I couldn’t help but to think of what the great Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” I’d been here before; it was a recognizable place for me. The moment when external and internal factors start to take over and prematurely make excuses for ourselves so we won’t be disappointed if our outcome is only sub par. I think we all have a tendency to want an out or a safety net, something that pads our fall if we bomb… a justifiable excuse for not being our best. It never ceases to amaze me how often our insecurities will undermine and betray us if we allow it. This was one of those moments for me.

I’ve never been one to talk for the sake of talking. I truly believe that our words are meant to be precise, valuable and faith-building for the receiver. Even though I have spoken hundreds of times in front of an audience, I am certain that every message is important and should be specific for the listener. Speaking engagements are an honor and deserve time, attention and the best efforts of the speaker.  

In this situation – that speaker was me, however, just 18 hours earlier, I found myself struggling to execute my message. My head cold made it almost impossible for me to give adequate time for preparing over the prior two weeks. Frustrated with the constant sneezing and coughing, I started getting ready for bed thinking that I would finish my speech on my drive to the World Vision campus the next morning. 

It’s not uncommon during my nightly routine for me to break out in song while brushing my teeth. I find that my electronic toothbrush makes a great microphone for an audience of one. My throat quickly reassured me that I was not yet completely well to sing this night, but I gave it my best effort. Before I knew it I was singing: “Strumming my pain with this sickness, sneezing the life out of me, killing me softly with this virus, killing me softly…” Suddenly it hits me, the karaoke machine! I always believe you should practice like you play and up to this point, I had felt physically incapable of making something meaningful out of my notes. 

Three minutes later, I’m standing on my coffee table with my 2 year old daughter’s karaoke machine. I turned the volume to high and I started speaking to my couch as if it were an auditorium full of listeners. Something clicked in my brain. All of the fog lifted and I had clarity of mind, precision in my words and passion in my voice. 

Sometimes all it takes is an unexpected idea. With God’s help I solidified my story using the unique mockup of a “Karaoke Princess” microphone while standing on my family coffee table to simulate a stage.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by applause when my introduction was over and it was my turn to take the stage. “Oh no you don’t!” I said again, this time speaking to my cough as I walked up the steps to the chapel platform. I knew in that moment, I was ready. I was prepared. I was going to give it my all.  Sometimes it comes down to a simple choice.  A choice to be our best and to accept nothing less.

~ Christine Gibbs

Squeezing out the last few drops in my tank, my car began to jerk back and forth as if I was yanking on the parking brake. I slowly rolled into the gas station beaming with pride knowing that I successfully completed two phone calls while navigating through my low fuel madness.

I jumped out of the car as if I had just won the gold medal in fuel conservation and noticed a small, frail woman who could have easily been in her mid-70′s sitting in her vehicle. Her car was decomposing by the moment and was emitting some type of odor that I couldn’t really identify.

I watched as she sat in the driver seat, hands trembling as she counted the bills in her wallet.  Thoughts flooded my mind, “Is she all by herself?  Where is her family? Should she be driving?”  I could tell by how meticulously she counted her money that every penny was important.  Staring at my own wallet I began to talk myself out of why I should buy this elderly women gas.  I was surprised at my own thoughts because I usually love moments where I can extend a helping hand.  I convinced myself that this would be awkward for her and for me. By this time the little lady, maybe 5 feet tall, had made her way to the cashier.  I quickly swiped my card and began to fill up my tank, thankful she had stepped out of sight.

The numbers on the pump began to rise and didn’t take long to reach well over $50.  I couldn’t see the woman I had been contemplating about, but from the sound of the pump clicking, I knew she was directly across from me. I glanced over my shoulder to see her face only inches away from the machine watching as each precious dollar rounded up to the next. She would slow the speed of the pump to make sure she didn’t go one cent over.

In that moment, I knew if I didn’t respond to the nudging in my spirit I would be disappointed in myself for letting this opportunity pass by. The next few minutes were a blur as I said a few words and gave the elderly lady some cash.  She cried and thanked me while blowing me at least a dozen kisses.

As I pulled away from the pump, with tears in my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder… what if I hadn’t responded to that feeling?  Sometimes it’s not the actual act of giving that is a deterrent, but only a perceived inconvenience that keeps us from stepping out.  It’s inconvenient to take time, to risk, to give of ourselves.  Even in giving there can be rejection, but it’s only in giving that your soul is generated by love and your heart is filled with grace.

