When I was young, I found a sharp-looking Toyota Celica that had surprisingly low mileage for its years. After purchasing the car, I immediately began having trouble with the engine that didn’t make sense for such a low mileage car. When my mechanic grandfather inspected my car, he said, “Rick, you’ve been swindled. The odometer has been rolled back.” I ...
Recently, Kathy and I met a young leader via Zoom. His family business had furloughed hundreds of employees due to Covid. When asked how we might pray for him, he blurted out that he has really been struggling emotionally. This pandemic season has been long and hard for many. The Apostle Paul spoke of how he addressed those dark moments ...
This last year has been harder than ever for business leaders to make good decisions. To make good decisions, it’s necessary to have valid information and data. We have more information than ever, but less clarity on what’s true and what isn’t. Many business leaders are being required to make decisions about masks, vaccinations and social distancing, while the information ...
In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen Covey says, “we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.” Intentions are often unclear through behavior alone. The greatest level of trust among coworkers comes from a desire to understand intentions instead of the result of behavior. Judging others by their behavior proves a shallow level of trust. Matthew ...
A group of CEOs who met monthly invited me to visit their group. The host CEO of that meeting gave us permission to interview his “number two” person to learn about the inner workings of his business. During that session, we learned that our host was involved in a kickback, but his motivations to rapidly grow his business had blinded ...
In 2002, Bill Duffy’s client, professional basketball player, Anthony Carter, had an option to continue playing for the Miami Heat for $4.1 million. But Duffy, Carter’s agent, somehow forgot to make the necessary arrangements by the deadline. Because Carter had a challenging year in basketball that year, Duffy’s mistake cost Carter over $3 million in lost revenue. Many would dodge ...
At one of my past accounting jobs, we had an administrative assistant that seemed to have a cloud that followed her everywhere. Her cars constantly broke down. She had multiple traffic tickets, and she had all kinds of problems in her relationships. Sometimes I would wonder, “How can one person have so many bad things happen to them?” As I ...
In one month’s time, Gamestop’s stock price went from $18 a share to over $340 at its peak. The price soared despite their revenue and profits being in decline. The stock price was driven up by a tribe of online small investors who decided to stand against the large hedge funds. Although Wall Street took notice, long-term, the true value ...
Mary Key, of the Institute for Corporate Productivity, recently stated, “Instead of just talking about what their values are, higher-level leaders act on their values.” In other words, leaders who want to leave an impact do what they say. They practice what they preach. More than verbalizing what their closely held beliefs are, they rely on their behavior to inspire, ...
A recent article penned by Mary Key from the Institute of Corporate Productivity states, “Significance thinking involves asking oneself, ‘What is the impact of the gift I want to leave behind?’ This is what can be called legacy.” Significance is realized by the legacy and impact of one's leadership that will be left behind. Lasting meaning comes when generations to ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
