In his book, “Jesus, Help Me Have Peace,” author Jake Huffman tells of the role that integrity plays in finding peace. Tempted to move his ball during a golf game to get a better shot, he realized his traditional approach – win at all costs – wasn’t what God wanted. He recognized that his score wasn’t real or true. Peace ...
Working for an electric transmission utility required that my colleagues and I did not have a financial interest in another utility. Employees were required to be unbiased in our roles, down to our personal finances. When I discovered that my financial advisor had purchased shares in another utility, I instructed her to sell them immediately. Even though I wasn’t involved ...
Mike and Cindy arrived with just a few minutes to go before the movie was to start, but there was no one at the ticket booth. When the kiosk didn’t work either, they decided to go to the movie and deal with it after the show. After the show, Mike told a young man at the concession stand what had ...
When I was young, the nightly news with CBS anchor Walter Cronkite could be trusted. He held to high journalistic standards of objectivity, which seems to have been discarded by most news networks today. Every evening Mr. Cronkite would finish the CBS Evening News with the phrase, “And that’s the way it is.” However, if he was ending the ...
When it comes to work it seems there are often two extremes. Either work is just a paycheck, or work is something that can become an idol. Personally, I can lean towards letting work become an idol. I have to work at setting boundaries. For many of us work is a way to find self-worth, and that, unfortunately, can ...
Someone backed into my wife’s car and left a dent and drove away. When my wife shared with the body shop owner what had happened, he told Kathy that he heard one even worse. One of his customers returned from a store to find their car damaged and the following note on her car. “Several people watched me back ...
Sometimes the best nuggets of wisdom are found immediately after interviewing someone. Recently, I was video interviewing Scooters Coffee franchisee, Tracy Bouwens. After we finished, we discussed some common challenges of managing employees. Tracy told me that a common refrain in her workplace is, “Being unclear is unkind.” Tracy mentioned those times when we avoid hard conversations because we’re ...
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 ...
Many people believe it’s fine to lie to the Internal Revenue Service about their taxes and still maintain integrity. When I was a commercial lender, I was meeting with a small business owner who, while handing over his tax returns as part of his loan application, said, “I sure hope you aren’t making your loan decision based on those numbers. ...
Our small group at church was discussing a bible study developed by our senior pastor. In this study, the pastor shared openly of some of his personal struggles. Several in my small group expressed their appreciation for our pastor’s transparency. His vulnerability led to our group members sharing more openly about their own struggles. Transparency in leadership is a powerful ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
