C12 East Tennessee

"The key is to surround yourself with people who can do it better than you can." We love the humility with which Joe Valind of Auto Safety Center approaches delegation. He knows his limitations, and empowers his employees to do what he cannot. If you would like to meet with like-minded business leaders who will challenge and equip you to lead effectively, let us know. We would be happy to connect you with a C12 Business Forum near you.

In last month's C12 Business Forums, we discussed lean principles, specifically 5S, a waste-elimination methodology. Waste elimination supports the primary lean principle of creating value. By cutting out nonvalue-adding activities, lean processes become more streamlined, delivering maximum value to customers. C12 Business Forums compel and equip Christian business leaders to achieve business excellence through the power of peers. If you would like to learn more about C12, please let us know. We would love to connect you with a C12 Business Forum in your area.

Our influence as leaders decreases when we unnecessarily hold on to responsibilities that we should share with our teams. In this month's C12 Business Forums, we discuss delegation and how it can improve our companies' performance. Would you like to join us? We would be happy to have a short discovery call to see if C12 is a good fit for you.

As business leaders, we will undoubtedly face challenges within our work. But God did not design work to be a burden, but to be a gift, an opportunity, and a blessing. Let's carry that eternal perspective with us today!

Stewarding our businesses for God's glory is a great responsibility, but also a great joy. We work with an eternal purpose, which gives a whole new life to our work. What would it look like for you to view your work through the lens of Business as a Ministry (BaaM)? What might God do in and through your company?

When we allow God to transform our perspective, our actions become more intentional, our joy increases, and our work gains deeper significance. What parts of your role do you struggle to find purpose in? How can you invite God into those moments?

When Tom Darby of TMD Machining, Inc. applied lean principles to his business, he pulled his employees into the process. He didn't view this as simply a way to increase efficiency, but also as an opportunity to make his employees' work more meaningful through their contributions.

Regardless of industry, location, or size, businesses share a common goal of creating and maintaining efficient, value-driven systems. In our October C12 Business Forums, we'll examine lean principles and how they can be applied in our companies. Would you like to discuss lean principles with like-minded business leaders and CEOs? We would love to connect you with a C12 Business Forum in your area.

Strategic planning is a skill, like any other business skill. It's not a one-time task to complete but an ongoing process. In C12, we use the Business as a Ministry (BaaM) Strategic Planning Framework to help us design strategic plans for our companies. How do you approach strategic planning? Is there a tried-and-true method you rely on?

"Only after you’ve figured out where you want to go should you move to the operational challenge of figuring out the specific steps you’ll need to take on the inside in order to get there." We love how Graham Kenny draws a clear distinction between strategy and execution. We develop our strategies first, then figure out how to execute them.