My family went boating this summer. Due to lack of availability, we ended up using two different marinas to rent ski boats. The contrast between the two marinas was remarkable. Both marinas had friendly people and treated us well, but their business approaches were vastly different. The first marina had limited inventory and felt unprofessional. The marina adequately provided for ...
While staying at a beach resort, Kathy and I walked by a sign on a path that overlooked the ocean. This sign told a brief story of how the owner of the resort had attempted to build a boat slip in that spot. The location he selected, however, was constantly battling huge waves and rough tide. After a hearty attempt, ...
Recently, Kathy and I returned from our 30th anniversary vacation refreshed and excited to jump back into the exciting new projects at the ministry. But then the troubles began! My email system crashed and several urgent matters stole time away from important projects. The distractions became overwhelming! In John 16, after the euphoria of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, ...
Daniel shared with me that he once worked for IBM and was impressed with their three core values used to shape their culture. Daniel later went to work for an Ivy League school’s foundation. During a planning session for the foundation, Daniel asked the CEO about what values the organization held to help shape their culture. Remarkably, the CEO had ...
A Silicon Valley venture capitalist recently asked me how a CEO, in a spiritually dark community like Silicon Valley, could apply biblical principles to business when so many are offended by the Christian faith. Many Christians would love an easy way to make a difference without offending anyone. Although we need to treat others with respect, leaders also need to ...
Charles Murphy, an investment banker in New York City, recently leaped from the 24th floor of a hotel to his death. According to the Wall Street Journal, Murphy was worth tens of millions of dollars, and, made millions each year. Yet, according to his friends, Murphy was frequently concerned about not having enough money. The measuring stick we use is ...
When I was a banker I financed several homebuilders and their subcontractors. The subcontractors typically were to be paid within 30 days of when the homebuilder was paid. The reality, however, was closer to 60 to 90 days, if not longer. One of my most profitable builders, however, was unconventional. He intentionally paid his subcontractors almost immediately upon receiving his ...
Although it’s only one hour, the change to Daylight Savings Time in the Spring often leaves me feeling deprived of sleep and rest. If this is true after losing one hour of rest, imagine the impact my body experiences when God’s design is ignored and I work seven days a week! When I worked tax seasons in public accounting, ...
In an article titled, “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices,” the Harvard Business Review highlighted five ways that organizations needlessly provoke good people to make unethical choices. The second way mentioned is “Excessive Pressure to Perform.” The author discovered that when there’s too much pressure on staff to reach company goals, staff will often cut corners or lie about their ...
Early one morning I was meeting with a pastor who looked exhausted. He shared with me that he was at a public school board meeting until 3 am and had very limited sleep. With exasperation, he said, “How can a group meet for 7 hours and not make a single decision?” When meetings are open-ended and not bound by time, ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