~ Christine Gibbs

Instead, I gathered my whole staff, not just my leadership staff, but my entire staff together and I pitched the vision to them. I didn’t tell them that we were going paperless; I told them why we were going paperless. I explained that not only would it be great for the company, it’d be great for them personally, that they could count having worked in a paper and paperless environment among their skill sets, that it would lead to increased efficiency in their daily tasks and more ease in their work. My team got excited about this idea, and it provided them the opportunity to be part of the behind-the-scenes work in going paperless. It was awesome to hear their great ideas! My entry level workers were offering input on how to increase productivity with the new system just as much as my unit leads.

The first sixty days of going paperless were a constant struggle. It wasn’t an easy transition, and I spent the entire time debating whether or not I was going to switch back. But I had prepared for that as a leader, and so in the moment I was able to keep my cool and weather the storm. In the same way, because I brought my entire team in on the vision and made it their vision instead of just mine, they stuck through the hard weeks and kept going. If I would have passed it down the chain that we were going paperless and that’s just how it was, I would have been looking at a mutiny! Instead, I was looking at a team of people who were committed to making it work, because it had become their idea. It’s easy to walk away from someone else’s project. It’s not so easy to walk away from your own.

So I challenge you: take a few minutes next time and explain the vision to your team. Make it their vision. And don’t make the excuse that you’re too busy. I’m too busy to risk not giving information that is vital to the success of my organization. My time can’t be spent in any better way than insuring that my organization prospers, and that comes through sharing vision.

~ Christine Gibbs

• Why do we do what we do?
• Why does the company operate the way it does?
• Why do we have a specific process?
• Why do we have that policy in place?
• Basically, why do we do things the way we do them?

If you want your team to be collaborative and innovative, they have to feel like a part of the creation process. A company only grows as much as the staff grows, and the best way to grow an employee is to let them in on the secret. When people understand why they’re doing something, they’re more focused, more energized, more able to really apply themselves. When you limit their knowledge to chunks of disjointed information, you limit their contribution to the company and to you. Knowing the “Why” is the difference between having a to-do list and a passion.

Don’t confuse this with giving away confidential information. There’s obviously information you disclose to your executive staff and not your entry level staff. That’s a matter of maturity and their level in the company. Part of this will test your leadership as you learn how to share the vision without sharing all the information. You can explain the “Why” without laying all your cards on the table. There is such a thing as giving your employees too much information, and as you lead you’ll find the balance for each situation and person. But always strive to let people partake in the vision, because you can’t expect them to be self thinkers if you don’t give them anything to think about.

We all inherently desire to be part of something greater than ourselves. No one wants to believe that what they’re doing is for nothing, or that their work is in vain. Sometimes people try to exclude work from this area, because it’s just work. But that’s the opposite of the truth. If your team doesn’t feel like they’re part of something bigger, they’re going to end up at a different company where they do. You need to intuitively know when to elaborate on the why behind your actions so your team can feel involved and part of the action, not just bystanders. You don’t want bystanders following you; you want to lead leaders. Don’t let your team be a group of drones; give them purpose, and they’ll give you results.

~ Christine Gibbs

I often see people, whether in business or personal relationships, treating other people like children. We hear it all the time in comments like, “I’m not a child. Don’t talk to me like that.” People don’t want to be ordered around, they don’t want to be bossed not necessarily out of arrogance, but the truth is they aren’t children. They already spent their teenage years striving to become independent of their parents and prove they’re able to make their own decisions and choices. As soon as it seems they’ve succeeded, they suddenly have a boss or a spouse or a friend who makes them do the same things all over again. No one wants to repeat that process, and forcing your staff is only going to land you with unproductive, unmotivated workers.

When you put on that Mom hat of, “because I said so”,  you’re asking your employees to stop being adults and start being your children. You have to ask yourself, do you want people who will follow you mindlessly but need to be babied every step of the way, or do you want professionals who are loyal to you because you treat them like adults? No working adult wants to be treated like a toddler. They want to be talked to like adults. They want to be given opportunity to help. They want trust. They’re beyond their days of sippy cups and they don’t want to be treated like that any longer.

You get out of relationships what you put into them, no matter what sphere they fall into. Treat your employees like brilliant, hard working adults, and you’ll have a team of brilliant, hard working adults. Treat your employees like toddlers, and your days are going to be spent changing diapers.

~ Christine Gibbs

We have what I call a whirlwind of a story, that I honestly think is pretty funny. Our initial meeting was over the phone. A friend introduced us, not at all to set us up as a couple, but because I was looking at a business my future husband happened to be working at. We talked on the phone for about a week before I decided that I needed to see the business firsthand and not just hear about it. That first week on the phone was entirely professional, and what’s more, we didn’t like each other at all. I thought he had a head ten times the size of a normal human being, and he thought I was a bossy girl who didn’t actually know anything. To say there was a lack of chemistry would be a major understatement.

