Recently, I was teaching a men’s group on the value of using their areas of giftedness. One person shared with me that he and his son had just discussed giftedness the day before. They came to a profound conclusion: Giftedness, without strong character, can have a very bad ending. Bernie Madoff, who died in prison last year, was a great ...
My friend, Jim, recently shared with me a new idea they have implemented in his company to encourage generosity. Jim uses a new app called Grateful for Giving. Jim’s company purchases gift cards to give to his employees or customers that entitle them to give to any charity of their choice. These cards direct the recipient to the app to ...
A few years ago, Dan considered selling his machine tooling business. Fortunately, he shared his plan with me before he had negotiated a deal with the buyer. After I introduced Dan to a unique strategy, and the National Christian Foundation, Dan donated 20% of his company to a donor advised fund prior to the sale. This strategy gave Dan an ...
Many years ago, two businessmen considered buying a bank. They had discussions with me about becoming the CEO of that bank. Unbeknownst to me, they asked a former boss of mine his opinion on my ability to run the bank. It was reported to me that he told them, “Rick certainly has the skills and background for that job, but ...
According to a Wall Street Journal expose, Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, self-destructed and died from abusing drugs, while his team stood by and watched. After selling Zappos for more than $1 billion, Tony began paying a team of followers to help him pursue spiritual enlightenment and heavy drug use. Even though some family members attempted to intervene, Tony’s ...
This year a friend asked me to help with a tax hotline on a local television station. Since I’ve done taxes for over forty years, I thought it might be fun, and accepted. For 3 ½ hours the phone rang nonstop with person after person calling with their tax questions. The work was exhausting, and, it was a little frightening ...
When I graduated from college, I started working for a CPA firm just as tax season began. Working seven days a week for weeks at a time was exhausting and could surface short tempers and infighting. In the middle of March, the firm decided we needed an evening to relax. They hosted a fun evening of card games and refreshments. ...
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 ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
