2/14/23 - PowerPod: Who's Leading YOUR Leadership?

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work. How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: We're back in Lubbock, Texas today to highlight these stories of the impact of implementing everything you'll be learning when you and your leadership team come to the October Kingdom Business workshop. Today we hear from two powerful members of the Betenbough Homes team and how they've been part of the implementation of everything God has laid on the hearts of the leadership team at Betenbough Homes. To put it lightly, Betenbough Homes is no ordinary business. It's a kingdom business that balances a profitable return and a valuing of their employees.

Cal Zant is the President of Betenbough Homes and Jeanna Roach is the VP of Sales and Marketing. [00:01:00] Let's hear from them on how they do it and how you can learn all about it at the next Kingdom Business Workshop. Cal Zant, Jeanna Roach, welcome to iWork4Him.

Cal Zant, president of Betenbough Homes. Talk about how you became a Christ follower.

Cal Zant: I grew up going to church with my family, and I would say I, I knew of God, I didn't know God. I couldn't recognize his voice, didn't know him personally, and yeah, at an early age started to rebel from that and honestly took that to an extreme.

I say God has blessed me with a very colorful testimony. Ended up with a drug and alcohol addiction that honestly he saved me from. Just like Jesus met Jeanna in the Amazon, he met me in the drunk tank of Lubbock County Jail. So I really feel like he did, he was pursuing me even in the midst of my brokenness and met me there.

And that's when I first heard his voice and started to get to know him. And he's been saving me ever since, you know? I became a Christ follower again this morning.

Jim: Cal, how did you get [00:02:00] introduced to Betenbough Homes? I mean, obviously he didn't come in here as starting up as a president.

Cal Zant: Yeah. Just looking for a job, found it on Monster or something. Honestly, I didn't know anything about Betenbough Homes. I had heard rumors of the Betenbough family. It turns out I lived in a Betenbough home for a little while in college, but I didn't know that didn't know much about the company. I was just at the time a software developer and they had an open position for a programmer.

One of a couple interviews I had lined up came in and, lots of our transformation as a business has happened since I've been here, but even then they had the company values on a banner I remember. And the one on top was Honor God. And I thought, oh, that's weird. . And then a mission statement at least at the time was to best use our resources to promote the kingdom of God and that was on a wall somewhere in the conference room.

And, you know, we didn't talk about any of that stuff in the interview, but I could tell something was different about this place. And they didn't offer me the job in that first interview. But I [00:03:00] went home and canceled all my other interviews and told my wife that's where I want to be. I could just tell there was something different about it.

And that is, that is not me as, as an engineer at heart, like that is not me at all to take a step of faith like that. I could even tell early on there was something different about it, but honestly how I got here was just provision, looking for provision.

Jim: Both of you were attracted by the atmosphere even during the interview? I mean, that's pretty cool. I mean, how often do you get to do an interview where you actually, like, you're impressed by the culture before you even start?

Cal Zant: Man, it's something you can feel when you walk through the doors. No, I can't even tell you how many people have said that, and I felt it myself. Just how warm and welcoming and sincere, authentic people were. Within five minutes you could feel it. And it's different.

Jim: You started as the PR person, but you're on a vision trip. A vision trip for Betenbough Homes or?

Jeanna Roach: Yep. A mission trip at the time is what we called it for Betenbough [00:04:00] Homes. It was actually the very first company sponsored mission trip. We went that fall of 2006 and they started discussing the opportunity to go to the Amazon or Africa. I went to the Amazon. Cal went to Africa that first year, but our trip was the first one to leave in May, and we just went from village to village.

I was with Rick and Holly and Tiffany and Chris Berry that are still here. A lot of friends that we have made here. We went from village to village, and I remember telling my friends about this, that this company was paying 100% of our travel, including all of the immunizations that we had to have.

The only thing I had to pay for was a passport. And my sister and I got to go and experience what people in Brazil, how they are honoring God. And that was very new to me. When I had applied for my job - I told someone this the other day - when I saw the word ministry on the navigation bar of the website, honestly, I had never heard that word before and I had to Google it and go, what is [00:05:00]this?

