Jeremiah 21 tells the story of Zedekiah, king of Judah. Frightened of the approaching Babylonian army, the king asks the prophet Jeremiah to intercede with God. Although he had disregarded God’s prior direction to submit to the Babylonians, Zedekiah wants God to repel the invaders. But Jeremiah is compelled to speak God’s truth. God will not bless Zedekiah’s request, but ...
Recently, Kathy and I found ourselves impacted by Hurricane Helene. After evacuating from the island we were visiting, we secured a downtown Sarasota hotel for three days. During the height of the hurricane, most restaurants were closed. But one ambitious pizza restaurant owner saw an opportunity due to the weather. He passed out flyers at hotels and became overwhelmed with ...
My friend, Brad, has led a men’s ministry for decades. While having coffee, Brad said to me, “If I picked up every man’s phone in this place, I’d likely find pornography on half of them.” Brad lamented how some men can view pornography in one moment and teach Sunday School the next. Men may think pornography is harmless, but ...
When Gene Willich was a high school counselor, he had to inform a student that the student’s mother had just been arrested. The young man was so distraught, Gene dropped to his knees and prayed with him. The school probably wouldn’t have condoned Gene’s actions, yet Gene knew what was needed in that moment. Decades later that young man ...
California recently passed a law increasing the minimum wage for most fast-food restaurant employees. There was one exception, however; those restaurants who offer bread as a menu item. Panera’s is one of the few restaurants that fit this exception. When it surfaced that the CEO of Panera’s had donated significantly to California Governor Newsom’s campaign, outrage surfaced. Immediately there ...
Years ago, in my consulting practice, I worked with companies from a variety of industries. On occasion some would contest my recommendations on improving their profitability, claiming I didn’t understand their industry. One approach I found effective in that case was using their own experiences against them. By reviewing multiple years of their company finances, I usually could find examples ...
Recent accusations against Justice Clarence Thomas is a good reason to discuss conflicts of interest. Conflict of interest policies are prevalent for board members, and in many industries, such as government roles, banks, and nonprofits. It’s important that there be clear policies, and transparency related to those policies, so that we are confident that self interest doesn’t undermine the public’s ...
In this series, we’re discussing different approaches to leading a company through a recession. Visionaries often differ from the financially driven in that they view a recession as a time to expand market share. If your company has the strength financially, recessions can be a great time to expand. While Blockbuster Video stores still dominated the video market, ...
A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted that Sentieo, a financial-intelligence platform, found that expletives in transcripts of quarterly earnings calls, investor conferences and shareholder meetings rose to a five-year high in 2021. The article went on to discuss pros and cons of using foul language in the workplace, but some of the article focused on ways to increase your ...
My team and I were having breakfast with a bank president in Oklahoma City. This banker named Sean remarked on how friendly and attentive our waitress was to our needs. Later, Sean informed our group how difficult his bank had found it had become recently to find friendly employees. Later, Sean went to his car for a job application. “I’m ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
