One of my most challenging faith struggles is hiring a new employee when cashflow is uncertain. That’s when I struggle knowing if I’m taking a step of faith or making a stupid decision. When I examine the large steps of faith taken by many in the Bible, it seems that the key is knowing what God is asking you to ...
One of the earliest lessons I learned in business was the impact of buying into a fad. In 1981, Rent-a-Wreck determined that offering used cars for rent instead of new cars could be franchised across the country. With the desire to be my own boss and desperate to leave public accounting, used car rentals seemed like a ground floor opportunity ...
“Houston, we have a problem!” Some business challenges seem impossible to get rid of. That one problem that keeps coming back. It’s addressed, it’s fixed, and then it rears its ugly head again. But why does the problem reappear like a magic trick? We address the symptoms and not the true problem. Defining the problem helps address the REAL issue ...
In his early 30’s, Jim was charged with becoming CEO of the family business. Jim’s father was a legend in their industry, making this task overwhelming for Jim at times. Jim often confided in me about his fear of ruining the business that his father had built. Joshua had a similar experience. God charged Joshua with replacing Moses, one of ...
The day before my family’s annual trip to Table Rock Lake in Branson, we learned of the tragic sinking of a Duck Boat. Seventeen people died. Nine members of one family died, while another family had nine members who all lived. This improbable result can surface questions like, “Why did one family have nine members die, while another family all ...
Mark was selling roofing jobs door to door in a city with a recent hailstorm. He and a sales trainee came upon a house where an elderly man had slammed the door on Mark previously. The sales trainee persisted until Mark agreed to let him try again. Mark prepared himself for an ugly confrontation, but he wasn’t prepared for what ...
After years of research, Google recently released the “Duplex” feature of their Google Assistant. This new product has caused many journalists to express ethical concerns. The video of Google’s initial demonstration revealed how Duplex can call businesses with a human sounding voice and schedule appointments. Duplex deceived people by not disclosing it was a robot. The future of artificial intelligence ...
Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales, shared with my wife and I that when VeggieTales videos began having success, he had a dream. His dream was that God was anointing him to be the next Walt Disney for the Christian community. He didn’t realize it at the time, but Phil’s dream eventually became an idol. Phil summarized for us what he ...
Recently, I learned several lessons as I spent three days as a juror. The first lesson is how differently people can view the same set of facts. The defendant had run a red light, then crashed into the plaintiff’s car. The plaintiff’s car was “totaled,” and, she racked up $107,000 in emergency room and subsequent medical bills. Her request for ...
In a Harvard Business Review video, leadership consultant, Ron Carucci, claims that 50-60% of executives fail in their first executive role. He studied successful executives to find what they did differently. Carucci discovered four key factors. The third factor in our series is “Choice.” Every day brings many choices. For example, you must decide where to best invest your time. ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
