Four close friends launched a business. After years of losses and questions about the future direction of the company, Tammy, one of the partners, called me for advice. We discussed the challenges the four friends faced. Tammy’s involvement and concern for the business was beginning to jeopardize her cherished friendships. As much as Tammy enjoyed working with her friends, she ...
My friend, Steve, misses having honest conversations with co-workers, due to our era of political and racial discourse. He believes it has become more difficult to gain understanding of other diverse views when we stop listening as soon as we learn the other person thinks differently. In a Wall Street Journal article written by radio host, Celeste Headlee, she expresses ...
Two friends of mine specialize in building lakes and ponds. They claim, “Anybody can drill down a few feet then call it a lake, but will the lake hold water?” The solution is drilling deep enough to find solid rock and building the lake around it. The customer, however, will not be able to tell if the lake was built ...
One sign of a good leader is the depth and strength of their leadership team. Bobby, had a company of 100 employees that he sold to a publicly-traded company that had thousands of employees. After the merger, the parent company’s leadership began realizing Bobby had developed some amazing leaders. Several of Bobby’s key leaders were transferred to headquarters to take ...
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 ...
My friend, Bobby Albert, previously owned a moving company in Texas. Bobby originally held individual meetings with each department head to review their department’s progress, but became frustrated with the lack of results. So, Bobby began holding these meetings with all of his department heads present. Bobby discovered that when these department heads had their peers present, their competitive nature ...
Proactive employers often discover value in caring for their employees through an improved culture, but a recent study reveals caring for employees can also have a tangible impact on productivity, as well! The Wall Street Journal referenced a study of workers who had participated in an employer-sponsored wellness program. Their study discovered that for those employees who used the program ...
According to a Northwestern University study, referenced in the Wall Street Journal, productive employees can raise the productivity of those around them. (The study discovered that those employees who finish tasks quickly also raise the output of slower colleagues by 8%.) In addition, simply sitting next to a high achiever can improve someone’s performance by 3 to 16%! The author ...
While traveling home from St. Louis, Kathy and I stopped at a truck stop and ordered breakfast. After waiting 25 minutes for our food, Kathy stared at the food counter hungry and frustrated. One of the other waitresses noticed Kathy’s stare and asked if she could help. After Kathy explained the situation, the waitress said, “You have an excellent waitress. ...
As the time approached for the day long prayer retreat, I started having second thoughts. There were so many important things that needed done. Also, as an introvert, I relish my quiet time with God, but corporate prayer is more of a struggle. Despite my reluctance, I went, and left grateful. The time of prayer was sweet, but the added ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
