July 2011 - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Lately, the issue of leadership is very close to my heart. The problems and turmoil we witness in the world today are the results of poor and/or ungodly leadership.

God has established 4 principal institutions that govern the world – family, workplace, government and Church, and God appoints leaders in each to govern on His behalf.

The Church has the single most important role to play:

[Eph 3:10-11]

10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God made known His wisdom through the Church and He expects His Church to set an example for the world to follow. But ungodly leadership in the Church has allowed Satan to persuade unbelievers in the world to discredit God and believers (God’s people)!

I am teaching A Kingdom Church at BBC, and indeed the domain of God’s Kingdom covers the entire universe – everything visible and invisible. And each individual believer has a significant role to play in advancing God’s Kingdom, whether it is in the family, in the workplace, in government or in church.

God’s original intent is that top leadership is male – father in a family, male boss in a workplace, male president or prime minister in government and male pastor in a church. But when men fail God in exercising leadership God’s way, women rise up to take the leadership role!

Mothers are raising up families; bosses in workplaces can be both male & female in the modern world; women are taking up top leadership in government in many nations and we have seen women as top leaders in ministries. Although not ideal, I believe God would rather see good female leadership than poor male leadership governing His world!

Now, as a Christian in the marketplace, I am trying to introduce Godly principles in leadership. Recently I gave a talk on Principles of Good Leadership in our company. Although good leadership includes many aspects, I set out 5 aspects using the word DREAM (i.e. dream leadership :)). I used 5 principles in a workplace context:

D for Delegation

One particular boss in our company does not know how to delegate. He micro-manages the projects, resulting in a lack of ownership and frustration of his sub-ordinates. Lack of ownership leads to lack of responsibility and pride in the work they do. The boss also ended up doing a lot of the junior work himself!

R for Respect

Every worker is valuable because he or she can contribute to the success of a project, if motivated correctly. In this sense, every worker deserves respect. A good leader needs to recognize the strengths of his or her sub-ordinates and assign them in roles that will maximize their strengths and optimize the performance of the project team.

E for Example

Good leaders lead by example. When we expect our sub-ordinates to work hard, we should not be taking time off to play golf or shopping during office hours :). When we expect them to work smart, good leaders should teach the principles of working smart and apply them to their own lives.

One recent example was that I taught my sub-ordinates the importance of having a strong and healthy body and the ways to achieve and maintain it. By way of example, I shared with them what I do. When they see a 62 year old working hard and energetic and not falling sick easily, they may want to follow :).

A for Authority

A good boss cannot expect someone to be responsible for a project without providing the right level of authority. This includes support of resources and manpower.

Recently, we are getting complains from the client on a number of projects because a certain project engineer did a sloppy job. But the truth was that he did not get enough support from management!

M for Mothering

Mothering includes both encouragement and discipline. When someone does a good job, the boss should praise the person for a job well done. This builds loyalty and trust. On the other hand, a mistake should be corrected and bad behavior should be disciplined out of love [Prov. 13:24, Prov. 29:15].

I look forward to seeing the above principles being implemented in our company as my way of seeing God’s Kingdom advancing in the marketplace :).

A nation will be blessed when its king follow God’s principles. “Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor. He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.” [Ps 72:1-11 NIV]

God demonstrates His ways through the nation of Israel in the Bible. When people of God did not walk according to God’s principles, He disciplined them. “…..when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman's monthly uncleanness in my sight. So I poured out my wrath on them……I dispersed them among the nations……for it was said of them, 'These are the LORD's people, and yet they had to leave his land……the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” [Ezek 36:16-28 NIV]

Whilst God expects leaders to lead correctly, He also expects followers to obey their leaders. ‘“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honour your father and mother" — which is the first commandment with a promise —"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."……Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.’ [Eph 6:1-8 NIV]

Many families are broken when the father commit adultery. God expects all men to love and honour the women of their youth. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well……Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer? may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths……He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.” [Prov 5:15-23 NIV]

Amen and amen!

