A Chief Financial Officer of a well-known organization in his community called to seek my counsel. He had recently discovered that a past employee had embezzled a significant sum of money. When the facts were presented to the board, the board was divided on whether to prosecute. The most “influential group” was leaning towards keeping the theft secret to protect ...
When I was a loan officer, a man pulled up in a new Mercedes, was dressed very flashy, and was wearing lots of expensive jewelry. Afterwards, my assistant said, “That man looks very wealthy. Why does he need to borrow money?” I told her, “Like they say in Texas, he’s all hat and no cattle.” His Mercedes was about to ...
My friend, Phil, isn’t proud of it, but admits that occasionally he lies to avoid confrontation, to protect someone’s feelings, and/or to cover forgetfulness or errors. For many of us, lying happens without thinking. Some call them “white lies.” Proverbs 6:16-19 says. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror. One lesson I learned is the importance of restitution. During the jury deliberation the jury struggled with how to assess an amount for the intangible value of “pain and suffering.” In Numbers 5, God told Moses, “Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way, and so is unfaithful to the Lord, is guilty and ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror on a personal injury case. There were many lessons learned that I would like to share. One lesson I learned is that justice doesn’t always prevail in the courtroom. My naïve belief going into jury deliberations was that twelve reasonable people would come out with a fair and impartial verdict. That ...
Recently, I learned several lessons as I spent three days as a juror. The first lesson is how differently people can view the same set of facts. The defendant had run a red light, then crashed into the plaintiff’s car. The plaintiff’s car was “totaled,” and, she racked up $107,000 in emergency room and subsequent medical bills. Her request for ...
Google conducted “Project Oxygen,” a multiyear research initiative, to identify manager qualities that enhanced a given team’s success. According to the Harvard Business Review, Google discovered that drive and technical expertise were outflanked by some surprising character qualities. These qualities included: being even-keeled, making time for one-on-one meetings, working with a team in the trenches, and taking an interest in ...
Robin’s family has a moving business, now run by her brother, Jim. Robin shared with me that one client hired Jim to move a heavy safe into their basement. While navigating a narrow staircase, Jim scraped the wall slightly. Even though this wall was very scratched up already, Jim felt an obligation to admit his error. When he showed this ...
In most meetings, there’s one person in the room who everyone recognizes as high value. They speak, and the entire room listens. To become this type of person of influence, here are four critical practices: Be concise. Speak only when you have something meaningful to say. Be attentive. Actively listen and engage the other attendees with non-verbal communication. Ask questions. ...
My friend, Phil, serves on a local hospital board. After reviewing the hospital’s investments, Phil challenged the board with this question. “The mission of the hospital relates to helping people be healthy. Isn’t it hypocritical to own tobacco stocks?” Phil was surprised how few of the board members understood his concern. It seemed that they had compartmentalized their investments and ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
