The focus of every organization is results. Without results, an organization will not produce a profit. And without a profit, an organization will eventually die. This is true even of so-called “nonprofits.”

The term nonprofit is a misnomer. For any nonprofit, its income must exceed expenses or the organization will die. The term nonprofit, therefore, is not an accurate description of any organization relative to financial results.

How does an organization produce the results needed to yield a profit?

One key element in achieving profitable results is to celebrate what is truly important. This can be a challenge because we tend to celebrate the wrong things. For example, it is common for organizations to celebrate inanimate matters such as building facilities and winning competitions. The problem in celebrating these types of things is that they are not the primary means used to achieve results. Results are achieved by people.

Many years ago, management pundit Peter Drucker famously challenged the board of ServiceMaster by asking them what business they were in. The board responded, as most people would, by listing their various products and services. Drucker objected. He stated that the real business of ServiceMaster was people, that is, finding the right people and training them to deliver ServiceMaster’s products and services with excellence. The validation of this effort would be profit.

What is true of ServiceMaster is true of all organizations. Every organization is in the people business. Profitable results are generated by the right people doing the right things. The problem is that all people are born into this world in a state of sin, which drives them to do the wrong things. So a key function of management is to help people mature and learn, which enables them to do the right things. This is what organizations should be celebrating.

In the above text, a shepherd lost a sheep. So he went out to find that sheep and brought the sheep back where it belonged. The return of the sheep was a point of celebration. The celebration was not about the size of the flock or the work of the shepherd, it was about getting the lost sheep where it was supposed to be so that the sheep can do what it was supposed to do.

In organizations, profitable results are generated by people who are in the right place doing the right things. Organizations should celebrate people who mature and learn. That is people who mature in Christ, find their right work assignments, and train to do their work assignments with excellence. Adroit managers, therefore, will be great shepherds who find the lost sheep and get them into place.

Here is your business tip. To achieve enduring profitable results, organizations must celebrate what drives those results—the right people in the right positions doing the right things. This does not happen naturally; it takes skilled management to achieve this. Be very carefully about celebrating things like buildings and competitions. These are secondary and not nearly as important as finding the lost sheep and getting them into place so that they can perform their roles. To achieve consistently profitable results, celebrate the transformation (i.e., growth and maturity) of people. Help them find their respective places and train them to deliver great products and services. Organizations that do this will achieve enduring profitable results.