In the mid-1980s the retail industry was changing. Walmart was growing rapidly, while Kmart was beginning to decline. Jim, a friend of mine, was an executive at Kmart at the time. Jim remembers Kmart executives holding a weekend retreat specifically to discuss Walmart’s success. Yet, any comments addressing the possibility that Walmart could overtake Kmart were quickly squelched. When ...
Years ago, on a South African flight, I met a young lady named Emma. At the time she was an event planner. According to her Linkedin profile, she is now Vice President of Marketing in China for a significant international company. When I congratulated her, she shared that five years ago she felt God would use her career “to serve ...
If I were to say to you, “St Patrick’s Day,” what are the first images that come to mind? If you’re like me, it might be something like “a parade full of drunks.” Yet, the first celebrations of this Irish priest were closer to a Holy Day than a drunken parade. How did the purpose of these celebrations stray so ...
In the book of Acts, the disciples were faced with a significant transition in their ministry. Jesus, their leader, had ascended to heaven, leaving them to carry on the work. The disciples modeled for us the first two keys of organizational transitions when they prayed corporately and then they filled their leadership gaps. The third key we can learn from ...
For decades, retail stores counted heavily on Black Friday to meet their annual sales goals, especially small independent retailers. Covid, however, upended that long time business strategy. In 2020, according to the Washington Post, in-store shopping fell 37 percent on Black Friday from 2019. Although many might hope that Black Friday will return to normal, this is unlikely. Independent retailers ...
Recently, a friend introduced us to a niche I never knew existed, a motorcoach resort. Just like some people prefer staying in luxury hotels, there are many RV owners who prefer a luxury place to stay during their seasonal travel. Buying a motorcoach resort lot allows these high-end RV owners to also invest in property rather than renting. Our friend’s ...
About twenty years ago, a radio executive asked me to develop a daily radio vignette program on integrity in the workplace. When I began writing Integrity Moments, I remember thinking, “Maybe I can come up with enough stories to last a year.” After writing and recording over 5,000 articles, I now marvel at how God works. There are months when ...
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines innovation as “a new idea, method, or device.” Unfortunately, many people believe they’re not creative enough to be innovators. Lately, I’ve been reading a book entitled, “RE:Think Innovation” that disagrees. The author, Carla Johnson, believes we can train ourselves to become innovators. Ms. Johnson outlines steps for how we can create innovative ideas. But, I personally ...
A friend has been helping me develop a succession plan for the ministry of Unconventional Business Network. One of the first steps he recommended was to consider the vision I have for the ministry 10 years down the road. To help with that step, I began developing a futuristic organizational chart. Asking the question, “What kind of people will we ...
In this series, we are looking at five traits common to successful entrepreneurs and how unconventional business leaders should approach each. Successful entrepreneurs see how the world is changing and how that creates opportunities and challenges, and from that they develop a strategy for how they can create value for their stakeholders in the midst of this turmoil. Unfortunately, many ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
