Don’t Be a Lazy Employee

by Marcia Malzahn | Devotions, Devotions for Working Women

Proverbs 10:26 (NLT)
Lazy people are a pain to their employer. They are like smoke in the eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.


Companies look for hard-working employees. They look for people who take the initiative to create change, improve processes, and are not afraid of learning new things. Unfortunately, many Christian employees don’t rise up to the challenge all the time. There are many non-Christian workers that have more initiative and a much better attitude toward innovation and change than Christians do.

Jesus is our example of how we are to behave in every area, including as employees or workers. If we are God’s workers here on earth and we are to do our jobs as unto the Lord, then we must follow Jesus’ example of being a person of initiative, hard work, and creator of change. Jesus changed everything during His years on earth and changed the destiny of mankind forever.

As a manager, having lazy employees is a pain. It feels like having a thorn on your side that you don’t know how to take out. Lazy people are usually nice, but they are unmotivated to improve. They don’t want to rock the boat, create any waves, or make things difficult because that would take them out of their comfort zone. Even though this verse refers to lazy employees, laziness is also reflected in other areas of a person’s life. If we are lazy in the spirit, we will never grow spiritually. If we are lazy in the flesh, we will not be healthy and it’s going to show in our bodies, our temples. If we are lazy as a housekeeper, our homes will be a disaster.

Just as companies look for non-lazy, hard-working people, so does God. He needs people to work hard and help Him get the Gospel to the world so His plan can be accomplished.

Source: Devotions for Working Women by Marcia Malzahn.
Excerpt permission granted by Marcia Malzahn.

 

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Marcia Malzahn (Marci) was born in Nicaragua, Central America. In 1979 she left Nicaragua due to a revolution and moved to the Dominican Republic and lived there for seven years. Marcia moved to Minnesota in 1986 and started a career in banking with Marquette Banks that continued for the next thirteen years in the areas of Cash Management, Private Banking, and Retail Banking. In 1995 Marcia became the first Online Banking Specialist in the Twin Cities.

In 1999, she moved to the IT field and started working for Living Word Christian Center (LWCC), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. At LWCC, she held the positions of Y2K Project Manager, Director of IT, Associate in charge of Finance, Human Resources and IT, and was Corporate Assistant Secretary of the Board. She managed a budget of $31.5MM and 28 employees.

In January 2005, Marcia moved back to the banking field and helped start a new bank in Edina, MN, Tradition Capital Bank, now at over $400 million in assets. From 2005 to 2013, Marcia was the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the bank. In January, 2014, Marcia’s role changed to EVP/COO and was promoted to Chief Risk Officer. Marcia was also the Corporate Secretary of the bank’s Board and of the holding company’s Board.

In October 2014, Marcia started her own bank consulting firm, Malzahn Strategic, focusing on Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, and Talent Management for community banks. Marcia is also a public speaker and speaks on motivational/inspirational/leadership topics as well as banking topics such as Enterprise Risk Management. She holds an Associates of Arts degree from North Hennepin Community College and graduated with a B.A. in Business Management from Bethel University. Marcia also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI.

Marcia is involved in the community. She was a member of Financial Women International for sixteen years and held several board positions including president of the local group and of the District. She is a member of the Minnesota Women Economic Roundtable and served as treasurer for two years. Marcia is also chair of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Marcia has also volunteered in other organizations including Matter, Pulse Movement, Opportunity International, Way to Grow, Feed My Starving Children, HopeKids, Meals on Wheels, and Farmers Market Youth Project.

Marcia was the recipient of many awards including:
• 25 On The Rise award given by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in December, 2005.
• Forty Under 40 award given by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in May, 2006
• Virginia D. H. Furman Outstanding Woman of the Year award from Financial Women International in September, 2006
• Top Women in Finance award from Finance and Commerce Newspaper in November, 2008
• Outstanding Women in Banking award given by the North Western Financial Review magazine in November, 2009

Marcia is the author of her book Devotions for Working Women – A Daily Inspiration to Live a Successful and Balanced Life published in 2006. Marcia published her second book The Fire Within – Connect Your Gifts with Your Calling in October 2015. Marcia and her husband Tim live in Minnesota and have two children: Nicole and Patrick. Marcia enjoys spending time with her family, working out, singing, writing, and public speaking.

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