Spirit Savvy Business ... the heart and principles behind it

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
www.spiritsavvy.net


People on a mission, whether it's a great cause or a business venture, live by five power principles. They refine them and execute them well on a regular basis.

In investigating what works for building a vision, I found these underlying principles in all of them. Going back to the best-selling business books of the post depression era, these principles rebuilt America then, and they can rebuild American enterprise again today.

These strategies are also the foundation for how the Spirit Savvy Business goes about building noble business ventures, and worthy causes.

A consistent thread became clear when reviewing Napoleon Hill's findings, commissioned by Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900's to find what creates wealth; W. Clement Stone, who built a magnificent company in the ghettos of America; Og Mandino, the philosopher of riches in life and happiness; Dale Carnegie, the guru of personal relationship power... all of which are post-depression business thought leaders. They led us out of the Great Depression, and they remain the foundation for advanced thinking today. What are the threads that when woven together form invincible strength in a business vision or mission?

1. Faith. They all had faith, believing in something much better than themselves can happen. Their faith was enlarged by their faith in God. Everything was believed to be possible, because they saw God as an active part of the process, since His Spirit creates through those who believe in His Power at work. This bred enthusiasm... (enthusiasm means God is within). So all things are possible outside of them. Vision faith then becomes a powerful force in their lives... a creative vision of new potential.

2. Transformation of the mind. The mind had to be reprogrammed to a new way of thinking, continuous learning and learning from others. It takes deliberate mental rehearsal to accomplish this.
Moving the mind from negative to Positive,
from critical to the Possible,
from what's wrong to "How I can fix it!" way of thinking.
We do this by inundating our mind with Spiritual Thought, continually; by listening, thinking, speaking, reading, interacting... constantly cultivating a frame of mind of positive potential. 

3. Form Dreaming Teams. A Dreaming Team includes those who dream with you for positive solutions. Those who collaborate to find ways to carry them out, to create new results. Napoleon Hill called them mastermind groups. Jesus said where two or three agree it will be done. When minds are in harmony great power is released... ideas which engage the powers of God's Spirit.

4. Strategic Action
Hill, Stone, Mandino all had Strategic Action in their plans. The strategic actions included Divine Guidance as part of them. In other words, they relied on God-Inspired ideas and sought God-orchestrated direction. They believed everyone can hear from God and have His High level of intelligence at work with them.

They combined knowledge with Divine Strategy and added collaborating, cooperative action.

5. Making Noble contributions to a society is what motivated them.
They become cause based and labored in a strong sense of mission. All problems that they solved had a Higher purpose. The opportunities which become evident were an important contribution to society and met the needs people were struggling with.

Today's statistics verify how inept business is today.
Two skills are essential.
Having personal skills of business, and mission,
and effectively using Spiritual skills.
Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, says the one critical intelligence lacking in America is the use of Spiritual Intelligence. We don't understand it or know how to use it. We get hung up on religious themes and over look the fundamentals of its power.
Unity of minds and spirit is where the power is. We must unite.

To develop people in using the skills of business and Spiritual skill enhancement, two hurdles needed to be crossed. Business people are busy and they have little time to attend meetings, or take time from the rush of a day to learn, refine and execute these skills in an accomplished way.The business owner is task based, so taking time for Spiritual preparations is many times rushed by. Many even believe in its value, but the pressures of the day cause him/her to be on the go without getting that in focus during the day.

To solve this problem, to efficiently develop these skills and help business create the foundations essential pointed out by our great business thinkers, I streamlined a development service, and use technology to assist in delivering information.

I email links on the internet of the best info from the best business minds in America to business/mission based people. From their best-selling business books I summarize their key business principles and post them on my blog. I add a study of Spiritual principles vital to business vitality at the end of each. Using the teachings the Bible (with an emphasis on the New Testament community), I share the powerful principles of Scripture showing how to use these in the every day goals, objectives, tasks of a business/mission effort.

Over a year, principles from 30 great best-selling business books are revealed. It's a year long "in the trenches" development program. I have used insights from the late J. Robert Ashcroft, visionary founder of Evangel University, on how Biblical power is available for us in the marketplace and how to be Spiritually empowered within your business skills each month. (Contact me and I would be glad send you the titles of business books featured.)

The power of dream teaming is added to the formula. Small cells of mind and Spirit power groups are formed to bring creative thinking, idea sharing, problem solving fulfillment into the mix. The group size is deliberately kept small from three to ten, of like-minded, compatible people. Meeting once or twice a month as needed, (in person, phone, email, video). The Special Forces in the military find that small, tightly-knit, well-trained groups, of 6 to 8 people, are quite powerful in executing important assignments.

The nucleus is Spiritual development from prayer and the Power of the Scriptures, integrated as part of the business operating philosophy. Prayer is learning the skill to tap into God's Great Power of Spirit, who empowers great things to happen.

The business transformation process is then in place.
Faith, belief in God's power in Spirit;
mental renewal, disciplined thinking and focus;
dreaming teams, of diversity but like-minded in heart and Spirit;
strategic action, from ideas which come from this Master mind of power;a cause/mission emerges that transform society for a greater good of humanity.

(Dale Shumaker, founder of the Spirit Savvy Business, M.S.,Educational Communications and Technology, researcher of entrepreneur skills, and student of the Bible and Spiritual applications in lifestyle. 417-224-3517, and I would be elated to show you ways to become one in business and Spirit and fulfill God's mission in your life through your mission and within commerce.)