Response

In his presentation, Christopher Donohue presents his observations of successful Christian living in the today’s world. In his speech, he mentions three categories of aspects essential to achievement and fulfillment in life: Federated, Family, and Faith. However, Donohue underlines that it is his order of things, and it can be different for every person. In his discussion of the first category, “Federated,” the speaker lists six lessons he learned from the life of Barnabas and how their implementation helped his business’s development. The first lesson is the significance of friendship. Donohue quotes C. S. Lewis, who wrote that the latter is the highest form of love because it is available to others and promotes the formation of a community. The second lesson is commitment. The orator uses an example from the Book of Acts, where Barnabas laid his patrimony at the feet of the apostles. In my opinion, this is the most vigorous example of someone being so faithful to his convictions and beliefs that he devoted his whole life to pursue them. The next lesson is positive attitude. When asked about his management style, Donohue replied that it was about people being managed and never about the manager. His father, one of the founders of Federated Investors, Inc., used to say that people should be allowed to paint their own picture. I believe this is a wise approach not only to business but life in general. It has become a rule at Federated, and it has proved to promote creativity, enhance performance, and celebrate people’s dignity. The fourth lesson is dispute resolution. This is a crucial element of successful living and any business management because humans always have arguments and disagreements, and to know how to resolve them takes practice and patience. Donohue shares that at Federated, they resolve disputes outside their strategy meetings, and, preferably, ahead of them. This is the most sensible way of dealing with various ideas, tempers, and attitudes. The fifth lesson is sales force development. The main rule that the speaker presents is to never deform the mission because of personal issues. He is correct because in every situation, even the most strenuous one, there is always a way out. The final lesson Donohue learned from the life of Barnabas is branding. Barnabas and other believers developed a term “Christians” that focused on their mission and was inclusive of all the believers in Jesus Christ. In other words, they came up with a brand. In relation to the second category, “Family,” Donohue shares his experience of a father raising his children. His first point is that sometimes, vacation can be a different term for vocation, and that both illuminate our lives in their own ways. He shares a story of one of his family’s vacations where he mixed up the tickets, and his son, as a result, had to sit between two men on the airplane. When the boy grew up, he told his father that he wanted to become a priest. Donohue was surprised and wanted to know why. His son told him that he sat between two priests on that airplane, and that one of them told him that it was obvious that his vocation was to be a minister. In this part, the speaker also discusses going to the concerts, watching TV, and making lunches for his children as part of learning what it means to be a family. In the last part of his speech called “Faith,” the orator talks about his observations of the relationship with Jesus Christ. His focal point is a prayer and its significance. It is my favorite part of his presentation, as a prayer is the foundation of success in every area of a believer’s life. Donohue talks about being confident and specific when praying to God. He also emphasizes the importance of listening to God as well as talking to Him. He encourages the audience to ask God for big things, and provides an example of Solomon, who prayed for wisdom and received wealth and reputation in addition to it. Finally, Donohue ends his speech by reminding to always smile and compliment people with sincerity. More on https://essays-writer.net/