The Lindt Café Seige in Sydney: learning to give thanks

The Lindt Café Seige in Sydney this week has put Australia in shock.

Sometimes people like to use a photo of an ape evolving into a man throughout the week to depict how much they hate working.

The 39-year-old officer who was taken to hospital with facial wounds from shotgun pellets during the siege came in for special praise after he vowed: "I'll be back at work tomorrow".

We should really give thanks if we open our eyes the next day and “be back at work tomorrow”!

We should also be grateful that Australia is a country with a culture of love and honour:

First of all, according to the initial reports, the two hostages killed actually died trying to protect others: when the hostages realised that the gunman did not intend to let them live to daybreak, they planned to break the lock to quickly run out. When they rushed out, gunman panicked and began shooting, but the store manager Tori Johnson attempted to wrestle the gun from him. The female barrister Katrina Dawson may have been hit by a bullet when she tried to protect her pregnant friend.

Australians did not rebound on Muslims after this event. In fact, a movement was started on social media #Illridewithyou expressed support for Australia's Muslim population. (There are some debates on the political motives behind this hashtag, eg. whether the story about the Muslim woman on the train was true or not, that some people believe Australians overall are already very tolerant of multiculturalism and do not need a hashtag telling them what to do. But I think it’s a waste of time to go into this sort of debate. While I believe the threat of terrorism and the existence of racism in the community are all certainly real, I also believe that the majority of Muslims are good people, and the majority of Australians are very tolerant of multiculturalism. The main point is we see that the majority of Australians responded in a positive and respectful manner overall, and this is impressive).   

People spontaneously started going to Martin Place to pay their respects with flowers. We see the unity of the people and the scene was pretty spectacular.

On Friday, a “Police Thanksgiving Day” was held to give thanks to the police for their hard work.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-siege-ends-more-than-16-hours-of-terror-for-captives-20141216-128j5f.html

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalms 103:1-2

It is easy to forget what God has given us. It is only in the times of adversity that we remember to call on God for mercy. But really, we should also give thanks in the good times.

Psychology studies suggest that when things become increasingly familiar or routine, people start losing interest in it. We all know that when we work long hours, we grow tired of our jobs. We tend forget to give thanks and to take what we have for granted.

Don't forget, many parts of the world are in war and famine: human lives are not valued and hearts are numb. The day following the Sydney Siege, more than 100 schoolchildren were shot dead in Pakistan. In contrast, we are very lucky. Rather than envying our neighbours when they have what we do not have, we should be giving thanks for what we are already blessed with.

Reputation, values, and relationship: the importance of culture in the workplace

During my trip to Europe a few months ago, I attended a sermon by George Verwer, the founder of the missionary organisation called Operation Mobilisation, where he called for us to consider career missions.

Recently there was all these horrible news about food safety in Taiwan, where the unethical decisions made by various large food companies have led to a further breakdown of trust in society. Society’s confidence in the ability of business’ to seek to balance what is good for society with what is good for the market place has worn thin. Lately I have come across a few inspirational resources and examples which act as great food for thought in my own career.

Southwest Airlines: Strategy Genius or Common Sense?

http://youtu.be/Szn-TbvEL2I

There’s an infectious culture of love and trust in Southwest Airline…. which they bring to their customers. And the employees smile because they want to, not because they have to.

Reputation

Reputation is no longer about “feel good” statements captured in glossy brochures or even about substantial dollar contributions to well deserving charities and public works. Today’s measure is about organisational behaviour in the pursuit of business which is seen to be both measurable, and therefore, manageable. It is no longer possible to buy ‘respectability’ – an increasingly cynical public and media have come to recognise that it is not how a corporation spends its philanthropic money that makes a statement about its’ character, rather it is how it makes its’ money on a daily basis, and the types of relationships it promotes with stakeholders.  Corporate Reputation – the most important company asset? Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.values.com.au/2010/02/24/corporate-reputation-the-most-important-company-asset/

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”—Benjamin Franklin

Values

Businesses without values are businesses at risk. Their reputations suffer in the marketplace, depressing stock prices and eroding consumer confidence; recruitment of talented personnel is more difficult. The benefits of a value-based culture are increased awareness of ethical issues, commitment to the organization, employee integrity, willingness to communicate openly about problems, willingness to report an ethics violation to management, improved decision making, willingness to seek advice about ethical issues, and reduced unethical conduct. Driscoll, DM. Hoffman, WM. (2011).  Why Ethics Matter: A Business Without Values Is A Business At Risk. Retrieved December 17, 2014, from   http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/why-ethics-matter-a-business-without-values-is-a-business-at-risk/

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”—Abraham Lincoln

Relationship

As organisations come under the magnifying glass, the values they state coupled with the how they live up to those values within their own organisation and in their global supply chains, is defining what stakeholders feel about them. Ultimately it determines whether they will do business with them. Corporate Reputation – the most important company asset? Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.values.com.au/2010/02/24/corporate-reputation-the-most-important-company-asset/

Firms with strong positive reputations attract better people.

Eccles, RG. (2007). Reputation and Its Risks. Retrieved December 17, 2014, from https://hbr.org/2007/02/reputation-and-its-risks