In 2009, the world fawned over Captain Sullenberger’s heroic plane landing in the Hudson River. Behind the scenes, however, the National Transportation Safety Board was building a case against him. In the movie, “Sully,” Sullenberger’s case seemed hopeless as we watch the pilots in a computer simulation land safely, without landing in the Hudson River. The tide turned, however, when ...
If you’re a business leader who sincerely believes there is no god, nor any eternal consequences or rewards, why wouldn’t you say or do whatever is necessary to sell your product? If we are randomly evolved creatures without an eternal destiny, then the only thing that should matter is our personal gain and pleasure. However, if there is a god ...
In my book, “Unconventional Business,” I highlighted seven questions from marketing guru, Seth Godin, that may help you shape your marketing plan. The third question is, “What do your prospective customers want?” During my banking career I watched as we constantly launched products to meet our needs with little concern about the customer’s desires. Then a new product was announced ...
As a child I usually tried to be a peacemaker and avoid conflict. After decades in business, however, I’ve come to accept that there will be differences of opinion and misunderstandings that can easily result in broken relationships. It’s easy for these relationships to remain unreconciled leaving a bitter root of resentment. But God desires us to be peacemakers and ...
Matt’s chest tightened as he listened to the voice mail from Roger, an unsatisfied client. “Matt, we won’t be needing your services any longer. Your company dropped the ball on this project.” Instead of making excuses or begging for a second chance, Matt responded with offering a 100% refund as well as a personal guarantee to correct the problem. Rogers’s ...
In my new book, “Unconventional Business,” I identify five steps towards developing a healthy, ethical culture. The first step is “Assessing the strength of your culture.” Years ago, I reviewed a culture assessment tool with a business owner. He proudly gave himself the highest rankings, and assured me that his staff would as well. When my assessment was complete this ...
Many years ago Integrity Resource Center invited Mark Conklin, an executive from Chick-fil-A, to give a dinner presentation about Chick-fil-A’s customer service model called “SERVE.” He demonstrated by inviting one of our guests to the stage. Mark dropped to his knees on stage and began to polish the shoes of our guest. This act of humble service on Mark’s part ...
Moses was a great leader who learned that being a servant leader is HARD. This week we will use the acronym HARD to discuss some of Moses’ amazing qualities. Moses learned that to be a good leader he needed to be Humble, Approachable, a Representative of God, and a Delegator. The first attribute is Humble. Although Moses was chosen and ...
A recent luncheon event was off to a good start. But as people began to finish their salad, I noticed that no lunches were being served. Our program was about to start and there were no meals in sight! Our guests were eventually served, but the delay caused some anxiety for our team, as well as for the hotel’s staff. ...
In David Brooks’ book, “The Road to Character,” he highlights the change our culture has taken towards a more individualistic society from our past community-minded approach. One indicator of this trend are the words commonly used. The trends, according to Brooks, are revealing a large increase in using words such as “self,” “I can do it myself” and other words ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
