John Stanko

"But Ruth replied, 'Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me'" - Ruth 1:16-17.

Ruth stayed loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi even though there was no apparent benefit to do so. Ruth left her homeland and went back to Israel with her mother-in-law and it was there that the unexpected happened: Naomi helped Ruth identify and win a potential suitor and the widow Ruth was soon married. That marriage led to Ruth becoming the grandmother of King David and part of Jesus' family tree. Leaders should not always evaluate partnerships by their apparent benefits or selfish return, but should look to align with people who have similar values to theirs. Those new partners can then bring new perspectives to situations that can produce unexpected and beneficial results.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is to examine your current business or ministry partnerships. Do you have enough partners to achieve your vision? Are you only collaborating with people who think or act like you? Are you only looking for what you can received instead of what you can give in the partnership? Do these partners share your business values or are they a mismatch? Have you evaluated your partnerships solely on what they can give you or have you considered those to whom you can contribute something to make them more effective and stronger?