Olympic diver Steele Johnson, after receiving his first ever Olympic silver medal, provided some profound insight for all of us. Johnson proclaimed, “The fact that I was going into this event knowing that my identity is rooted in Christ and not what the result of this competition is, just gave me peace ... and it let me enjoy the contest." ...
Some friends explored buying a company, but due to safety issues in the plant, they decided to pass. Several years later their management team revisited the discussion. One of their leaders proclaimed, “That plant would be safer the day after we buy it, because we care.” Their compassion for the people drove them to reconsider, and ultimately buy the other ...
Matt’s chest tightened as he listened to the voice mail from Roger, an unsatisfied client. “Matt, we won’t be needing your services any longer. Your company dropped the ball on this project.” Instead of making excuses or begging for a second chance, Matt responded with offering a 100% refund as well as a personal guarantee to correct the problem. Rogers’s ...
Sam shared with me that Seth, a mutual acquaintance of ours, called him years ago and asked Sam to consider serving on a board of a local business that Seth had purchased. Sam as a courtesy to Seth met with the local manager, but left the meeting feeling very uncomfortable. Sam passed on the opportunity. Sam told me, “God protected ...
Matt’s daughter is a gifted track athlete, excelling in the 100 meter dash. She also is successful in longer distance races, such as the cross country event. Matt was surprised when her coach recommended she give up competing in the longer races. Due to physiological reasons, the coach believed that in order for her to develop her true strength, the ...
A banker I know says it’s been hard to convince his colleagues to embrace Christianity when they see churches who won’t honor their loan agreements. My friend’s experience has been that many churches are quick to renegotiate when interest rates decline, but they would never allow the bank to renegotiate when rates increase. Some churches teach integrity matters more than ...
Many Christian CEOs desire to influence their organization with God’s Word while being sensitive to the team members who may not embrace the Christian faith. One of the best ways to shape a culture is to focus on values. Since many of the values we commonly embrace come right out of the Bible, it’s a non-threatening way to communicate God’s ...
All new hires are important, but a small business jeopardizes their culture even more if someone makes a poor hiring decision. If you have twenty employees who have represented your organization well, hiring the wrong person will hurt, but it’s unlikely to devastate your culture. However, if you’re the only employee and you bring on someone new, they become 50% ...
One of the hardest things about interviewing job candidates is the relationships that develop and cloud your judgment. My friend, Joe, reminded me of this truth recently. Joe has helped hire thousands of employees, so I called him for help. When I shared with Joe about a possible employee I was considering, Joe said, “They’re not the right fit, Rick. ...
It was the end of our first ever all-day conference, called Faith Incorporated. My wife, Kathy, and I were on a high. Then, author and radio personality, Chip Ingram pulled Kathy and I aside to say, “What just happened here today was incredible, but you two need to be prepared. The enemy is going to attack you.” Chip was right. ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
