A bank I audited as a young man had a bank president named Ron. Ron had one of the most profitable and respected banks in our system. Ron cared deeply for his team members, and for his community. Ron watched over each teammate, protecting them from verbally abusive customers and loving and serving them in their times of need. He ...
In this series, we’re talking about leadership lessons I learned from banking. One bank I examined had a bank president named Ken. While reviewing a past due loan report, I was surprised to discover a large loan that was one year past due but not listed on their problem loan list. When I asked Ken about it, he said he ...
In this series, we’re talking about leadership lessons I learned from banking. Mike was a bank president who I would label as a Squeezer. He had a bank that appeared very profitable, resulting in Mike being promoted to a bigger role. When we examined the bank after Mike’s promotion, however, we discovered that he had produced short-term profits by squeezing ...
In this series, we’re talking about leadership lessons I learned from the many bank presidents I observed early in my banking career. My first example is Tom. Many bank presidents wanted a favorable audit, so they typically were somewhat courteous. But not Tom. He came across as aloof and too important to be bothered. Even Tom’s staff described their ...
The Barna research organization recently reported that only three in 10 Christians (31%) strongly agree that they have a personal responsibility to share their faith. The workplace can be a challenging place to share our faith. We can find many barriers, both real and imagined, to discourage faith conversations at work. Yet the workplace also can be a wonderful opportunity ...
As a young banker, I learned a lot about leadership by watching the many different styles of bank presidents I observed. In my role doing bank examinations at that time, I interacted with a lot of front-line people like tellers and loan clerks. The reactions and interactions these people had with the bank president were typically a truer reflection ...
While in a season of struggling to find God’s direction for my work, a friend recommended I take a spiritual retreat. I was intrigued but unfamiliar with how to go about it. He pointed me to a retreat center that I had driven by many times but hadn’t bothered to investigate. The center’s director was incredibly helpful and set ...
In business, there are times when you may invest in an employee, only to learn they are leaving for a new opportunity. It’s hard not to feel betrayed and disappointed. The disappointment can be even greater when their departure leaves you with little return on your investment. The Apostle Paul and Barnabas split over their disagreement about Mark. Mark disappointed ...
From the way he talked, everyone in the office knew that Jonah was a Christian. He spoke about going to church, volunteering to serve meals, and what he learned from his daily Bible study. Even his name hinted at his beliefs! But he also turned people away by how he acted. He frequently missed his commitments, gossiped about colleagues, and ...
A recent post by religious statistician Ryan Burge analyzed Christians’ fear of death. Across denominations, it appears people are less fearful of dying as they get older. Perhaps these older adults can look back with satisfaction on their lives, or perhaps they have grown more confident in God’s promises as they have aged. Regardless, understanding the limits of our ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
