Integrity Moments: Recent Episodes
Rick Boxx
Integrity Moments is a 60 second workday devotional from Unconventional Business Network Founder & CEO, Rick Boxx, that provides business leaders with helpful insight into what the Bible says about our work and how we can fully integrate our faith into our vocational calling.
Jason tells of a period early in his work life, when he worked in food service. One feature of that experience was that he frequently came home smelling like the food from the restaurant. Later in his career, he committed that when he went to work, his colleagues would “smell Jesus” on him. Acts 4:13 ...
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Even if you’re not a CEO, at any level you can still have incredible influence on your team. A recent Harvard Business Review article titled, “Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator,” highlights longtime NBA player, Chris Paul, as a super-facilitator. Four times he’s joined a new team and within two years each team experienced their best ...
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An online scammer used the email address of one of Phil’s customers to order $325,000 of computer equipment. Once the computers had been shipped, Phil discovered that the transaction was a scam. Against the advice of others, Phil chose to pay his vendor rather than file bankruptcy. This left his small business with a huge ...
The post Extreme Forgiveness appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When Kathy and I were younger, we participated in a Bible study on marriage. One point made in the study was that women desire to be loved, while men desire respect. Although that may be true, I believe that all people desire respect. A definition of respect is “due regard for the feelings, wishes, ...
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Weekly, my wife, Kathy, calls business leaders to ask how our team can pray for them. A common request has become, “Please pray for my son or daughter. They have severed relationships with us over politics.” A recent survey conducted by The Argument asked if having opposing political views is ever an acceptable reason to ...
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Mark owned a chain of dry-cleaning stores. One day Mark discovered a valued employee had been stealing money from his business. His initial reaction was anger and a desire to fire her. But Mark decided to gain understanding first. Mark learned that this employee’s husband was an abusive drug addict, forcing her to steal money ...
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Occasionally I’m asked, “What do you wish you would have known earlier in your career?” Although I rarely reflect on the past, there is one issue I usually bring up - Investing in others. When I’m totally honest with myself, I spent too much of my career focused on me, and very little time investing ...
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In business, many people may betray you, mock you, or cause you pain. This can lead you to consider them as enemies. The world will encourage you to destroy your enemies, but God’s ways are different. The story of Jonah is a great example. Jonah viewed Nineveh as the enemy, and he harbored deep hatred ...
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Valuable information tends to level the playing field when you are in negotiations. Recently, I was negotiating a contract. There was one significant item in the proposed contract that didn’t seem reasonable to me. This item was going to add significantly to my costs. So, I typed out my scenario in Perplexity AI and moments ...
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Recently, I was invited to a networking event primarily for CEOs. When I introduced myself to someone the inevitable question would surface, “What is it that you do?” When I shared that I ran a nonprofit focused on equipping business leaders to integrate their faith into their work, I would get one of two responses. ...
The post Is Anyone Listening? appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
During most of my career, I held a basic belief in God and his power. But it was only when I was faced with the loss of my job and the frightening prospects of what would come next that my faith truly developed. Scripture calls us to continually examine the depth of our faith. It ...
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In his book, Soul Keeping, John Ortberg writes that we are created with souls that crave to be loved, secure, and significant. Given the time and energy we spend at work, it can be easy to turn to our work to meet those needs. But Ortberg writes that only God can satisfy the needs of ...
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If you’ve hired a plumber recently you’ve probably discovered that service calls are sometimes three times more expensive than before Covid. Currently, there is more work than workers. With a decreased immigration population this won’t likely get better. This makes for a significant opportunity for young people to consider the trades as their career choice. ...
The post Called To the Trades appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
I was angry when a vendor’s invoice was nearly twice what I was expecting. The vendor documented the higher costs, but I objected so strenuously that the group vice president had to intercede. After hearing both sides, she decided we should pay the invoice. Now I was angry with her! My response was not only ...
The post Respecting Authority appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
No one was surprised when Darrell was promoted to lead the team. He had been a subject matter expert and go-to guy for years. But he quickly discovered that his technical skills weren’t as helpful when it came to leading people. Darrell realized he needed to find ways to engage, motivate, and encourage the team ...
The post Empathy Over Solutions appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
As I reflect on my career, I realize that early on I made some poor decisions out of my lack of maturity. One time, after working a grueling 70-hour week, I was reprimanded by a supervisor I didn’t respect, and one of our partners, for something I felt was unwarranted. Later that day, that supervisor ...
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When I was a young professional, I was blessed to work for companies that valued training. Whether I worked for a CPA firm or a large bank, I was allowed to enroll for all sorts of training in business practices, and even graduate school of banking. The learning was valuable, but it also included, at ...
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According to Pew Research, the percentage of female managers in the workplace has increased from 29% in 1980 to 46% in 2023. In part, this happened due to a significant increase in the numbers of women who have completed college, and due to relational skills becoming more important to the workplace. During Jesus’ time on ...
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In this series we’re addressing root problems of struggling businesses and how to respond. The final reason your business may be struggling may be due to a spiritual attack. Although I try not to give the enemy too much credit, there are times when God will allow the devil to sift us. Job is the ...
The post Why Is My Business Struggling: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series we’re addressing root problems of struggling businesses and how to respond. The next reason your business may be struggling might be that God is testing, training, or refining you. Early in the ministry there were times when God tested and refined my faith. When payroll was nearing and there was no money ...
The post Why Is My Business Struggling: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series we’re addressing some root problems of struggling businesses and how to respond. The next possible reason for your struggles is because God is disciplining you or your company for sin. Years ago, I served on an advisory board for a ministry leader who was struggling to produce any tangible fruit. Something didn’t ...
The post Why Is My Business Struggling: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series we’re addressing some root problems of struggling businesses and how to respond. The second common problem is when the economy, or your industry, is in decline. When you’re experiencing an economic downturn, you can assume that your only response is to persevere. But a proactive response is critical. Managing expenses is important, ...
The post Why is My Business Struggling: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Business struggles can become overwhelming at times. There are many possible reasons for troubles in business, so discerning the root problem can be difficult, but necessary. In this series, we’ll address some of the root problems of a struggling business and how to respond. The first is, asking, “Am I being a poor steward?” It’s ...
The post Why Is My Business Struggling: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Prior to the Jewish people entering a period of about 400 years with no new written words from God, Daniel was given a vision of what evil was to come. But the Jews had to know God to have the wisdom to resist the evil that was coming, not just know of God. In Daniel ...
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When I was young, I remember shopping for school clothes. With five kids needing clothes, my mother often used a “layaway” program. We selected the clothes we liked, then she paid a deposit to hold them. From each paycheck, she made payments until we could take our clothes home. This was a debt-free way to ...
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The United States Office of Personnel Management recently issued a memo to all federal department and agency heads about religious freedom. According to the memo titled "Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace," federal employees are allowed to display religious items at work and engage in prayer during non-duty hours. They also can discuss their religious ...
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According to the Dallas Express, a lawsuit against the software company Workday may establish significant precedent regarding the use of AI for hiring practices. Workday’s AI hiring software called, Hired Score, is reportedly being used by over 11,000 companies and has processed over 1 billion job applications. In his lawsuit, Plaintiff Derek Mobley claims that ...
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As much as I enjoy the summer months, summer feels to me like my routines and rhythms are disrupted at times. But when Labor Day arrives it feels somewhat like a fresh start. Kids are back in school, families settle down into routines and rhythms, and there seems to be more consistency at work. September ...
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One of the many gifts that God has given us is the ability to remember. In the business world, remembering our career wins and the losses gives us wisdom and discernment. Remembering past experiences gives us insight into navigating future challenges. But perhaps the greatest value of remembering comes when we remember where we are ...
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In its 2025 Life@Work Report, Barna Group research company identified three main elements that determined whether work was meaningful to employees: people, purpose, and impact. The report encourages leaders to build strong communities at work and help team members connect their work to larger, meaningful outcomes. The report encourages workers to find meaning by investing ...
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When I was about to take on my first significant leadership role, a friend in Human Resources offered to help me in the transition. She implemented a process to gather insight about the department I was about to lead; the team’s fears, frustrations and proudest achievements. She used her strengths to position me for success. ...
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Artificial Intelligence is fraught with ethical dilemmas, especially for those with a Biblical worldview. Without Christian voices speaking into those ethical concerns, we’re likely to regret the direction Silicon Valley drives us toward. According to Christianity Today, Bryden Eastman, an applied mathematician, had significant ethical concerns about his part of launching ChatGPT. He wasn’t sure ...
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In a Harvard Business Review article titled, “How the Busiest People Find Joy,” the authors discovered that a factor in maximizing our joy is to diversify your activities. Finding areas of passion is important, but research also reveals that there is a risk in having one singular focus. Investing our time in only one passion ...
The post Finding Joy: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In a Harvard Business Review article titled, “How the Busiest People Find Joy,” the authors discovered that a factor in maximizing our joy is to follow our passions. The author’s research discovered that when we pursue activities that align with what we find personally rewarding, our life satisfaction can soar four times greater than when ...
The post Finding Joy: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In a Harvard Business Review article titled, “How the Busiest People Find Joy,” the authors discovered that it’s important to avoid passive pursuits to experience higher levels of joy. After a long day at work, many people watch tv, explore social media, or spend time gaming. These activities are passive pursuits. The authors discovered that, ...
The post Finding Joy: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
According to Harvard Business Review, research reveals that to live a satisfying life, achievement, meaningfulness, and joy are needed. They discovered, however, that the most elusive of those three was joy. In this series, let’s address a few research-based insights to better understand and experience more joy. The first insight to note is this: How ...
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According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, joy is the most elusive attribute required to experience a satisfying life. A key finding in the article titled, “How the Busiest People Find Joy,” is that people get more joy from doing activities with others than from doing them alone. This should not be a surprise ...
The post Finding Joy: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In its annual State of the Global Workplace, Gallup reported the global percentage of engaged employees fell from 23% to 21% in 2024, nearing the recent low levels of engagement experienced during the pandemic. Digging deeper, the data revealed that manager engagement drove the decline, falling three points from the prior year. Engagement of managers ...
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Dan couldn’t believe how much could go wrong in a day. From oversleeping, to missing a meeting invite, to the boss’s demand to redo the quarterly report, it felt like everything that could do wrong did. We all have days like that. How do you respond? In Psalm 109:22, David cried: “For I am poor ...
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The prophet Samuel told King Saul that because the Amalekites had treated Israel poorly when they exited Egypt, that God wanted Samuel to destroy all the Amalekites and their animals. But 1 Samuel 15:9 says, “Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals...” Saul thought that ...
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A study conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education discovered that 58% of young adults claim their mental health is being negatively impacted due to a lack of meaning or purpose in life. Personally, I remember feelings I had in my 20s when I achieved my only goal of becoming a CPA. In that ...
The post The Purpose of Youth appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Rick Altizer, CEO of Earnnest, wrote about Servant Leadership on thegospelcoaltion.org. One of his points was this: To go up, the way may be down. Rick wrote of a time when he was in a McDonald’s executive training program. Even though he was a CPA and MBA, Rick spent two years working inside a McDonald’s ...
The post Serving At the Lowest Levels appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Teammates avoided Brad. He was known throughout the company as a “striver,” reaching for promotions and fixated on impressing executives. He criticized others’ work and was angry when anyone else advanced. The team diagnosed that Brad acted out of a sense of fear. 2 Kings tells the story of Elisha and his servant surrounded by ...
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In the autobiography titled, “Scalia,” one of Supreme Court Justice Scalia’s professors at Georgetown finished Scalia’s final oral examination with one question: “Which historical event had the most impact on the world?” Although Scalia didn’t remember his final answer, he never forgot his professor’s response. With disappointment his professor stated, “Mr. Scalia, Jesus’ Incarnation was ...
The post The Most Impactful Moment appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
We have learned in our ministry to forewarn new employees to expect some spiritual warfare at times. Our spiritual enemy doesn’t like Christians engaging the culture with God’s Word, especially in business where he has had a strong foothold. Spiritual warfare seems to often cause disruptions in our employees’ lives, as well as our own. ...
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Sports columnist, Terry Pluto, visited an out-of-town church where a young pastor preached on discovering your vocation. Terry shared on Cleveland.com that this pastor highlighted the callings of professionals in the workplace but overlooked the blue-collar professions. They, too, have a calling from God. Like the plumber that visited our home when multiple appliances had ...
The post A Blue Collar Calling appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Kansas City Business Journal article recently highlighted some statistics related to a trend of Gen Z job applicants ghosting their employers. According to a survey by Resume.com, ghosting seems to take shape in three major forms. First, 27% of Gen Z applicants accept a job offer but never complete the process. 26% complete the ...
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Research shows that hearing just one story of how our work benefits someone else can increase motivation by 400%. The author of a Harvard Business Review article showed a team of plumbing contractors a picture of his son enjoying a doughnut at his favorite doughnut shop. One of the plumbers proclaimed, “Hey, we worked on ...
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Jesus spoke frequently about abiding in Him. Constantly praying, listening, and obeying is how we best abide and experience a fruitful life. When I speak in public, I have often experienced the fruitfulness of abiding. That’s because I’m often seeking God fervently and following His lead. As I speak, I have often felt the Holy ...
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According to Mental Health America, over 42 million people struggled with anxiety disorders in 2024. If you consider your team, it’s likely that twenty percent are struggling with anxiety. Since 2020, we’ve experienced a global pandemic, race riots, and troubling financial shifts. It’s no wonder that many are overwhelmed. Recent studies claim that the biggest ...
The post The Prince of Peace appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When I was a banker I worked with hundreds of small businesses, most of whom never had a budget for their business. They sometimes pulled together projections to obtain a loan, but they rarely used them for comparison purposes later. Although a budget is simply a tool to help you compare your original expectations ...
The post Small Business Stewardship appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
My friend, Brad, has led a men’s ministry for decades. While having coffee, Brad said to me, “If I picked up every man’s phone in this place, I’d likely find pornography on half of them.” Brad lamented how some men can view pornography in one moment and teach Sunday School the next. Men may think ...
The post Compartmentalized Lives appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
According to a Gallup State of the Workplace 2023 survey, 44% of global employees experienced daily workplace stress in 2023. This was an all-time high for the second year in a row! Worse yet, we have a growing mental health crisis leaving us short of psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals to care for our employees. ...
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Kathy and I have had a string of unexpected challenges with our home recently. For example, a strong wind blew an entire wall of our deck down. Then our basement flooded. We were about to build a new deck when our basement flooded again, in a different location. That led to discovering hail damage on ...
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In 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital publicly announced that they were discontinuing gender affirming therapies due to legal risks. But subsequently, surgeon Dr. Eithan Haim observed that the therapies and surgeries secretively continued. Due to Dr. Haim’s strong religious convictions, he felt compelled to disclose the alleged deceptions of Texas Children’s Hospital to the press. Since ...
The post Standing Firm on Conviction appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When my wife, Kathy, and I work together on a project we’re a good team. Kathy’s a great catalyst to get a project going, while I make sure all the details and pertinent information is gathered. When we were receiving bids on a home project, Kathy secured multiple bids. But before the final selection I ...
The post Listening Before Answering appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Justin wanted to join the insurance industry, so he became 50/50 partners with an experienced insurance broker who claimed to also be a follower of Jesus. When Justin’s partner started violating the partner agreement and breaking the law, the situation became tense. Unfortunately, in business, when there are only two equal partners you are ...
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According to a 2023 American Psychology Association study, 94% of workers state that it’s important for them to feel like they belong at work. Unfortunately, 20% of workers do not feel like they belong. This is a bigger problem for front-line workers than it is for upper management. 10% of upper management feel like they ...
The post Feeling Like You Belong appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
As a leader, there are times when I must referee between two staff members who have a dispute with each other. I remember years ago, I had an employee who voiced a legitimate complaint about another employee. This person provided a lot of compelling information against their co-worker. Their story was so convincing that I ...
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In the 1990s, I was building a new consulting business during the growing Dot-com bubble. I found a company that seemed knowledgeable about the internet and hired them to develop our website. One question I should have asked was, “What happens to my website if your company goes out of business?” When that vendor closed, ...
The post The Coming AI Bubble: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In the mid-1990s, I was building a new consulting business. I learned many lessons leading up to the Dot-com bubble that may help you if there’s a future Artificial Intelligence bubble. The first lesson I learned was to “Beware of Posers.” In the 1990s, it didn’t take long before almost everyone in the technology world ...
The post The Coming AI Bubble: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In the mid-1990s, I started a consulting practice. I started hearing about this new sensation called the internet. Everyone began talking about “websites.” Having America as my prospect list instead of just Kansas City seemed like a great idea. Eventually, I hired a company to build a website for my business. I lost my investment ...
The post the Coming AI Bubble: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In the 1990s, the internet became public. Investors began investing in local companies that now had a global market available to them. Almost anyone with a Dot-com web address started getting investment capital, even if they never made money. By 2000, when these investors began selling their money-losing stocks it created the Dot-com bubble and ...
The post The Coming AI Bubble: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
According to a 2023American Psychology Association study, 26% of workers claim to have experienced feelings of loneliness and isolation. Curiously, if you work in customer or patient service work, that feeling of loneliness soars to 35%. You would think that loneliness would not be an issue for those engaging with people all day, but it ...
The post The Toll of Loneliness appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Over the years I have served on many different boards. Occasionally, I’ll serve alongside another board member who dominates the conversation, expressing opinions on almost every subject. Unfortunately, center-of-attention kinds of people don’t usually ask many questions or seek understanding. Instead, they tend to only offer uninformed opinions. This means that their input often overlooks ...
The post Expressing Opinions appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Years ago, Jerry was working on building a Christian retreat center near my cousin, Linda. Linda recently informed me that during the retreat center’s planning stage, she rallied people against this project. Eventually, Jerry presented his case to the community, but the community was skeptical. During that meeting, however, Jerry referenced a passage from my ...
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Upwork’s Freelance Forward 2023 Survey found that 38% of the U.S. workforce performed freelance work last year. A staggering 52% of all Gen Z workers operated as freelancers. This trend is dramatically impacting the way work is done. Leaders in today’s workplaces not only have to manage their in-house employees, now they also must navigate ...
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Scooters Coffee franchisee, Tracy Bouwens, shared with our network about her transition from being a stay-at-home mom to owning her first Scooters store. She hired a new employee, gave her a Scooters uniform, and instructed her to start work on Monday. On Monday, the employee arrived but wasn’t wearing her uniform. Tracy considered possible reasons ...
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If you ever doubt the power of words, watch a few of President Ronald Reagan’s speeches. Reagan’s charm in front of a camera, in part, made him a great President. He had a way of telling stories with the right amount of truth and humor to rally people to follow him. Columnist, Peggy Noonan, who ...
