When I’m the person in authority, slowing down and being thorough is my job. It’s not optional. This means stepping back, listening, observing, taking plenty of notes, studying, doing research, and getting advice from wise people. Proverbs 20:8 teaches, “When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good.” Many decisions can be biased ...
David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby, desired to maintain his commitment to be a steward of his business, rather than an owner. David says, the business is like a tree that bears fruit. If you believe you own the tree, you may decide to break-off the branches to give to your heirs after your death. Family feuds can then destroy ...
After years of research, Google recently released the “Duplex” feature of their Google Assistant. This new product has caused many journalists to express ethical concerns. The video of Google’s initial demonstration revealed how Duplex can call businesses with a human sounding voice and schedule appointments. Duplex deceived people by not disclosing it was a robot. The future of artificial intelligence ...
This week we’re exploring the differences between wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Wisdom results from the knowledge and understanding we gain over the years. When we’ve made enough mistakes, the knowledge gained enables us to have wisdom. Wisdom is applied strategically, while knowledge is more tactical. My first business began when business loans were at 21% interest. The painful lessons I ...
This week we’re exploring the differences between wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Knowledge comes from God, through the experiences and skills He allows us to confront in life, provided we’re humble enough to learn. As a young loan officer my first Small Business Administration loan was a disaster. SBA loans require lots of attention to detail and dozens of documentation challenges. ...
This week we’re exploring the differences between wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Let’s begin with Understanding. The Hebrew meaning of this word has been defined as, “perceptive insight with the ability to judge.” A consulting client once asked me and his other advisors to help him with an issue. One of the advisors recommended a plan that was immoral. It was ...
If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time praying for wisdom for the many work decisions that need made. I’ve discovered that many verses in the Bible reference wisdom, knowledge, and understanding all in the same passage. These three words have different meanings that build on each other. Understanding comes from learning God’s Word. Knowledge comes from the ...
Frequently I receive calls from young people who have new business ideas. The excitement of youthful leaders tends to lend itself to chasing fantasies. The most successful businesses, however, are the ones who take their new idea, develop a plan and work that plan diligently. There’s a distinct difference between focused entrepreneurs who have a new idea and creative people ...
Years ago, I was reviewing Michael’s personality profile results with him. Michael’s profile came back inconclusive, which meant there was most likely a traumatic event going on in the participant’s life. Michael was evasive but assured me everything was fine. The next day, Michael’s boss called and said, “Your assessment of Michael was correct. He missed work because his house ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror. One lesson I learned is the importance of restitution. During the jury deliberation the jury struggled with how to assess an amount for the intangible value of “pain and suffering.” In Numbers 5, God told Moses, “Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way, and so is unfaithful to the Lord, is guilty and ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