And I remember looking at the page and seeing scripture and thinking, I'm really confused right now. Is this a business or is this a church? What is happening here? And I didn't understand that. And so...

Jim: Is it a business, is it a ministry or is it a biznistry?

Jeanna Roach: I like it. I like it.

Jim: But so you've been here 12 years. What's kept you here the whole time? I mean, 12 years is a long time to hold a job, certainly for a young person today. I mean, that's like, you know, five times longer than most people hold a job. Why? Why'd you stay?

Jeanna Roach: I came for a career. It became a calling. It's very apparent how God had just divinely appointed things in my life to bring me here at this time. And so over the years, he has just transformed my heart. I have a passion for people and relationships. I loved marketing when I came. Now, honestly, what I love is just getting to spend time with Cal and Corey on our leadership team, creating this special environment that people come and they are transformed.

I just left a one-on-one with a team member that she said, this [00:06:00] place is what keeps me together. Some days she's had some really hard times. She's lost a spouse this year and is a single mom at this point, and this place she said, refreshes me. It brings me energy and I have never dreaded for a single day coming to this job, not once.

In 12 years, I get up looking forward to what sort of change, how, what sort of love and care can I give to the people in front of me, whoever that is. Because honestly, that is what I have seen. I have seen Christ in the people around me. They have brought me to this place and I just rejoice in what God has done and what he is doing in my family.

My husband is not a believer, but I see God seeking him and he has given me a vision for that. And I just come here every day surrounded by people encouraging me in my faith. And we get to do that for other people. We get to be that light for other people. And that is such a blessing. The fact that God would give us that is amazing.

Martha: So I wanna reemphasize what you said about your - the person you had the one-on-one with. And we talked [00:07:00] about that the other day with Rick and Casey a little bit about the value of the culture that encourages you to have one-on-ones with your people to really make sure you know them well.

But how many of our listeners, Jim, have ever felt that way, I wonder, about a workplace? So many times we feel depleted. We feel that, you know, coming to work is a place that takes from me. But what a testimony, what an encouragement to know that this is a place, yes, they give,. Yes, they produce. Yes, they do their job, but probably so much better because it energizes them. They're not coming in, dragging their feet.

Jim: You were intrigued by what you saw on the wall when you were interviewing, you canceled your other interviews, you got the job. What's kept you here 12 years?

Cal Zant: There's lots of things that's kept me here. I think every day I've felt challenged. I felt like people cared about me. That as a person, not just what I could do for 'em, but they saw things in me before I saw 'em in me and tried to [00:08:00] help out, help draw out who God had created me to be. And they loved me in the midst of real stuff, you know real life events. They were transparent in their own struggles, you know? Seeing people, leaders of the company share stuff that's going on and just being real.

And you can see how their faith penetrates in those moments and inspired me. But ultimately it's the same answer as Jeanna's. It's, it's the calling. I feel like this is a specific calling from God. I feel anointed for this. I actually, I think God has told me that this is who he created me to be.

And while I'm inadequate to do this, honestly and that's not false humility, I'm inadequate a lot of times but I believe God put me where I am. And so any gap between who I am and who he needs me to be, that's up to him to fill.

Jim: What you have seen, how you have seen the company morph in these 12 [00:09:00] years, what's the most significant thing you've seen the company shift? I mean, cuz I'm sure there's been lots and lots of changes, but there's probably been some major earthquake type shifts. What's the biggest thing you've seen?

Cal Zant: I would say one of 'em is for a long time we saw ministry as something we supported as a business, not something we did as a business. And there was a moment where God changed all of our hearts to where he, he showed us we had personal responsibility in that we had influence of people here. And that he was just as concerned reaching somebody in one of our offices as he was reaching an orphan on the other side of the world, you know, and that we had personal responsibility in that. That was a major shift.

And I say that one, but the other one is even as radical of a shift and has happened in the past year. I would say it's a fresh revelation to us, and it's that God calls us to a different kind of leadership. We usually just call it spiritual leadership, but that he has a very [00:10:00] specific style of wanting to love on people in our context, and it's very different than a lot of ways businesses work. It's like most things in the kingdom. It's a bit upside down, you know?

