In reading “The Moralist,” a Woodrow Wilson biography, I observed the futility of bluffing. Early during World War I, Germany’s submarines sunk multiple British ships with many Americans on board. President Wilson sent Germany letters and threatened them publicly, but the Germans believed, correctly, Wilson’s words were just a bluff. The Germans became so brazen that they eventually sank nine ...
As a young loan officer, I was introduced to the owner of a local furniture store. Early on, I did not trust this person. His ethical practices were questionable, so I refused his loan requests. Recently, I heard a commercial of this business advertising a “going out of business” sale. His advertisement made me grateful I never loaned this person ...
Seventeenth century historian, Thomas Fuller, said, “Even doubtful accusations leave a stain behind them.” A stain, a spot or a blip on the timeline of life that cannot be washed away. Being falsely accused hurts and can desolate families. Being falsely accused doesn’t hurt for a moment; it, as Fuller describes, “leaves a stain.” It’s a stain that is hard ...
When I was 19, I was working construction to pay for college. One of my peers invited me to go somewhere with him after work. On our way, he stopped where we usually filled up the company truck and he filled up his car and charged the gas to the company account. When I asked about his action, he said, ...
In this series, we’re talking about principles for business planning. The fourth principle is this: “Diligently executing God’s plan is more profitable than hasty pursuits.” The TV program, “60 Minutes” did a feature on a company started by some political consultants to sell “personal protection equipment.” Although they had no experience in securing PPE, they had great political contacts. This ...
David Miller, in his book God at Work, categorized four E’s of faith at work with his Integration Box. For us to live a fully integrated life, each of these four need to be embraced with proper emphasis. The first E is Ethics. Years ago, in Kansas City, there was a pharmacist named Robert Courtney who made a $1 million ...
Kathy and I needed to reach our next destination quickly. A man overseeing the airport’s taxi service interrupted my Uber search to ask if he could get us a taxi. He quoted me a price slightly higher than Uber. Due to convenience, I agreed. When we arrived at our destination the taxi driver demanded more money than what his boss ...
Recently, I was researching the ethics of “bluffing” in business. Albert Carr wrote an article in Harvard Business Review about this very subject that stunned me with the depth of Mr. Carr’s rationalization for poor behavior. He contended that “business is a game and that anything is fair in a game, if it doesn’t violate the law.” He believed that ...
My prayers were leading me towards exiting banking to teach business leaders to integrate their faith into their business practices, but I had doubts. God knew I needed affirmation. So, God sent a bank customer who owned a heating and air business. With “Christian-owned business” embroidered on his shirt, this man cussed profusely as he proceeded to tell me about ...
When I was in college, Bill lived across the hall from me for a semester. Most mornings I saw Bill rise early, head down to breakfast, then grab some books and head off towards school. When the following semester started many of us were surprised when Bill didn’t come back to school. It was then we learned of Bill’s deception. ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
