In 1978, four men broke into a home in Kansas City and killed three people. For over 40 years, Kevin Strickland has been incarcerated in a Missouri prison for those three murders, which he didn’t commit. Two men admitted their guilt, but both were adamant that Strickland was not with them. The only evidence that convicted Strickland was Cynthia Douglas, ...
According to research from the Edelman Trust Barometer, 92% of employees believe that CEOs should speak publicly on controversial political and social issues. With this in mind, more CEOs have begun speaking out about controversial issues. But doing so can come with a significant backlash. If you stray into areas that don’t relate to your business, or you don’t fully ...
While in public accounting, I was assigned to perform multiple government audits in Georgia. On one occasion, a new accountant from New Jersey, Mike, was assigned to my team. On our final day, we had much to accomplish before catching our flights home. Then, the electrical power went out throughout the city. I decided to drive to the next town ...
William Arthur Ward, poet of the early 20th century said, “Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.” When the line is crossed from admiration to envy, there is a shift in the heart. It is a shift of heart posture. ...
Country music star John Rich is working on a new song called “I’m Offended That You’re Offended.” He’s one of a handful of conservative performers who are taking a stand against the raging “Cancel Culture” prevalent in our nation. In a Newsmax interview, John Rich talks about a growing number of performers who believe that if they speak up about ...
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 ...
Highlighted by Jessica Kennedy’s Harvard Business Review article, a study of over 11,000 participants revealed that job promotions may make it more likely you will be blinded to the unethical behavior within the organization. Their study specifically found that when an organization wanted to lie, 39% of low-ranking employees would dissent. But only 14% of high-ranking employees were willing to ...
There was a surgeon who came in occasionally to the bank where I worked. He would park his new Mercedes by the front door and brag about his car to our staff. He wore lots of jewelry and flashy clothes and loved to talk about his success. One day this surgeon met with me to request a loan. I discovered ...
When I began my banking career, I spent time investigating bank frauds. One of the frauds I worked on was that of a bank president who determined his significant pay wasn’t enough. This president began producing false travel expense reports, claiming that he was driving to headquarters, four hours each way, multiple times a month. His spending habits, however, continued ...
As the new Chief Lending Officer of a community bank, I was charged with controlling the lending activities of the former CEO of the bank. Fred had made so many bad loans that he was required to report to me on any loans made. One problem we encountered was that Fred would make loans to people who were already bankrupt. ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
