Leadership

Screening Prospective Employees, Part I

2019-10-09T15:22:56-05:00October 7th, 2019|Tags: , , |

After reviewing 81 studies, Professor Van Iddekinge found little correlation between an employee’s prior work experience and their performance. Hiring decisions are often based on past experiences of a prospective employee, but now this Harvard Business Review research tells us experience has little impact on future performance! When the professor was asked what employers should focus on instead, he encouraged ...

Can-Do

2019-10-09T15:22:56-05:00October 4th, 2019|Tags: , , |

A recent article by The Discovery Way states, “Nothing can produce better results and ultimately a better impression than maintaining a positive, can-do attitude.” Something as simple as a good attitude will go a long way to building strong relationships with both internal and external customers. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” The Bible is clear in its ...

Business Roundtable Philosophical Change

2019-10-09T15:22:57-05:00October 1st, 2019|Tags: , , |

The Business Roundtable consists of the leaders of the largest companies in America. According to the Wall Street Journal, this group recently made a dramatic philosophical shift. For decades, economist Milton Friedman’s theory that companies’ only obligation is to maximize profits for their shareholders has been the stated purpose of this group. Their new philosophy, however, changed the focus from ...

Foolishness or Faith?

2019-10-09T15:22:57-05:00September 30th, 2019|Tags: , , , |

When I left banking to begin helping business leaders integrate their faith into their business life, I received a letter from a business colleague.  His letter basically said, “Rick, you’re a fool. Your idea is crazy, and your family will starve. Stop before it’s too late.” Many years later, that colleague apologized and commended the faith it took to launch ...

Crucial Conversations, Part V

2023-01-05T10:23:15-06:00September 27th, 2019|Tags: , , |

Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations, highlights in a Harvard Business Review article four ways to prepare for a tough conversation. The final way he recommends is to “get curious.” Recently, I had a tough conversation with a family member. Fortunately, before I confronted him with my set of facts, the Holy Spirit prompted me with curiosity for his side ...

Crucial Conversations, Part IV

2019-10-09T15:22:57-05:00September 26th, 2019|Tags: , , |

Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations, highlights in a Harvard Business Review article four ways to best prepare for a tough conversation. The third way is to “gather the facts.” Difficult conversations come with opposing views. You may have a history and feelings that shape your conclusions, while the other party has theirs.  In fairness to all, do your research ...

Crucial Conversations, Part III

2019-09-24T22:27:32-05:00September 25th, 2019|Tags: , , |

Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations, highlights in a Harvard Business Review article four ways to best prepare for a tough conversation. His second recommendation is to “get your emotions right.” It’s easy to tell ourselves a story about a difficult situation that may or may not be true, stirring up unhealthy emotions. Grenny has discovered that many people absolve ...

Crucial Conversations, Part II

2019-09-23T21:29:57-05:00September 24th, 2019|Tags: , , |

Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations, highlights in a Harvard Business Review article four ways to best prepare for a tough conversation. The first way is to “get your motives right.” The stress of a tough conversation has a way of surfacing selfish motives even more than usual. Grenny recommends that our first step should be to reset our motives.  ...

Crucial Conversations, Part I

2019-09-22T19:00:23-05:00September 23rd, 2019|Tags: , , |

Tough conversations are a part of leadership. Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations, has studied this subject for 30 years and has concluded that the way we deal with difficult conversations impacts many areas of life. Grenny claims the way we handle tough conversations predicts the magnitude of our influence, the health of our teams, the consistency of innovation, the ...

High Hanging Fruit

2019-09-18T16:10:03-05:00September 19th, 2019|Tags: , , |

A common business strategy is to focus the team toward tackling the “low hanging fruit,” pursuing quick wins instead of the larger, more difficult challenges. An article by The Balanced Career warns, “True rewards often come from climbing higher and stretching for the real treasure in the higher branches.” The high hanging fruit represents the more difficult challenges. These challenges will ...

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