A recent Religion at Work study that surveyed UK and United States workers discovered that 19% of those surveyed had witnessed someone being judged because of their religious beliefs in the workplace. The most common types of discrimination witnessed included being the butt of jokes, being excluded from activities, being denied time off for religious holidays, being told not ...
Bill’s small-town business was out of cash and owed the IRS a significant amount of money. Without knowing how he could repay such a large sum; Bill had avoided the issue. After a lengthy discussion, I shared with Bill some practical steps to move forward. But the hardest issue was the IRS debt. I urged Bill to call the IRS, ...
A challenge in counseling a troubled business is to recognize the gap between theory and reality. It’s one thing to develop an aggressive action plan. It’s another to confront past due creditors and frightened employees. It takes courage to communicate pay cuts to employees. It takes compassion to recognize the impact your decisions will have on those employees, and ...
Recently, I felt God encouraging me to take on a new work project. I feel underqualified and do not have the experience necessary for this project to succeed. In my flesh, I want to pass on this new project to avoid the possibility of failure. Encouragement came recently, however, through reading Henry and Richard Blackaby’s Experiencing God devotional. They wrote, ...
As I pulled-up to the store to return a laptop, I witnessed a line nearly a block long. I started to drive away, but then decided to ask the lady at the door if I could simply return a product. She informed me that I was free to bypass the line. I’m typically a rule-oriented person, but my wife, Kathy, ...
In Luke 7 we read of a Roman Centurion asking Jesus to miraculously heal his servant. The final attribute I want to highlight in this series is this Centurion’s courageous faith. This Roman soldier had heard about Jesus and His miracles. Even though the Centurion was a Gentile, not a Jew, he believed that Jesus could heal his servant. Remarkably, ...
In 1931, R.G. LeTourneau’s business was deep in debt. He was forced to obey his bonding company’s rules to save his business. According to his biography, R.G., known as the “Dean of Earthmoving Equipment,” was told if he didn’t work on Sundays that the bonding company would take over his project. LeTourneau prayed about what to do. He was instructed ...
Many of us may be willing to make modest pivots in business, but what happens if your business model is soon to be irrelevant? Kodak made their money on film when digital cameras surfaced. They needed to change their business model, but their leadership lacked the courage to make a radical pivot. Their inaction resulted in bankruptcy. Peter was only ...
Christopher Columbus was an explorer and innovator. He had a theory. He believed he could sail west, instead of east, to reach India. No one had ever attempted this approach and his flawed theory could have resulted in a disastrous outcome. Columbus chose to be courageous and follow his dream. Although he did not find India, Columbus’ courageous adventure resulted ...
As I’ve aged over the years, sometimes I lean towards being more cautious than courageous. In those moments, it’s encouraging to examine the story of Caleb. At 40 years old, Caleb displayed great courage and desired to overtake the Promised Land—but he didn’t get that opportunity, due to the Israelite’s disobedience and fear. Yet, at 85 years old, Caleb had ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