Jim: Bit upside down or a bit right side up? It's a Romans 12: 2 thing all day long. How have you seen God working in this organization, Betenbough Homes? What, what was some of the big shifts that you've seen? The big earthquakes that have rolled.

Jeanna Roach: I think for me it's similar to Cal. It's seeing our people as part of the ministry. I think I felt the love and care, but really being intentional with it. I have seen Rick Betenbough soften so much in my 12 years.

I have seen him, just his anointing grow and grow. I have gotten to see that in so many people. When Cal's talking about the anointing, I have been outside the camp watching that. You know, it's such a blessing for me. As we were on the same team together and then Rick and Holly just handed over the company to us.

I did not foresee that coming. You know, we were just coming every day giving it all we got. We are [00:11:00] passionate, purpose-filled people and I have seen Rick in that just release. Most people wanna control things and they want it their way, and we're trying to finely craft everything. And Rick and Holly have really given us this beautiful kingdom picture of releasing and that God will give you more.

That wasn't that way in 2006 when I came. Also this relational style of leadership that Cal's really gonna hit, we are very intentional to have small, intimate teams. That is a shift for us. It was like that in the beginning, cuz when Cal and I started, there were only about 40 people here.

So every team was a small team. But the intentionality of that is very rare in other businesses where you cannot have more than six people that report to you. You're just, we're not gonna allow that because we really desire to connect with people and see the whole person. This is not a leave your personal life at home and, and just come here and be buttoned up and professional. We wanna know who you are.

Jim: But that's impossible anyway. It's impossible to leave your personal life.

Jeanna Roach: But people try it. But people try it.

Martha: And then they spend a [00:12:00] lot of energy trying to cover up. Or, you know, be somebody that they're not, instead of just dealing with what's going on in their life.

Jim: It's impossible to leave your personal life at home. I mean, it just is.

Talk to me about what spiritual leadership looks like to you.

Cal Zant: Hmm. Fundamentally I think it's being led by God as you lead. So man, it is very different to run a business and say, God, I think we should go this direction. Would you bless that? From saying, God, this is your business and I want to be about your business. What would you have me do today? What direction do you want to take this thing? It is way different, way different and the responsibility I have for the spiritual wellbeing of my team, for making sure that I'm asking God who is it you see?

Give me your vision for them. How can I get in on [00:13:00] what you're trying to do in their lives, not just the professional life. But their personal life, their spiritual life. How can I, how can I come alongside what you're trying to do? And yeah, I totally get that you can't separate the personal and the professional, but that's just a very different view for me. It fundamentally changes everything, honestly. And you find yourself in the middle of a lot of things you feel like you're not equipped for. You know, like I said earlier, God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.

Jim: How do you keep all that in perspective, Cal, and at the same time making sure that you're really treating people the way God wants you to treat 'em? I mean, you're a home builder.

Cal Zant: Yeah.

Jim: You ever swung a hammer?

Cal Zant: I have. I have. Now I'm not as good as the guys swinging 'em out there today, but you know, I just see business as a platform and home building is an awesome one.

We have 2,500 trade partners right now out in the field working for us. 2,500 that they come to our job sites every day, and that's another platform for business to impact those [00:14:00] guys. And I could tell you a thousand stories of how that's played out.

Jim: Well give us one.

Cal Zant: Okay. This past year, I am probably gonna get emotional as I tell this story, but this past year one of our team members had a relationship with a guy at one of our trades and had found out his son had committed suicide. And he was in jail when he did that, far away. And his dad didn't have enough money to get his body and have a funeral. And so our team member gathered up some people who worked here and raised some money and then presented it to that guy.

And one of the most powerful parts of this is we never knew about that. So it wasn't that the company did it. That's somebody on a team. The only reason we even heard about it is somebody shot a video of it while, while they were giving him the money.

And that circulated via email a couple days later, but it had nothing to do [00:15:00] with us. And, and that's just the kingdom breaking out in the middle of the business. I chalk that up to God and what he's doing here.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace is our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him!

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast at iWork4Him.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content. When you sign up for our blog at iWork4Him.com or follow us on social media @ iWork4Him. And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform.

Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation!