Unfortunately, our nation’s history includes seasons when laborers have been abused and oppressed. In the 1880s that was the case as the railroad barons required laborers to work on average 60 hours a week. When one individual feels they’re being abused, it’s hard for that one person to individually overcome their employer’s demands. But when abused workers stand collectively, they ...
Decades ago, Max De Pree the former CEO of Herman Miller, walked in on a conversation his employees were having about the size of De Pree's pay. They challenged him about the huge disparity between his compensation and the average worker at Herman Miller. From that discussion Max's established a policy that the CEO compensation could not exceed twenty ...
Wayne, the son of a professional football owner, shared his story at a conference I attended about the importance of hiring those with whom you have a good chemistry. His father had narrowed down a hiring decision between two great candidates for a key position within his football organization. But he was having trouble deciding between the two candidates. ...
In 2014, Amazon began a Pay-to-Quit program. Annually, “fulfillment center” employees had the opportunity to quit and get paid up to $5,000. This was Amazon’s attempt to address the importance of Calling, in what I call the “4 C’s of Hiring.” In addition to Character it’s important you hire those who are called, or feel passionate, about your company’s ...
One of the most basic problems in business is assuring we have the right people in the right positions. Moses was “burned out” judging all the Israelite conflicts. His father-in-law, Jethro, gave him wise counsel in Exodus 18. “Teach them (God’s) decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ...
A friend of mine had history with a publicly traded company that had invested heavily in a DEI program. He believed their program was harming the business. He called a board member to ask a simple but profound question. “What problem were you trying to solve with this program?” The program has since been discontinued. Many businesses get caught ...
According to a Gallup State of the Workplace 2023 survey, 44% of global employees experienced daily workplace stress in 2023. This was an all-time high for the second year in a row! Worse yet, we have a growing mental health crisis leaving us short of psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals to care for our employees. Kathy and I recently ...
Justin wanted to join the insurance industry, so he became 50/50 partners with an experienced insurance broker who claimed to also be a follower of Jesus. When Justin’s partner started violating the partner agreement and breaking the law, the situation became tense. Unfortunately, in business, when there are only two equal partners you are bound together much like an ...
As a leader, there are times when I must referee between two staff members who have a dispute with each other. I remember years ago, I had an employee who voiced a legitimate complaint about another employee. This person provided a lot of compelling information against their co-worker. Their story was so convincing that I sided with them and ...
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 ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
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