Desiring to serve God in his work, Darren often held back to be sure he wasn’t jumping ahead of God by taking actions God didn’t want taken. When Darren proudly described his restraint to his spiritual mentor, the mentor reminded Darren of the many times God used people to accomplish tasks, from Moses seeking his father-in-law’s assistance in the Book ...
If you remember the parable of the talents, the last servant made excuses for his poor performance. Although this servant blamed his mistake on fear, it could have just as easily been due to laziness. In the workplace, you can often identify the lazy workers by their multiple excuses. Some of them can get comical. Two of my favorites listed ...
Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who implemented hand washing procedures for doctors at Vienna General Hospital. This new practice decreased the incidence of maternal death from 18% to 2%. Sadly, the medical community was offended to be told that a gentlemen’s hands could possibly carry disease. Doctors unanimously continued their deathly procedures. Unfortunately, many great findings are ignored ...
When a new school year begins, an experienced teacher learns to hold a tight rein on student discipline. But later, their grip can be loosened as the class learns to obey directives. My friend, Jim, as a seasoned executive, says that employers might consider this same tight-to-loose concept with new hires. Initially, weekly check-ins with tight accountability are warranted. Later, ...
Our team recently completed our annual two-day planning retreat. By far it was the most Christ-centered peaceful, unifying, and productive retreat I’ve experienced. Each morning, we had an extended time of prayer, communion, and preparing our hearts. The biggest difference, however, was our team member’s hearts were open to putting God first over our own interests. When I contrasted this ...
In this series we’re discussing the challenge of being a good shepherd. The final challenge is in retaining the people God has called to your team. Much earlier in my career, I had a person working for me who became verbally abusive and rude to multiple team members. This person added significant value to the organization in other ways, causing ...
In this series we’re discussing the challenge of being a good shepherd. Last time, we discussed the importance of caring for the needs of your flock. Our second challenge is to create a peaceful and safe environment for your team. Working directly with customers can leave some employees fearful and anxious. If they are not supported by management adequately, the ...
In this series, we’re discussing the art of delegation. The fourth step is establishing an effective organizational structure and then, begin delegating. Bill was the President over five branches. He had the bank divided between retail and commercial. I led the commercial side. Every Monday, Bill assigned me a stack of files and required me to set a date for ...
In this series, we’re discussing five guiding principles on negotiating agreements. The final principle is to lean towards being generous. In the story of Joseph, Egypt had seven years of famine. To afford to buy food, all Egyptians sold their land to Pharoah. Pharoah, however, needed them to farm the land, so Joseph worked out a win/win sharecropping arrangement. In ...
Leslie was frustrated with her boss. Although he told Leslie privately that she was performing well, that support disappeared whenever another manager questioned Leslie’s work. Her supervisor failed to defend Leslie and instead deferred to other managers, telling Leslie it is better to “go along to get along.” Although Leslie loved the company and her work, her supervisor’s behavior caused ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
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