Speaking about profit, Patrick says, "I disagree that a business exists to maximize profit. God doesn't care about profits, He cares about stewardship. But you need profits to make the business work. God is interested more in the process of how business is done."
In terms of furthering God's kingdom, Canaan Group has been developing a partnership with Global Aid Network (www.globalaid.net) in providing warehousing and logistics support in transporting aid to places like Paraguay, North Korea, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
It was refreshing to hear that one of Patrick's goals for his business is for his staff to have fun while doing work. This reminds me of a book I read called Joy at Work by Dennis Bakke. Bakke argues that an organization's success should be based on the workplace being fun and fulfilling for its workers. In his book, he tells the story of AES Corporation, which he co-founded in 1981 and helped to grow to become an international energy company with 40,000 employees in 31 countries and revenues of $8.6 billion.
Bakke stressed the value of fun in his book. People experience fun in the workplace when they have "opportunity to make important decision, undertake actions important to the success of the organization, and assume responsibility for the results" (Bakke, Dennis W., Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2005), 83). The important decisions normally made by leaders were pushed down and given to individuals and teams at the lowest practical level. Bakke wanted the maximum amount of people to use their talents to make decisions, which would lead to more people having fun at work. The only restriction given was that the decision maker must seek advice from leaders and peers before making the decision.
How important is it for your work to be fun?
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