Malcolm Gladwell in his book, “Outliers” made popular the concept that 10,000 hours of work in any certain field is necessary to become an elite performer in that industry. Having expertise in any field can be valuable, but it does also have a downside. You can become so accustomed as to how the industry conducts business that you may find ...
As a business leader, there are times when you delegate some of your work to others. When this is done well, delegation allows you to accomplish more while involving others in the mission of your organization. When God heard the cries of the Israelites who were being treated poorly by the Egyptian slaveowners, He decided to help. He could have ...
One of our pastors shared that he previously had an acquaintance who owned a python, and even let it sleep in his bed. The snake started acting strange. It quit eating and it would stretch its body out to its full length next to him. Unsettled, this young man asked his vet what might be wrong. He was shocked when ...
In Exodus 4, God instructs Moses to return to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery. Most of the chapter, however, is Moses making excuses for his involvement. First, Moses asks, “What if the elders don’t believe me?” God answers Moses by turning Moses’ staff into a snake. Then Moses complained that he wasn’t a very good speaker, and asked ...
A team of Harvard professors and students wrote an article called, “How Asking Multiple People for Advice Can Backfire.” They discovered that negative consequences can come when personal advisors feel that you embraced someone else’s opinion over theirs. These advisors sometimes conclude that anyone seeking input from multiple people is less competent. Rather than discourage seeking advice, the authors made ...
An article by Small Business Trends stated, “hire a team because no one can do it alone.” Businesses cannot grow without first expanding their team’s capacity. Business growth can be stifled by the owner taking on too many internal business tasks instead of working “on the business” and its future. 1 Chronicles 12:8 says, “Some Gadites defected to David at ...
As an employee, Doug currently provides monthly services for his employer’s largest client. Recently, this client hired a separate division of Doug’s employer to develop systems to replace the work Doug does by automating it. Unfortunately, the other division never sought out Doug’s advice. The lack of communication within their own company frustrated their client and caused dissatisfaction. In Mark ...
Kurt was frustrated. He and his wife have worked very hard to grow the customer base of their delivery business, but they weren’t improving their profitability. As I learned about their business, it became evident that Kurt had pricing issues. When asked about how they price a customer transaction, Kurt told me about a formula the previous business owner had ...
In the movie, “Breakthrough,” teenager John Smith drowned in Lake St. Louis, but miraculously recovered. The first doctor who treated John wrote in his medical records: “Patient dead. Mother prayed. Patient came back to life.” I’m sure many doctors wrestle with how much of healing comes from their work, and/or the medications prescribed, versus God’s handiwork. John Smith’s doctor witnessed some ...
The recent movie, “Breakthrough,” is a true story about John Smith, a teenager who drowned in Lake St. Louis. Miraculously, God restored life to John. During one scene, the doctor had given up hope on John’s recovery. While warning John’s parents of John’s impending death, John’s mother became indignant. She told the doctor, “I understand you’re a world renown specialist. ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
