As a banker, several customers wanted me to loan money to their friends. Originally, I made some of those loans… provided that my original customer guaranteed the debt. Many borrowers defaulted, requiring me to collect the loans from unhappy customers. Eventually, I refused these kinds of loans. They were too risky for our customer and for the bank. Proverbs 6 ...
At one of our St. Louis events, Lisa Nichols of Technology Partners shared lessons she has learned for the workplace through the parenting of her daughter, Allie. One important lesson is this: what others may perceive as a handicap may actually be a “special gift.” As a young lady with Down’s Syndrome, Allie’s special gift, like many with Down’s Syndrome, ...
A 2014 study conducted by Mike Norton of Harvard Business School discovered an interesting answer to the question, “How much is enough?” When Norton asked wealthy clients of a large investment bank how much was enough, they typically answered with a number 3 times greater than their personal net worth. Yet, according to the Wall Street Journal, other research indicates ...
While on vacation, Jaime boarded a plane only to notice that a woman sitting across the aisle looked familiar. She happened to be a client of the financial firm where Jaime worked. The client was on the way to see her brother who was close to dying from cancer. Jaime wanted to comfort her with scripture, but was afraid it ...
God’s work in our life is often an encouragement to others, if we remember to share our story. A friend reminded me of that as he recounted God’s provision for his business. In a company tied directly to the real estate industry, my friend’s situation seemed hopeless. With only $19 in his account, and payroll for his eight employees coming ...
An old friend’s life had taken a dramatic turn from our last conversation. He had sold his business and began using his persuasive personality to convince others to be generous. As we talked, he stunned me by pointing out God had used me in his transition. He went on to say, “Had I not met you, and the people you ...
Daniel shared with me that he once worked for IBM and was impressed with their three core values used to shape their culture. Daniel later went to work for an Ivy League school’s foundation. During a planning session for the foundation, Daniel asked the CEO about what values the organization held to help shape their culture. Remarkably, the CEO had ...
When I was a banker I financed several homebuilders and their subcontractors. The subcontractors typically were to be paid within 30 days of when the homebuilder was paid. The reality, however, was closer to 60 to 90 days, if not longer. One of my most profitable builders, however, was unconventional. He intentionally paid his subcontractors almost immediately upon receiving his ...
A new friend shared with me how his broadcasting business during the 2009 recession took an unconventional approach to slashing payroll. They decided to retain all employees by cutting their staff’s pay, but they chose not to cut anyone’s pay who made less than $30,000 a year. What surprised management, however, was that many of these lower paid employees asked ...
Roger, a new friend of mine recently shared with me about how his company handled the economic downturn in 2009. Their business was significantly impacted and needed to slash payroll. But leadership chose to look beyond the conventional employee layoffs. After much thought, leadership chose to retain all employees by cutting wages. The highest paid workers took the biggest pay ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
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