Christianity has become bad branding in the workplace
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Your biblical worldview impacts more than how you show up and approach situations. It also impacts how others perceive you. As a leadership coach, I've had numerous clients bring up the desire to work on their "personal brand," their "leadership brand," or their "professional brand" at work. We care a lot about what people think. We want others to see us in a positive light. While this is true in almost any setting, it carries even more weight at work.
Our "personal brand" can impact our ability to work harmoniously with coworkers, to inspire our team to meet goals, and to earn that promotion. How others see us can feel consequential, so we strive to market our self-image in a way that promotes our professional success.
The problem for Christians? Jesus can be bad branding.Now, you and I know that our identity (our "branding") in Christ should bring us to our knees in humility. It should have us lifting our arms in praise, thankful to have the gift of His goodness, grace, mercy, and love.
Yet, we often keep it hidden. We do this because American culture sees Christianity in a different light than it traditionally has. There are many secular groups and organizations actively painting Christianity in a negative light in an effort to advance their own ideas.
I remember the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach as I read a workplace culture report that explicitly named "Christians" on a list of oppressive forces found in the workplace. Talk about bad branding.
"Is this really how culture views Christians?"I wondered. If it is, there is a perception issue or an alignment issue at play. Either Christians are being grossly misinterpreted by others, or we aren't showing up as we should in the first place. I think we can find examples of both.
We are called to honor Christ and represent Him in the world. For some of your coworkers, you may be their only authentic exposure to the Christian faith. In earthly terms, we represent the "Christian brand" in the workplace . . . and we haven't been doing the best job.
We haven't always represented Christ well. Sometimes we avoid the responsibility of representing him at all, especially in the workplace. We can't let the world tell our coworkers what following Christ is about. And, if we do, we can't be surprised when their perceptions of Christians don't align with what we know to be true about Christ and what it means to follow Him.
We can't expect those who don't know Jesus, haven't read God's Word, and don't understand the core truths of Christianity to know anything other than what we reveal to them through our actions and our responses.
While others may put unfitting or unfair labels on us, we have a responsibility to correct their assumptions with our words and actions. We need to allow God to work through us as we show them what it looks like to place our full trust and identity in Christ.
My mind goes to the fruit of the Spirit. When we are "in step with the Spirit," things are seen in and through us that are not seen when we are giving in to our own human desires and impulses.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26, ESV
Imagine how Christianity might be viewed if the world looked at Christians and saw the fruit of the Spirit in abundance? What if our most intense interactions were saturated with love, patience, kindness, and self-control? What if people saw an enduring joy and a sense of peace within us? It would have a profound impact on our ability to represent Christ fully.
Here's the thing about the fruit of the Spirit—they don't come about by our own doing. They are evidence of God's work in our lives and our obedience of His will for us. I would imagine that's why they are called the "Fruit of the Spirit" instead of the "Fruit of Miranda" or the "Fruit of <insert your name here>."
Left to our own devices, we give in to pride, impatience, hatred, jealousy, and a whole host of unfruitful things. When we claim to be Christians but don't allow God to work in and through us, people don't see things like love, patience, and kindness.
They don't see the fruits. I often wonder if that's where the "bad branding" of Jesus has come from. We have a responsibility when we identify as Christian, to show others what it truly means to be in Christ.
 | Miranda Carls is an author, facilitator, and certified leadership coach. She has a passion for helping Christian professionals show up as high performers and leaders at work while remaining firmly anchored in the truth of the Gospel. Having worked with start-ups, non-profits, churches, mid-size organizations, and Fortune 500 companies, she understands the dynamics of both secular and faith-based settings. Learn More » |
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