Deal wisely with organizational politics. Acknowledge that every workplace – even Christian ones – are fraught with politics, because every group of people is imperfect and prone to political maneuvering. Don’t be naïve about the office politics that surround you, but know that you can avoid being drawn in by them. Trust that God will use difficult situations to accomplish something good in the long run. Know that the truth will eventually prevail. Whenever you encounter a political situation, ask God to help you discern whether God is leading you to refrain or to get involved (and if so, how). Recognize that, often, the best plan is to avoid becoming involved yourself and simply pray for the situation and all the people who are involved. But, if God does lead you to get involved, carefully determine how the relationships are connected, what the motivations are, and how you should respond in a way that will allow you to be as successful as possible given the circumstances. Recognize that certain things are out of your control; don’t attempt to do more than you can or should do.  Whenever someone slights or offends you directly, choose to let it go if at all possible and stay focused on doing your job well. Decide to be guided by God rather than by fear, anger, or ambition. Know that if you respond in the power of the strength God gives you, others will notice your faith and be drawn to it themselves. Ask God to use you to shine His light into a dark situation. Write down strategies for keeping your words and actions pure amidst stress, and practice those strategies with faithful coworkers you trust to be your allies even while chaos swirls around you. Constantly pray for God to help you view political situations the way He sees them, so you can approach them from the right perspective.

Work to please your customers. Realize that, no matter what type of work you do or position you hold, someone relies on what you do and how well you deliver it. Whether your customers are outside your business or within it, strive to do your best to serve them. Make the time to truly listen your customers so you clearly understand what they want. Treat them with respect and kindness. Expect that, when you please your customers, your business will make money because your customers will be loyal and your business will grow because you’ll attract new opportunities. Beyond improving your business – and your own career success, as a result – your service to customers is an important way of reflecting God’s love even in a workplace where you’re not able to talk freely about your relationship with Him. Survey your customers (both internal and external) to learn how they’re thinking and feeling about your service on the job. If you’re in a job position where you don’t frequently interact with end-user customers (such as a management position), make time to listen in on customer service phone lines or go out on a sales call to reconnect with customers. If you sell a product, be sure to use it yourself so you can understand your customers’ experiences with it. Identify your business’s top competitive advantages and consider how you can maximize those with your customers to set your business apart from the competition. Think about the businesses where you’ve recently had bad experiences as a customer. What mistakes made you decide not to go there again, and how can you avoid making similar mistakes in your own business? Consider how you can build a more positive rapport with your customers (both inside and outside of your company), such as by changing the way in which you talk with them on the phone.