I flew out to Denver, not really excited to see him but excited to see the business. After a terrible flight, I finally got out to the curb, spotted his car, and started waving him down. I knew it was him, but he didn’t respond at all. In fact, the only response I could get out of him was a look of total disbelief when he finally realized I was waving at him. At this point, I was irritated and hungry, so I started dragging my bags down the curb to his car, and he finally got the picture and pulled up beside me. The first words out of his mouth were: “You’re Christine Gibbs? You don’t look anything like your picture! You’re a knockout!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. What I didn’t know at the time was that he had been sent a picture of me taken when I was at the pool. It was a group picture, and my face was smashed between several other people, making it look huge. My hair was slicked back from the water and it looked red, even though I’m blonde. So in the picture, I look like someone totally different. When he saw me on the curb, he was more than a little intrigued, and once I figured out what picture he was talking about, I was more than a little ready to shred it.

I was only supposed to be in town for three days, and then flying out. I never thought I’d willingly stay longer than that with a man I thought was a jerk. But as soon as we locked eyes over his car, there was an instant chemistry. I stayed for five days, and I probably slept a whopping five hours in that whole time because we stayed up every night, talking until dawn. The first night, we both got an hour of sleep before we went to the conference we had scheduled the next morning. We couldn’t stop talking. It was a total blast!

Five whirlwind days passed, and he dropped me off at the airport to go home to Seattle. As I was getting out of the car I told him, “Hey, you should come home with me.” He said okay and sped off, and I went in laughing. I got through the ticket counter and got to my gate without really thinking about it, but as I was sitting there reading a magazine, I got a phone call. Jonathan, panting and out of breath, said, “Okay, I’m at the ticket counter. Where do you live?”

I freaked out! I told him, “I’m going to Seattle. I don’t know where you’re going,” and then hung up and shut my phone off! I had had an amazing five days, but I didn’t know what to think of a man who would really come home with me. Fifteen minutes later he got to the gate, and he flew home to Seattle with me. We stayed there for six days, were apart for three, and then met up in Detroit. In downtown Detroit, he got down on one knee and proposed to me. He hadn’t known me long enough to have a ring, but I couldn’t say anything other than yes.

Six months later, we were married. People can hardly believe our story. I can hardly believe our story. Who even says yes to marriage after knowing each other less than two weeks? Who invites a man back to her hometown after five days? They say that when you know, you know- and I knew.

Now we have two amazing girls, we have a great family, and we run a couple of businesses together. We have an amazing life. It was amazing when we met, it was amazing when we got engaged, and it’s been amazing ever since.

When you present yourself well, people are attracted to you. When you wear a beautiful dress, people want to talk to you. When you wear a beautiful personality, people want to be near you. One of the best ways to present yourself is to be part of the team. We’re narcissistic as a culture, but when you’re running a team, you want people who want to be on it. There is nothing worse than managing a bunch of people who have no interest in working for a common goal- so if your actions show that you’re all about yourself, you’re going to be alone… with yourself.

Recently I noticed that one of my employees was habitually coming in late. I went to my department head and told them to take care of the situation. The response from the employee was, “Well, I’m still putting in my eight hours, I just stay late.” It had nothing to do with that!

I wasn’t asking this employee to work at my company eight hours a day. I was asking them to be part of a team that started and ended at the same time, and worked in unison. To say,  ”it’s okay if I’m late, I’ll just stay late,” shows that you’re sloppy, lazy, and don’t actually care about the company or people you work with. It’s not about whipping into the parking lot and throwing on the E-brake so you can rush up the stairs and be at your desk by 8 AM, either. There’s a total package that goes along with it.

If I’m going to pick someone for a project, I’m going to pick someone who I can rely on. I’m not assigning it because I want to test you and see how well you do- it’s because I want it done. Say I have two candidates; one just ran through the doors, still holding their keys and briefcase, and the other is sitting at their desk already hard at work. I’m going to pick the latter. It’s not just being on time, although that’s important, but it’s the package presented to me. To be part of a team, you have to be available to be in a team, and when you’re just sliding in past the doors, you aren’t available. I want team players because I want efficiency, and no matter how great of a worker you are, you’re always going to be inefficient if you’re only focused on yourself.

~ Christine Gibbs

You always want to present yourself well, and not just hope that people can just figure out what you’re like on the inside. A really important part of this is to make it clear that as a person you’re improving, not imploding. One of the great ways to do this is to ask the right people the right questions. Sometimes it can be easy to appear needy, especially when you’re trying to settle important information. It’s responsible and good to ask certain questions or give certain information, but to the wrong person, it just makes you look irresponsible. For example, your benefits package.

