On August 11th, the day my mother passed, the funeral home sent someone to her memory care facility to take my mother’s body away. As I followed my mother’s body out, a parade of nurses and caregivers formed. The entire crew who had devotedly cared for my mother stood quietly as her body was slid into a van. Some ...
As I was driving to work, I felt my long sleeve shirt button right below the elbow. When I realized it was unbuttoned, I heard a voice in my head say, “Oh no, I’m only half dressed.” When I was in my 20s, I had an older female customer notice that my sleeve buttons were not buttoned. She said, ...
My friend, Gary, and I were recently discussing our admiration for a mutual friend, Jim. Gary and I have both observed Jim’s style when serving as a board member. Although Jim usually has far more business and board experience than others, Jim is careful to allow others to share before he expresses his thoughts. With Jim’s vast business experience, ...
When my friend, Ray, was young he had many uncomfortable meetings with his boss. He usually felt intimidated, was belittled, and often felt his boss hated him. Years later, when Ray’s boss departed the organization, he said to Ray, “Don’t forget who trained you!” Until that moment, Ray never realized that this man was working to train him to ...
A bright spot in the faith at work movement is in corporate America through Employee Resource Groups (ERG). American Airlines was this year’s winner of the most faith friendly Fortune 500 workplace because of the Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Index. American Airlines allows employee-led faith gatherings, hosts interfaith events, encourages community outreach partnerships, and provides Prayer Rooms. American ...
One of King David’s best leader qualities was his willingness to be approachable. When David learned that his men had bravely fought and defeated David’s son, Absalom, David mourned Absalom’s death but didn’t praise his men for their victory. Joab knew this would undermine David’s leadership. In 2 Samuel 19, Joab said to David, “Today you have shamed all your ...
Life is multidimensional, but we often limit ourselves to our one-dimensional perspective. This became evident to me after my father’s passing on May 31st. As my siblings, and my aunt, shared about dad, I began hearing their different perspectives on many stories about my father. For example, I knew that my dad changed dramatically when I was 17, but ...
For the first time, it cost me over $50 to fill my car with gas. For me, $5 per gallon gas is an annoyance, but it’s not devastating. For many front-line workers, however, $5 a gallon gas, can devastate your employees and their families. Much more than your highest paid people. These pain points can impact your team’s ability ...
In this series, we’re discussing how to apply the armor of God in Ephesians 6 to our workplace. The third piece of armor Paul discusses is your “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Years ago, I had an associate accused of verbally abusing a peer, but because he had always been known as ...
How appropriate that Kathy and I had the start of our marriage on D-Day 35 years ago. I’ve joked with Kathy before that we’ve had 33 good years of marriage. The first two years felt like the start of our own D-Day battle as Kathy and I both pursued our own selfish interests. Eventually, Kathy and I put Christ ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
