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 ...
Bret took shortcuts in everything he did, so much so that it regularly got him in trouble at work and home. He once confided that he had just taken a call from the trash company that hauled his company’s trash. They were livid that someone had put cans of industrial paint into the dumpster which spilled onto their truck, and ...
A Mueller report finding was about the courage or disobedience, depending upon your viewpoint, of White House attorney, Don McGahn. Reportedly, McGahn claimed that the President called him at home, demanding he start the process of firing Mueller. Supposedly, McGahn believed this was improper and possibly illegal, so he refused. It takes courage to tell any boss “No,” but imagine ...
Yuval Feldman contends that major ethical scandals seem obvious, but the ones that can also do great harm are the smaller ones that chip away at trust and alter organizational behavior. In a Harvard Business Review article, Feldman contends that research reveals that stealing office supplies, fudging expense reports and engaging in conflicts of interest can become blind spots. This ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
