Integrity Moments

A Troubled Culture

2017-04-27T14:30:47-05:00May 9th, 2017|Tags: , , |

When I was a young CPA in between jobs, I met a man at a dinner meeting who offered me a job at his CPA firm. When I arrived at his office, I was told that the owner who had hired me was gone. Puzzled, I informed them that I was supposed to start work that day. One of the ...

Preparing Your Culture

2018-03-14T08:42:15-05:00May 8th, 2017|Tags: , , |

When I was 16 years old I experienced how two similar department stores could have drastically different cultures. The first department store I worked at was very unstructured and undisciplined with few rules and no accountability. Many employees picked up on the lack of accountability and stole incredible amounts of inventory. The second store had a store manager with stringent ...

Hard Work Ain’t Easy

2018-03-14T08:42:16-05:00May 5th, 2017|Tags: , , |

It’s much easier to chase fantasies than to work hard. But you can’t eat fantasies. That is, unless you’re Walt Disney or Pixar. But it still takes hard work to develop your fantasies so people will buy them. No matter how you look at it, working hard is critical! Weave wisdom into hard work, and you’ll live a good life. ...

Standing Firm in Sweden

2017-04-26T15:47:10-05:00May 4th, 2017|Tags: , , |

According to the Wall Street Journal, Sweden has a shortage of midwives which sometimes results in mothers dying. Despite this, Ellinor Grimmark was blacklisted due to her unwillingness to participate in abortions. Multiple hospitals refused to hire her due to her pro-life beliefs and, a trial court ruled against her. Ellinor could have buckled and participated in abortions, or changed ...

Our Measuring Stick

2018-03-14T08:42:16-05:00May 3rd, 2017|Tags: , , |

Charles Murphy, an investment banker in New York City, recently leaped from the 24th floor of a hotel to his death. According to the Wall Street Journal, Murphy was worth tens of millions of dollars, and, made millions each year. Yet, according to his friends, Murphy was frequently concerned about not having enough money. The measuring stick we use is ...

Fake News

2018-03-14T08:42:16-05:00May 2nd, 2017|Tags: , , |

“60 Minutes” did a segment on Fake News that highlighted the dilemma we now face of determining real news from lies. Their report highlighted people who have discovered that making up sensational headlines can make them millions of dollars, even though the news they promote are lies! One expert that was interviewed claimed that virtually anyone can be snared by ...

A Self Serving Airline

2018-03-14T08:42:16-05:00May 1st, 2017|Tags: , , |

United Airlines experienced a public relations nightmare in April when a video went viral of a paying customer being dragged off a plane. When Dr. David Dao was asked to leave a flight he had paid for, he refused because he had patients to see the next morning. Dr. Dao was manhandled by security, and injured, then dragged down the ...

Get Rich Slow

2017-03-29T15:17:51-05:00April 28th, 2017|Tags: , , |

A radio commercial recently tried to entice me to sign-up for a course on “how to get rich buying real estate without using any of your own cash.” These get-rich-quick schemes are usually tied to the concept of borrowing your way to financial freedom. The reality is that this practice usually leads to financial bondage! As a former banker, I ...

Vendor Relations

2018-03-14T08:42:16-05:00April 27th, 2017|Tags: , , |

When I was a banker I financed several homebuilders and their subcontractors. The subcontractors typically were to be paid within 30 days of when the homebuilder was paid. The reality, however, was closer to 60 to 90 days, if not longer. One of my most profitable builders, however, was unconventional. He intentionally paid his subcontractors almost immediately upon receiving his ...

Compassion Begets Compassion

2017-03-29T15:03:09-05:00April 26th, 2017|Tags: , , |

A new friend shared with me how his broadcasting business during the 2009 recession took an unconventional approach to slashing payroll. They decided to retain all employees by cutting their staff’s pay, but they chose not to cut anyone’s pay who made less than $30,000 a year. What surprised management, however, was that many of these lower paid employees asked ...

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