Take Your Framework And Stick It Up Your Pipeline: Finding a new normal in business

By Hugh Marquis

For too long, business has operated on a model based on fear, greed and corruption. But what if there's another way? What if the purpose of business is to create a generous culture of caring, sharing and prosperity for all? It's time to value people and release then to be all they were created to be. Do this, and the bottom line will tak

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marquis Developments
• Release date: Nov 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781925921502

Hugh Marquis

Hugh and Jane have raised three children and built international corporations for 32 years. They call Australia home but have travelled to 90+ nations; encountering social injustices such as human trafficking, poverty and hunger. These experiences inspired a journey to transform societies rooted in greed, fear, and corruption towards ones motivated by caring, sharing and prosperity.

Book preview

Introduction

My name is Hugh Marquis, and I’m here to share my story with you. It happened, and it’s ongoing. It’s not a parable; though there are lessons to learn and I’m still learning them. Had I not walked this path I probably wouldn’t believe it, and if you don’t believe it, that’s ok. But if you will stick with me through the pages of this book, I know that there are nuggets that will set you, your family, your organisation, and your community on a trajectory to change the world around you for the better.

In case you’re now wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into – this is a business book. However, it’s not your usual business book. I’m going to share my journey in business, but more importantly, it’s my journey with God. I can’t talk about business without Him because, without Him, there would be no business to speak of. I’ve never been one to beat around the bush. I have a reputation for telling it like it is (or at least as I see it), and what I’m going to share with you is the reality of doing business in the kingdom of God. These are the possibilities, and I think they should be the rule, not the exception.

I’m excited to share my experiences; the highs, the lows, the lessons, and to give you practical ways of working in your organisation that will enhance productivity, creativity and your bottom line. If that’s all you take away, it will significantly benefit you, your business, your staff and your clients.

However, it will fall short, and I want you to have it all, and so does God!

In the end, I could tell you that my business success comes from my financial knowledge, my commitment to excellence, my approach to releasing my workers, and so on. While all of these factors contribute to the outworking of my businesses, my plans and accompanying steps are ordered and directed by God. My part has primarily been that of saying Yes, stepping out in faith, committing finances to the vision and being faithful to walk it out.

THE ‘WHY’ BEHIND MY ‘WHAT’

After building and running successful (and the occasional not so successful) businesses for over 30 years, I hired marketing people to help me with my branding. They were well qualified and well-intentioned, attempting to build a brand around whom they thought I was or should be. It was during this process that I had an Aha! moment. I realised that I am me. I am the me that God created me to be. I am not a specific name, not a particular title. I have a unique, diverse and unconventional background that has provided me with the skills and opportunities to live and learn the art of business. We are each called to be ourselves; the people we were designed to be, and that the world ultimately needs us to be. We are not what we do. What we accomplish should be the overflow of who we are, and that is all the branding we need.

I grew up in Drysdale and later, the seaside town of Queenscliff on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. In my teens, I watched my mother manage a successful, award-winning hotel, but what impressed me most and stayed with me was her servant attitude. She instilled this same attitude in her staff as she served not only her customers but those who worked for her. She knew that without customers, the business would not exist; but without her staff, the customers wouldn’t come. She appreciated her employees, and she taught them to value customers by giving them an outstanding experience every time they walked through the door.

I started out working for the opposition (they paid better than family!) and was taught to serve and look after people, wait tables, clean and cook. I have run restaurants, bars, and a French bakehouse. I’ve built and renovated houses, written computer software, worked in finance, built IT service businesses and developed multimillion-dollar enterprises all around the world. I’ve owned and directed food companies, manufacturing plants, forestry companies, and run non-profits fighting trafficking and slavery in Cambodia.

I’ve eaten with the leaders of countries and dined with the poorest of the poor around the world. I’ve cried with the down and out and celebrated with the victorious. I’ve had my heart broken by social injustice and had a hand up from those I would consider the neediest. I’ve led strategic panels and executed business plans. I’ve helped build better businesses and had the privilege of travelling to over 90 countries, experiencing other cultures and seeing firsthand how we impact each other through trade and relationship, be it for good or ill.

I have been criticised, ridiculed, encouraged and applauded, often for the same thing and at the same time, and I’ve learnt that it’s a matter of perspective. I love to teach, train and equip people to help them achieve their best and launch them into a bright and prosperous future.

I love spending time with people and investing in their world. I believe we live in unprecedented times and the opportunities to bring real and lasting benefit to those who need it most have never been more exciting. The world is becoming smaller, and instead of tearing things down, it is time we work together for the good of all.

In the end, life is about relationships. It’s about making the world a better place for having you in it. It’s about valuing people who are made in the image of God and releasing them to be all that He created them to be. It’s about giving opportunities for people to step up into their identity in God and run with their passion. That’s how we transform business culture, and transformed business cultures transform their communities, cities, nations and the world.

Do this, and the bottom line will take care of itself. When people are valued, they will appreciate your business. They will take ownership of your vision, mission, and bottom line and make it their mission to see it come to pass. We have assumed the worst of people. We make the exception the rule. It’s time to go from fear to outrageous favour.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

Everyone! Seriously, while this book focusses on organisational culture and change, the principles work anywhere there is a relationship because, in the end, everything worth anything in life comes down to relationships and how we invest in each other.

Whether you are a brand-new start-up operating out of your garage or an established business with two-hundred employees, there is something for everyone willing to go on the journey of transformation. It’s time we challenge the status quo driven by greed, fear and corruption and build organisations that care for people as much as they care for profits.

HOW TO READ THIS BOOK

The best way to read this book is from start to finish! However, you can read any of the chapters in isolation and get insight that will help you navigate your way from good to better, better to best with your organisation.

If you’re inspired to make or even suggest change within your business, you can grab a bunch of copies and work through the book again with your colleagues and co-workers. Alternatively, maybe you don’t own the company you work for and would like to give the book to your boss for Christmas! Trust me; they will thank you! I know that I would have appreciated it!

I know the steps laid out in this book work. I’ve lived them. I’ve also made plenty of mistakes along the way so that you don’t have to! There is a better way to do business, and it’s a way that benefits people, not just in your immediate circle of influence, but in the lives of people you may never meet.

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO COVER?

As I said earlier, I want you to come away from this book with a fresh perspective and practical steps that you can put into action within your organisation. I want you to be able to have great conversations with the people in your business about your vision, mission and higher purpose that inspire them to consider their legacy and purpose.

CHAPTER ONE: WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF BUSINESS?

Why did any of us go into business in the first place when fifty-one per cent of companies fail within the first five years? It all comes down to vision. What’s your vision and is it big enough to get you through the tough times? Find out how to create a legacy that will launch your business into the stratosphere and on the adventure of a lifetime.

CHAPTER TWO: THE NETWORK NEIGHBORHOOD STORY

I started Network Neighborhood (NN) in 1999. The lessons learned in establishing, building and running this multi-million-dollar company were the geneses for this book. It was as I led Network Neighborhood that God taught me how to run a business based on kingdom principles and with a kingdom economy mindset.

CHAPTER THREE: IDENTITY, SELF-AWARENESS AND LEADERSHIP

What does your identity have to do with any of it? Everything! We all see the world through the filters of personality, upbringing and the experiences that shaped us. Learning how to lead and release others authentically is key to living in a culture of honour, vulnerability and