Bob Hasson is a businessman, author, consultant and podcaster. We asked him some questions around his new book, Shortcuts: The Proven Path to Purpose, Excellence, and Calling
What is God’s original design for work?
In Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into Adam. The next thing God says to Adam is in verse 15: “Go tend to the garden.” In other words, go to work. Fast forward to the book of John, where Jesus says, “My Father and I are always working” (John 5:17). From beginning to end, the testimony of Scripture shows us that God created us in His image to work like Him and work with Him in the great project of cultivating the earth and bringing it into order and flourishing.
Though the fall of humanity harmed that design by damaging our partnerships with God, ourselves, and each other, thus bringing the experience of struggle, striving, and futility into our work, God’s original intent for us to be His partners in work never changed. Central to the redemptive work of Jesus is restoring those partnerships and the purpose and motivation for our work. Each of us is privileged with gifts and assignments to work with the Father, serving ourselves, our families, and our churches.
How do we gain clarity on our identity, purpose and assignments in life?
Our core identity as believers is that we are sons and daughters of God. This relational identity establishes our unshakable worth and purpose, that we are loved by our Father and that our central trajectory in life is to become mature, wise children who walk in intimate relationship with Him and imitate Him in all we think, say, and do. Our assignments in life form the central training ground for us to grow and fulfill this purpose. Most of the time we don’t need to go looking for our assignments, because we are already placed in front of them, just as God placed Adam in the Garden.
And just as God assigned Adam to guard and cultivate the Garden (this is what “tend” means), so we are called to steward, protect, and cultivate everything God has given us and bring it into life and flourishing. This includes our bodies, financial resources, gifts, talents, personalities, relationships, opportunities, and every other resource that He entrusts to us. This is what God has “put in our hands,” and we are called to do it “with all our might” (Ecc. 9:10).
What is passion and how can we experience it in our work?
The original root word of “passion” literally comes from Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Passion is rooted in sacrificing for what we love. Many people give up on a job or relationship because they no longer “feel” passionate about it, without realizing that such feelings are more of a result of investing our blood, sweat, tears, and life into something valuable.
Thus we should not follow or go chasing the feeling of passion. Rather, we must follow what we love and be willing to sacrifice for it. In my life, I have found that what I love most is people. My work has become a place where I sacrifice my time, energy, and resources to help my employees, clients, and family all grow and benefit, and that is what fuels my passion for work.
What are the keys to identifying roles where we can grow, thrive and contribute our best work to the world?
In Shortcuts, I describe four areas we should all look at to understand and operate from our roles and find our “sweet spot.” Gifts and Personality–there are many great tools to help us identify our innate strengths, gifts, and personalities. DISC, Strengthsfinder, the Enneagram, Meyers-Briggs, etc. All of these can be immensely helpful in showing us what kind of work and roles are best suited to us. Execution–this is about where we are in our journey of work, from apprenticeship to mastery.
Our roles should change as we grow in our skill and expertise. Culture–every social environment has core values and practices that define what should be cultivated and what should be discouraged in the group. It’s important to find a work culture that aligns with your own core values. Character–we are all on a journey to become who God created us to be, and at the heart of that is Christ’s redemptive work in our lives, which is our personal testimony of transformation. Our best role will be a place where we can give away what we have been learning and becoming in this journey of growth.
What does the Bible say about work/life balance? That’s not a modern concept, is it?
The modern version of work/life balance focuses on the balance between our paid employment and the rest of our lives. The Bible focuses more on the balance between work–which might be paid or unpaid–and rest, through the rhythm of six days of labor and one day of rest.
In Shortcuts, we look at the Proverbs 31 woman as a picture of “work/life balance.” The Bible presents her as a personification of wisdom, the life well-lived. She’s working in multiple departments of life with incredible focus, passion and skill, but is also full of joy and able to enjoy the fruit of her labors.
Bob Hasson is a businessman, author, consultant and podcaster. He is both the founder and CEO of HPCI, a painting subcontractor he founded in 1978 and that operates across the western U.S. For over 30 years, he has been active as a consultant and board member for churches, ministries, non-profits and school boards. A sought-after speaker, Bob has co-authored books with Danny Silk and Shawn Bolz. He has been married for 33 years to his wife, Lauren, and they have four children and two grandchildren
Shortcuts: The Proven Path to Purpose, Excellence, and Calling. By Bob Hasson
