board of Elders, Community Christian Fellowship

Devotional: "The Time In Between" 

By Joe Walenciak, February 2025, Board of Elders, Community Christian Fellowship

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Our lives have many stories.  Most of you know this.  We reach a stage in life where we see these stories start to come to an end.  This may be a job or career, areas of ministry or activity, or even the people in our lives.  For example, for many years, I have taken big spring break groups to Guatemala.  This year I am not, and for various reasons, I think that the story of the big spring break Guatemala trip has probably ended.  People ask me how I will keep this ministry going or who I am grooming to replace me.  I don’t think they will, at least not with me.  For me, what is important about this story is that it happened, not that I have to find a way to keep it going. 

Stories have a sunrise and a sunset.  We are born into this world by God’s design, and one day, we will step into eternity.  But what truly matters is what happens in between—the way we live, the choices we make, the faith we cultivate, and the lives we impact or who impact us.

It is difficult to let go, and when it comes to the things we do for many years, it is natural to wonder about our impact.  We ask, Will I leave a legacy?  Did I make a difference?  Will I be remembered?  But the truth is, legacy is not ours to control or even understand.  It is God who multiplies the seeds we plant.  He is the one who determines the harvest.  We are not called to be successful…just faithful.

Jesus spoke often of seeds—of the mustard seed that grows into a great tree (Matthew 13:31-32), of the sower scattering seed on different soils (Matthew 13:3-9).  His message was clear:  our role is to be faithful in the planting.  The growth, the harvest, the legacy—those belong to God.

Sometimes, however, we worry not just about impact, but about keeping a story going—whether it be a ministry, a tradition, or even a season of leadership.  It is hard to let go.  We hold on, trying to sustain something that God may be calling us to release.  Stories end, and that’s okay.  Letting go does not mean failure; it means trusting God for the next chapter, even if we don’t yet see what it will be…or if it even involves us directly.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”  Sometimes, we are called to plant.  Other times, we are called to water.  And sometimes, we are called to step back and let something end so that God can bring something new.

This month, CCF experienced the painful loss of Pastor Jessie, and we were reminded that stories come to an end.  But Pat has been quick to remind us of what is more important:  how Jessie lived his life, not how he lost it.  Honestly, I did not know Jessie very well, but he was part of our CCF family.  We grieve the loss of a friend, and we trust in God.  But I doubt if we will ever know in this life the harvest that came from the seeds that Jessie planted throughout his life.

As elders, we are not just caretakers of what has been—we are stewards of what God is doing now and what God will do in the future.  I pray that we have the wisdom to know when to press forward, when to persevere, and when to let go, trusting that God is still writing His greater story.

Reflection Questions:

1.       What stories in your life or ministry might be coming to a natural end, and how can you embrace this transition with faith and trust in God's timing?

2.       In what areas of your leadership are you holding on too tightly, perhaps out of a desire to control the legacy or sustain a tradition, rather than releasing it to God’s will?

3.       How can you differentiate between a season that requires perseverance and a season that calls for letting go? What discernment practices can help with this?

4.       As a steward of God’s work in the church, how are you balancing honoring the past with being open to new directions God may lead the church?

5.       Reflecting on the legacy of Pastor Jessie, how can we focus more on living faithfully today without being distracted by how we will be remembered tomorrow?

Good riddance 2020??

It has been a while since my last blog post.  Life has been full, and I'm not going to try and catch up, but I do feel like sharing a few thoughts.  As we approached the end of 2020, I repeatedly heard the general sentiment that 2020 was terrible and it is good that it is over.  It was a difficult year, and whether we look at Coronavirus, politics, the economy, or so many other things, I think that we have all been touched by fear, loss, and pain.  2020 was tough, and in all likelihood, the things that made 2020 tough are still with us in many ways.

In my classes at JBU, we spend time talking about the Christian worldview.  Mankind was created in God's image, but we live in a broken world that has been afflicted by sin and rebellion.  As Christians, we are called to be redeemers, to push back on the brokenness in all sectors of God's creation.  Whether that is disease, character, exploitation, poverty, war, human trafficking, or so much more, God has called us to do what scripture calls the two greatest commandments:  to love God and love our neighbor.  These are not things to do when it is convenient or when it falls within certain geographical, religious, political, social, or racial boundaries.  These are sweeping statements, backed up by scriptural examples, that make up part of God's general calling to mankind to be an army of redeemers who are attempting to make a broken world more like what God intended it to be.

As we seek to be agents of redemption who love God and neighbor, we can be sure of certain things.  God is active in our world today.  We are not alone in the work that we do.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  We are part of a supernatural, spiritual battle.  The Christian faith is a "big tent" that includes every tribe, nation, and tongue.  God's desire for us as expressed in the prayer of Jesus in the garden was that we would "be one" as Jesus and the Father are one.  Regardless of your specific calling, we are called to be redeemers, peacemakers, and speakers of truth who place no other god, agenda, philosophy, or purpose above the God of the universe.

If God gives me life, I will remember 2020 very vividly, and I will remember the challenges, the losses, and the pain.  But I will also remember that 2020 was a year when God did many great things, when He never abandoned us, when He opened new doors of opportunity, and when He taught me many things.  There are people and things we have all lost, but there is much we have learned, and I would like to think that I am stronger now.  It is always good to leave pain behind, but I am thankful for 2020 and for God's grace and faithfulness as we have worked to be redeemers in a world so clearly broken.  So, "thank you, Lord," for your grace and presence in our lives each day.

So, I know that we will remember 2020 as a tough year, but I pray we will also recognize it as a year that God did some pretty amazing things through his people.  And THAT I hope we do not forget

Helping Special Needs Kids in Honduras

The Rotary Club of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, is partnering with the Rotaract Club of La Ceiba to equip a school for special needs kids in Honduras.  When finished, the school will serve more than 100 children.  Our financial goal is $3,500 before the end of March.  We are proud to work with Belinda Henriquez, a 2016 JBU College of Business graduate.  If you are interested in helping, you can contact me at walenciak@yahoo.com.

La Ceiba Rotaract

Existing equipment

Belinda Henriquez with children of La Ceiba

Existing classroom

Available classroom

Available classroom, currently abandoned

Available space, abandoned and in need of repair

Existing space and equipment