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. ...
A group of CEOs who met monthly invited me to visit their group. The host CEO of that meeting gave us permission to interview his “number two” person to learn about the inner workings of his business. During that session, we learned that our host was involved in a kickback, but his motivations to rapidly grow his business had blinded ...
In 2002, Bill Duffy’s client, professional basketball player, Anthony Carter, had an option to continue playing for the Miami Heat for $4.1 million. But Duffy, Carter’s agent, somehow forgot to make the necessary arrangements by the deadline. Because Carter had a challenging year in basketball that year, Duffy’s mistake cost Carter over $3 million in lost revenue. Many would dodge ...
Politics are a passionate pursuit for many in our country, especially when the ideological divide is as vast as it has been recently. There will likely be some dishonest voting and manipulation done on both sides of the political aisle this year. Although we may not be able to prevent immoral activities of others, we can prevent our own. Some ...
Finding someone with integrity, that is beyond reproach, seems impossible in today’s online public world. Even the Bible’s pages are full of characters who were murderers, adulterers and deceivers. But there was one role model we should study and try to emulate, Daniel. When Daniel’s peers became jealous and decided to destroy him, they unsuccessfully looked for his weakness. But ...
Many people feel like groaning or complaining when taxes are discussed, but not Rachel. Rachel is the most passionate person about tax that I have ever met! When Rachel talks about tax accounting, her eyes light up and she becomes animated. God has wired each of us uniquely, and yes, some are even wired to enjoy taxes. In Luke 3 ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
