The 2026 release of the Trust Index by the Barna research organization added the category of “Christian Business” for the first time. Respondents gave Christian Business a score of 56 on the 100-point trust scale, one point below Christian Churches. However, “Local Business” rated nine points higher than “Christian Business.” In other words, being local was a bigger determinant of ...
According to the Wall Street Journal, Brian McClain, a Kentucky rancher, ran a Ponzi scheme that cost investors and bankers $170 million. The fraud could have been caught many years earlier. Lending on livestock, done properly, requires periodic livestock inspections. Rabo AgriFinance was McClain’s primary lender, but Rabo loaned McClain millions without any cattle inspections for four years. In addition, Rabo’s own files noted that McClain was frequently overdrawn millions of dollars and known ...
Every year Gallop conducts a poll asking people how much they trust a variety of institutions. Many of our institutions like Congress, the press, and even the church, rank very low in how much the American public trusts them. A bright spot, however, relates to Small Business. For 2025, Gallop found that a record high of 70% of people ...
When Susan received an email from a client who was frustrated that no one had responded to his earlier note, she was surprised by the sender’s tone. His words expressed his anger at the organization’s lack of response. Susan could have returned the sender’s emotion or ignored his not-so-subtle sarcasm. Instead, she took responsibility for a mistake that was not ...
According to a Wall Street Journal article, a survey of more than 500 managers discovered that 75% of them plan on factoring office attendance into performance reviews. The reason for this is that only 12% of managers believe that hybrid employees are productive. When a boss can’t visibly see you at your desk, they will often wonder whether you’re ...
In this series, we’re discussing preparing for economic storms. We’ve discussed getting closer to your customers and hiring freezes, the third step you might consider is to trim expenses. In 2009, the economy was crumbling. For those who adjusted and weathered the storm, I heard many tell me a similar story. They discovered that during the good times they ...
Years ago, I was invited to join a networking group. Their purpose for the group was to generate leads for each member. After visiting the group, I discovered that the founder of the group required that I provide him two leads each week. The problem was, I didn’t trust him. There was no way I was going to refer people ...
Trust is the backbone of a strong team. When trust has been undermined, it not only harms that relationship, but it also can harm the cohesiveness of a team and the team’s effectiveness. Oxford Languages says that “trust” is “the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” If you distrust someone, it’s most likely ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
