A frustration I had working in large corporations was when I knew the solution to a situation, but was told, “that’s not how we do it.” I despised hearing, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Occasionally, my superiors had good reasons, but frequently my unconventional methods would have proven more fruitful. In Matthew 8, one of Jesus’ disciples wanted ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror on a personal injury case. There were many lessons learned that I would like to share. One lesson I learned is that justice doesn’t always prevail in the courtroom. My naïve belief going into jury deliberations was that twelve reasonable people would come out with a fair and impartial verdict. That ...
A Harvard Business Review article referenced a CEO Genome Project study on leaders who became CEOs much faster than their peers. A key factor that worked to the benefit of 30% of these fast track leaders was inheriting a mess at work. Early in my banking career I accepted a chief lending officer position at a troubled bank. This position ...
Josh is a recent acquaintance and a serial entrepreneur. When I asked Josh about his work, he said, “When I left high school I determined to become an entrepreneur. But my first business failed, then my second, and my third. My fourth business started to get some traction, and by my fifth I was on my way.” Amazingly, Josh today ...
Hunting was not my thing, but as a teenager some friends invited me to go deer hunting. Upon arrival they pointed me towards a tree and told me to climb the tree and wait for a deer. I tried to climb the tree with my rifle, but, out of frustration and laziness, I finally left my gun at the base ...
Morten Hansen, a University of California, Berkley professor, has released a new book around his research on high performers. In our fast-paced world when we have so many priorities and opportunities, Mr. Hansen discovered that the highest performing workers have mastered selectivity. These high performers have discovered that carefully selecting which projects and tasks they should work on is more ...
Recently, I was providing counsel to a company who had a bonus plan that wasn’t producing desired results. Over time, as the business “flat-lined” in sales, the management continued earning healthy bonuses for just maintaining the status quo. The company bonus plan had become an entitlement for these leaders, but provided little value for the company. The challenge becomes how ...
Months ago, at 1:30 am, we received the call. My wife, Kathy, was told that our son, Jeremy, was in the emergency room because the group home he lived in had caught fire! Fortunately, Jeremy was not harmed physically, but Jeremy suddenly had no place to live and no belongings. This forced Jeremy, Kathy and I to adjust. Fortunately, we ...
It’s much easier to chase fantasies than to work hard. But you can’t eat fantasies. That is, unless you’re Walt Disney or Pixar. But it still takes hard work to develop your fantasies so people will buy them. No matter how you look at it, working hard is critical! Weave wisdom into hard work, and you’ll live a good life. ...
My friend, Phil, has read many stories of very successful people who started from nothing, like Ben Carson, David Green (Hobby Lobby), and Truett Cathy (Chick Fil A). Phil shared with me that what they all had in common was that these leaders knew how to make the most from what they had. These men lived out Proverbs 12:27 and ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