Benefits are important. I understand.  I have two young girls, and I want my family to be covered. I understand that from every level, benefits are important. Entry-level dads and CEO moms worry just the same about their spouses and children getting sick and needing insurance. But you have to make sure that you’re asking the right person, first of all, and that you’re asking at the right time. This goes the same for any question, but benefits are an excellent example of when you can end up looking needy instead of strong. If I’m the CEO, don’t ask me about your benefits package. I don’t know about your benefits package. I don’t know about anyone’s benefits package. I barely know about my own! If I was busy doing benefits, I wouldn’t have the time to meet with you.

When you’re on the phone with the HR assistant, talk about the benefits. When you’re talking to the CEO, talk about how you’re improving yourself as a person. If you let people know you’re focused on bettering yourself, it makes them interested in bettering you. But why would I want to invest my time, money, and resources in someone who isn’t investing their time, money, and resources in themselves? It could be a personal hobby, for example, “I would love to hear I’ve always wanted to play guitar, so I’m taking guitar lessons.” Even if your job has nothing to do with music, it lets me know you’re going to grow outside the company, which implies you’ll grow inside the company. People who will grow inside my company are people who will make my company grow people I want to keep around for a long time.

~ Christine Gibbs

It’s so important that you know how to present yourself well, not just in the business world but in every sphere of your life. Too often people plan their lives so poorly that it’s one frantic rush to get to where you’re supposed to be, let alone plan for it physically and mentally. But when you’re selling yourself to anyone- an interviewer, your boss, a potential business partner- you have to take time and not just assume that they’ll understand you’re a great person. You may be the best person that’s ever walked the face of the earth, but if you don’t take care to show people that, they’re going to mistake you for one more slouchy Joe Blow who happened to wander into their office.

One of the main ways we can present ourselves well is to present ourselves educated. I don’t mean with an Ivy League degree, although that can be helpful. I mean taking basic steps to make sure you’re educated on whatever you’re trying to gain. I’m a really big fan of YouTube. It’s made education on almost anything basically free. Say you’re interviewing for an office position and have little office experience, or you’re rusty on the programs. Don’t come in hoping that I’ll think you’re such a great person that I’ll overlook you not knowing how to do the background aspects of the job. YouTube has hundreds of tutorials that cost absolutely nothing and can teach you the same things as hundreds of hours of working with the programs. Sure, you can spend $200 on a class that may teach you a few different things, or you can spend a couple hours on the internet and come out as a pro.

Don’t think you’ll be discredited for using the internet to get educated, either. If I asked you where you learned how to make Excel databases and you told me you watched a tutorial on YouTube, I would think you were a genius! That doesn’t make you seem weak or ignorant; it makes you seem resourceful. It lets me know that you’re willing to adapt and make do on very few resources, which is invaluable in business. I respect that even if you don’t know how to do what I’m asking. Let me know how and why you’re going to learn and get good at something you don’t know how to do yet and you won’t leave me thinking you’re inexperienced- you’ll leave me thinking that no matter what task I give you, you’ll figure it out. That means I can trust you, and I want to work with people I trust.

~ Christine Gibbs

I decided to place two little mirrors and two little chairs, and a bunch of makeup from the dollar store next to my makeup area. Now in the morning, when I sit down for ten minutes and do my makeup, my girls come and sit by me. Instead of spending that time staring silently into my mirror or thinking about my schedule, I spend it talking to them, asking them about what colors they’re going to use, or if they’re putting on lipstick. It’s also a great way for them to see what I do every day and to be a part of my life versus sitting in front of the TV, waiting for the nanny to arrive.

Sometimes I’ll just stick them in the bath. They’re old enough now that I don’t have to hold them, but I do have to be with them, so I’ll put them in the bath and bring my makeup in. They have a blast splashing around and playing with their toys, and I get my tasks done. Now they don’t think of mornings as much as the time when mommy leaves, but the time when they get to spend time with me. Putting on makeup isn’t a sign that they’re about to lose me for the day, but it’s a sign that they get to sit and do something fun with me.

It barely takes any effort or extra energy from me, but it makes all the difference to my girls.

I make my girls a part of my every day activities in every way I can. I don’t want to live two lives, or have a section of my life where all I think about are the things I have to do, and then a separate section for my girls. I want to combine them, and I think you can blend them together if you’re intentional about it. It isn’t an instant thing that happens as soon as you have children, but if you take the time to plan ahead and make them a part of your whole life, not just a section of it, you’ll find that it isn’t a burden. It’s so relieving as a mother when you step into your office each morning knowing that you’ve already shown your children that you love them.

~Christine Gibbs