Impact in the Community

In the October Round Table meetings, we discussed the topic of “Providing Impact in the Community.” For your convenience, notes from the chapter meetings have been recorded below for you to review.

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The October Round Table notes are below:

• What should be the impact of business leaders in their communities?
• What are ways that leaders can enable their employees to serve and make an impact in their communities?
• What opportunities are available in your community?
  • United Way, Chamber of Commerce, church groups, etc.
  • Brainstorm and share ideas of what you’re doing.

Birmingham Group – Thursday:

Key ideas:

• Make a list of people to reach out to. This might be employees, customers, suppliers, friends –and their families. “Just checking on you.”
• Word of love.
• Pay it forward.
• Encourage hope and trust God.

Kalamazoo Group – Friday:

Key ideas:

• One of the primary community opportunities is within your own family–preparing your kids to be a positive impact on the world.
• Be a beacon of care, compassion and love.

Additional points:

• Do the work (without boasting and bragging) and note the motivation for the action.  Like Samaritans’ Purse—let people know that our love for Christ makes us willing to do work and help to better our communities. Make a Connection to racial/social injustice as a Bible-believing Christian—when I am seen pushing for this effort it turns heads and gets a little more attention.  Bring a Biblically- based/balanced Christian perspective.

• Remember that things are a little different than last year.  Isolation, depression, anxiety fear, suicide rate increase.  What have you have done in the past, and how will you change your community service activities in today’s environment? Change has occurred, we are more detached, so how do we get more engaged in our communities moving forward?

• As employers and leaders we can enable employees to serve & make an impact in their communities. Look at leadership relative to employee well-being.  Gallop research shows community is just one of 5 aspects of well- being (engagement and connectivity). What are we doing to foster that?  Time off for community service, supporting work/life balance, other tactical solutions in the context of taking care of our people.  There is a tremendous emotional impact of current events on our communities, driven by fear.  Be aware of the services provided in your community.  Know what existing programs might help your own employees. Local food bank, church programs, help cut through red tape and connect them with what they need–don’t need to reinvent the wheel.   Provide hope, identify issues.

• Consider reaching out to Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes, Gospel Mission (serving Thanksgiving dinners).  Shelter and food are some key needs. Samaritan’s Purse is phenomenal and projects Christ in the community.  Volunteer for CBRT.

• Though our municipalities vary in size, we all have some similar needs. Unemployment is off the charts. Look internally:  what is the condition of your employees and their families?  Have a listening ear regarding meeting the needs of those closest to us. Be proactive in giving extra days off, sending food, ministering to sick employees, send notes to them.  If our employees are not cared for, it makes it harder for them to reach out beyond our companies. Focus on others’ problems—that takes your mind off your own problems. Focus your passion to help someone else helps your soul.  Find a way to tie to your company’s Mission/Vision/Values to your outreach.  This will engage employees and fosters greater passion.  Help them look beyond their own needs and contribute to the meeting of other people’s needs. Ask how your outreach in the community reflects your company’s values.  There is no shortage of opportunities—the harvest is plentiful, but workers are few—use whatever gift you have received to serve others.  Create your own pay it forward story. You will be richly rewarded for the gift you give to someone else during these times of challenge.  Take action:  Identify what we are aligned with and move forward to make a difference.  Have the courage to implement a plan to bring it to reality.  Oxygen mask concept:  We are no good to others until we put our own mask on first.  Care for the well-being of your employees to allow them to serve elsewhere.   

Join us at an upcoming Round Table meeting!  Several groups are working to begin meeting in-person and/or as a hybrid of in-person and virtually. For more information or to RSVP: info@thebusinessrt.org.