While in college, I dreamed of taking a spring break trip to Texas, but had no money. But then a man ran a red light and smashed my car, resulting in me receiving an unexpected check! I had a decision to make – Do I preserve the life of my car or, do I choose a week of adventure with ...
Early in the pandemic my friend, Peter, began to realize that needed supplies for his restaurants were becoming hard to get. He began ordering additional supplies and stockpiling them. The problem, however, kept getting worse. As Peter tried to determine a better solution, he happened to study the story of Joseph in Genesis 41. After God forewarned Joseph of the ...
At 17 months old, my granddaughter, Addy, has a small vocabulary, but she still communicates effectively. Recently, Addy mischievously smiled and pointed to our Echo device. She said, “Poppa,” then began dancing to tell me she wanted me to turn on the music. Only one word was spoken, but I clearly knew what she wanted. In business, sometimes your staff ...
As a young entrepreneur, I decided to liquidate my car rental agency. When a used car dealer offered to buy three of my cars, I was so excited. He asked to meet on Saturday afternoon, after the bank was closed. He gave me a convincing story and a special kind of check that he promised the bank would cash on ...
While driving to the office for a Zoom meeting that included my wife, a car in front of me on the highway spun out of control. She bounced into my car crushing my rear door. As a State Trooper approached my car, I realized I wasn’t going to make my meeting. Without much forethought, I texted my wife the following ...
When Kathy and I finished our last estate plan, we had a son with autism whom we believed may never be able to work, an immature teenage daughter and no grandchildren. Now we have grandchildren, our son has a job, and our daughters are married and more mature. It’s time for us to update our will based on our changing ...
Years ago, a brother and sister inherited a small business when both parents died suddenly. Both siblings worked in the business, but the brother inherited control of the company. Suddenly he became the executor of the estate, the chairman of the board and the acting CEO. He had to manage three different roles while grieving the death of his parents ...
When Scholastic Corporation CEO, Richard Robinson, unexpectedly passed away, his estate plan surprised the world. According to the Wall Street Journal, Robinson left controlling interest of his $1.2 billion publishing business to his Chief Strategy Officer and former lover, Iole Lucchese. Robinson’s two sons and ex-wife are now at the mercy of his former romantic partner’s wishes. Robinson’s oldest son, ...
Do you ever pause to consider other people’s perception of your leadership style, your personality, or your behaviors? One challenging area of leadership is self-awareness. Sometimes for me, self-awareness comes through my wife. She can point out things about me, and how others receive me, that may not be easy to hear, but are necessary. For example, sometimes my unemotional ...
Decision making is one of the most important roles of a business leader. In Inc. magazine recently, Jeff Bezos discussed one-way door decisions vs. two-way door decisions. One-way door decisions are decisions that are irreversible. Selling your business or quitting your job would be one-way door decisions. Two-way door decisions are decisions that can be revisited or modified later. When ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
