New to his manager role, Steve made a mistake common for newly promoted team members; he wanted to keep everyone happy, even if that wasn’t best for the entire group. Over time, team members caught him saying one thing, only to later take actions that contradicted his words. Soon, team members lost trust in him. Jesus warned his disciples about ...
The stories of the Biblical prophet Elisha in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings offer relevant wisdom for our work today. Seeking a cure for his leprosy, the army commander Naaman offered gold, silver, and clothing to compensate Elisha for healing him. Yet Elisha refuses to accept any payment. Seeing an opportunity for himself, Elisha’s servant Gehazi follows after Naaman and makes up a story to get some of the wealth for himself. Upon his return, Elisha confronts Gehazi ...
As I began reviewing job applications recently, it seemed that the resumes and cover letters were often flawless. Then, I realized that it was likely that more job applicants are using AI to craft their letters and resumes. If I need a certain attribute, like someone who is detail-oriented, AI could easily cover up information I need to know. Finding ...
As the oldest of five children there were seasons when our family was growing and money was scarce. It was during those times that I remember my father’s determination to do whatever was necessary to provide for us. He would come home from his assembly line job, change clothes, and leave again to be a gas station attendant or a ...
As a young businessman, I decided to buy houses and rehab them. The job was more than I could handle by myself, so, I convinced four friends join me in a partnership. One partner wisely recommended, “Rick, we need clarity and written commitments before we start.” This written agreement saved us many headaches. Joshua knew the Israelites would eventually forget ...
Harvard Business Review highlighted two studies that point to the importance of humble leaders. One study related to leaders helping their employees return to work after Covid. This study discovered that employees were less likely to consider leaving their employer if their leader was humble – someone who acknowledged personal limitations, was open to learning new things, sought input, and ...
Beau Johnson, author of On Purpose, shared with our Faith Incorporated audience about the Four Seasons of our Work Life. In this series we’ll unpack some of Beau’s wisdom. The first season he referenced is what Beau labeled Identity. We need to discover who we are and want to be regarding our character. During the early stages of our ...
Kim packed all her belongings and moved across country to take a new position selling hearing aids. The very first month Kim’s boss coached her on how to deceive the customers about their hearing aids to increase sales. When Kim told her boss that she was not comfortable lying to the customers, she was fired. This boss had no concern ...
In his book, “A Man After God’s Own Heart,” Jim George tells a story of an army officer in India who stopped to have his shoes shined by a poor boy on the street. The boy approached the task with such intensity and enthusiasm that the officer was amazed. He asked the boy why he was so fervent in ...
Your enemies have no need to bother you when you’re failing, but when you’re experiencing success, look out. Nehemiah experienced some significant success on his project of rebuilding Jerusalem. As he neared completion, his enemies tried everything they could think of to distract or destroy Nehemiah. On multiple occasions, Nehemiah’s enemies tried to draw him out to harm him. But ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
