“The Insanity of God” by Nik Ripken, is a compilation of stories by a missionary who traveled the world interviewing over 700 Christians who have been persecuted. Many of the people he interviewed didn’t wonder if they would ever be persecuted, but instead, wondered when and how frequently. Our laws in America still allow us to publicly express our faith ...
While working construction during college, my boss asked me to pick up Dennis on my way to the job site. When I arrived at Dennis’ house, Dennis was smoking dope. On our way to the job site, Dennis asked me to stop at a convenience store. He returned with a six pack of beer and began drinking. That day, while ...
Years ago, I negotiated an employment contract with my employer. It was designed to pay me a significant amount of money if the business was sold. Later, the business was sold, but the buyer considered refusing to pay me. Although the intent of the contract was clear, the wordy legal agreement the attorneys had originally drafted left some ambiguity that ...
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is an interesting book on how entrenched we can become in our daily routines. He explores ways to break free from bad habits. We all have habits that spill over into the workplace. Our habits dictate our effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Our ruts can be productive, provided they are the right habits. When workplace ...
Janet’s interior design business had accumulated some credit card debt and the business wasn’t paying Janet a living wage. When she called me for counsel, I discovered that she had great experience, a reasonable business model, and low expenses. When I asked about sales goals, Janet said, “When I was younger I worked for a large firm that established sales ...
Mark was trying to grow his trucking business when he met a successful retired business owner. Mark was excited when this man offered to come in and help him grow his business. Months later, Mark called me for counsel. The man who had offered to help didn’t embrace Mark’s values. He learned Mark’s business, only to later take many of ...
There’s an interesting contrast in the Bible between Saul and David. King Saul twice violated God’s commands about handling the spoils of battle. Saul’s consequence was for God to reject him as king. David, however, had an affair with Bathsheba, and killed Uriah to cover up his affair. Yet, God gave David a second chance. In 2 Samuel 12, we ...
Mike discovered that a trusted employee had stolen money from him. Heartbroken, Mike intended to fire her, but when confronted, the employee broke down crying with sorrow. She told Mike that her husband had become addicted to drugs and had bullied her to steal to support his habit. Mike took an unconventional business approach. Mike met with her husband. By ...
My friend, Larry, was interviewing for a position to run the operations of a large privately-owned business. They also wanted him to mentor the CEO’s son, with the intent that this CEO’s son would eventually preside over the family business. During the interview the CEO’s son pointedly asked Larry, “Can you train me to eventually lead this organization?” Larry responded, ...
A company I serve launched a new division that does the same things as their core business, but with a whole new brand. This came from a focus group where millennials expressed their need for the product, but wouldn’t buy due to the look of the traditional brand. After further research, they discovered that the marketing methods that had worked ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
