“Do unto others,” says Fred Wehba, is not just a concept that applies only after business hours. In this brief Q&A, Mr. Wehba explains why.
Q: Do you think you should separate your religious beliefs from professional endeavors?
Fred Wehba: Absolutely not. Without the gifts that God bestowed on me, it would be impossible to thrive in a professional environment.
Q: How is that?
Fred Wehba: Let’s say that a person wants to be a painter. If he or she wanted to be successful, they would have to be talented, and artistic talent is a gift from above.
Q: That makes a lot of sense. How can a person honor his or her faith from 9 to 5?
Fred Wehba: The first, and perhaps most important, piece of advice I would give here is to always make sure that you are using your gifts to benefit others besides yourself.
Q: But in business the goal is to make money…
Fred Wehba: Be that as it may, you can make a living for yourself while putting your talents and assets to good use.
Q: What do you mean by “good use?”
Fred Wehba: I mean always use your gifts to the best of your ability. Use them in a way that reflects your desire to honor the One who gave them to you.
Q: Can you give us an example?
Fred Wehba: If you are talented at building homes, keep in mind that these will be places where your fellow man will live, love, and laugh. Put your heart into it and know that what you build with your hands will shelter God’s children.
Q: In other words, always keep the people the your end products affect in mind?
Fred Wehba: I would say that’s a good way to look at it.
Q: Does having a strong faith change the way that you interact with people on a professional level?
Fred Wehba: Absolutely. Keeping my faith at the forefront of all I do has helped me to learn that serving others is far more important than serving myself.
Q: Essentially the Golden Rule…?
Fred Wehba: Exactly. So, even though one of your goals in business is to turn a profit you must treat people in a way that you would want to be treated.
Q: That’s the only way to be respected…
Fred Wehba: That’s so very true. But aside from garnering respect for yourself you are also respecting the sanctity of your faith.
Q: Do you believe that we should treat everyone with equal respect?
Fred Wehba: There is no need for vulgar displays of power. If you respect those who work for you they will gladly do their jobs without complaint.
Q: So treat everyone as an equal?
Fred Wehba: Treat everyone as though you are their servant.
Q: Wow. That seems almost counterproductive.
Fred Wehba: The way I look at it, God created humankind in His image. We serve Him and therefore we should serve those who are living representations of his undeniable perfection.
Q: You have a very interesting take on using faith in the workplace! Thank you for your time today.
Fred Wehba: My pleasure.