June 2011 - Blessings of Divine Guidance

After 6 months of waiting and praying, I officially launch the marketplace ministry in my workplace by sending out my first message “PK COLUMN – Message No.1.2011” to all 150 staff, with the big boss’ permission. It titled INTRODUCTION, a life testimony of where I came from and where I am heading. The key points were:

1) Graduated from Hong Kong Technical College (now Hong Kong Polytechnic University) as a top student in 1969.

2) Won a place to be trained in the UK as a structural engineer.

3) Returned to Hong Kong in 1976 with a MSc(Eng) degree, a Chartered Structural Engineer status, a wife and a British Passport.

4) Joined Mott Hay & Anderson HK (now Mott MacDonald HK) as a Senior Structural Engineer in 1981.

5) Spent the next 16 years with Motts, becoming a Director in 1992. Motts was involved in 5 of the 10 mega projects in Hong Kong at the time – the HK International Airport, the Tsing Ma Bridge, the Tung Chung New Town, the North Lantau Express Way and the West Kowloon Reclamation.

6) Became the first Chinese to win the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers President’s Cup in golf in 1988.

7) Became a born-again Christian in 1991.

8) Responded to the Call of God to be a missionary in the UK in 1998, at the peak of my professional career.

9) Spent the following 12 years planting churches in many cities in UK and Europe, while working 3 days a week, initially as an Associate Professor at the London South Bank University and later as a Consultant with major consulting firms in London (the WYG Group and AECOM Europe).

10) In Jan., 2010, whilst on holiday in HK, was offered a 6-month contract with AECOM Asia as Project Manager on the iconic Station Entrance Building of the West Kowloon Terminus (WKT) of the Express Rail Link project, managing a 300 people team including Aedas (Architect), Buro Happold (Structural Engineer on the complex geometry roof), Meinhardt (M&E Engineer), ALT (Cladding Engineer), BMT (Wind Specialist), MVA (Transport Engineer), Widnell (QS) and AECOM Asia (Civil, Structural, Fire and Planning Engineers).

Then I told them that it was God’s plan for me to return to Hong Kong. The rest of the Message is reproduced in the following:

“At the beginning of 2011, I joined Canwest/DAAL as a Director through Mr. Lawrence Wong and Mr. David Au, who were long-time friends and fellow professionals.

In the 6-months of working in Canwest/DAAL, I got to know quite a few people in the company through working directly and indirectly, and through the Christian Prayer Group.

At 62, I have learnt many valuable lessons in life through over 40 years of my working life and 20 years as a Christian and a church leader. I am thankful for the full life that God has given me and I want to give all I have learnt in life back to the construction industry and my fellow professionals.

I believe I can work with you to make Canwest / DAAL

one of the top consultants in HK

and one of the best workplace that people want to join.

I know you are all working very hard. I am no exception. From Monday to Friday, I come to office at 8:00 each morning and I leave the office at 7:00 in the evening, unless I have other engagements. On weekends, I am planting a church and spend time with my family. I also constantly think about how I can improve myself and the company. You will seldom see me riding the MTR without a book in my hands, unless I was travelling with someone. :)

I believe each person is valuable and has the potential to achieve great things in life.

To reach one’s highest potential, working hard alone is not enough.

One also needs to work smart.

These may include improving all aspects of one’s life. I will share more about this in future. To achieve better results, the company will also need to improve its facilities. I understand Senior Management is taking steps in achieving this.

I will keep you posted on my thoughts and on the development of the above.”

After the message was sent, I could see the different responses, as expected. But all in all, they were positive. One of Christian Prayer Group members – a Senior Architect told me that one of her team members wanted to know more about Christianity. Praise the Lord!

My next message in the PK COLUMN will be entitled – Work Hard / Work Smart. :)

We are God’s workmanship and everyone needs the Lord. We are made to worship and we will only be satisfied when we find & worship the true God. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” [Ps 63:1-11 NIV]

Out of pride, many people still refuse to believe in the LORD of creation. They are in effect their own god. But, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'" [Ezek 28:1-10 NIV]

“it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. [Eph 2:1-13 NIV] This mystery of God’s plan for mankind can only be understood by those who chose to humble themselves and accept Jesus as Lord & Saviour!

“A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy…….A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor….. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” [Prov 29:1,3,6,9-11,13,20-23,25,26 NIV]

Amen and amen!