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Many seem to believe that science and religion inherently conflict with each other. A Mind Matters article about Elaine Howard Ecklund’s study of scientists’ attitudes towards religion, however, may help debunk that belief. Through more than 40,000 surveys, Ecklund found, that at least 30% of scientists declared a religious affiliation. Her study also discovered that two-thirds of ...
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Sometimes the best nuggets of wisdom are found immediately after interviewing someone. Recently, I was video interviewing Scooters Coffee franchisee, Tracy Bouwens. After we finished, we discussed some common challenges of managing employees. Tracy told me that a common refrain in her workplace is, “Being unclear is unkind.” Tracy mentioned those times when we avoid ...
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As we watch the presidential debates, the destructive power of an impulsive statement or speaking the wrong words becomes more evident. The more you are in the public eye, the more words matter. Likewise, for business leaders who are often required to speak at team gatherings or public events, the choice of words can quickly ...
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A Rutgers University study discovered that 60% of recruiters responded less favorably to the mock resume of former entrepreneurs with comparable levels of education and experience. In addition, research from the London Business School discovered that former entrepreneurs are 35% less likely to get a job interview, often called the Entrepreneurship Penalty. Some entrepreneurs can ...
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Our workplaces are full of people who have some form of father wounds. Some never had a father in the home so they may wrestle with abandonment issues. Others experienced abusive or frequently absent fathers, resulting in a different set of problems. By realizing that some of your employees have father wounds that may distort ...
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My first banking job was in the Audit department. Although our audit manager wasn’t a particularly strong leader, the culture seemed peaceful to me. That is until Mary was hired. Mary came from the academic world with a PHD and was overly ambitious. Mary was only there briefly before she started stating that she thought ...
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As a teenager, I worked on my uncle’s farm. In his small town there was a grocery store, a gas station, a lumber yard, a grain elevator, a restaurant, and three churches. This town only has 130 people now with no downtown businesses remaining. There is hope, however. My cousin breeds a specialty type of ...
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Recently, the Christian Post reported an online feud between a comedian, D.L. Hughley, and Thaddeus Matthews, known popularly as the “Cussing Pastor.” The bizarre story reveals that Pastor Matthews called Hughley’s YouTube show. Pastor Matthews then publicly cussed out Hughley, ironically, because the comedian had accused Pastor Matthews of cursing in his sermons. In James ...
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A friend of mine was considering some speaking engagement opportunities to teach potential business prospects about his consulting niche. But my friend rarely teaches publicly, and when he does, unfortunately, he struggles to hold people’s attention. Many professionals build their business by writing books and teaching to generate leads. But not all people are gifted ...
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One of Doug’s employees was a single mother who was struggling financially. One day, Doug overheard this single mother crying as she shared with another employee about how her refrigerator had recently stopped working. The other employee prayed for her, but Doug took a different approach. Doug quietly bought her a new refrigerator and then ...
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A study by Mecham Western and Wood estimates that 40 million people regularly view pornography and 70% of pornography use is during work. Many claim that pornography use has negligible impact. These researchers learned, however, that pornography use results in increased lying, sexual harassment, and dehumanizing others. In addition, a decline in business ethics. Unfortunately, ...
The post Business Wisdom from James: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When we host our Summit conferences, our hope is to change lives and to transform workplaces. Many people in attendance will hear great ideas, some will take notes, but I suspect only a few implement the ideas. Those who do implement, however, experience great benefits, according to our surveys! James 1:22 says, “But be doers of ...
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If you’ve ever led a team of people, you’ve likely experienced times when one person dominates the conversation. Because they’re talking instead of listening, these workers usually don’t fully understand the breadth or depth of the issues being discussed. The wisdom that the others in the group can bring to the issue is often drowned ...
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In leading any organization there are constant challenges and decisions to be made. Some decisions are more difficult than others, which can leave me feeling inadequate at times. That’s when I yearn, and seek, the wisest counsel I can find. Fortunately, I have access to boundless wisdom. Recently, faced with some difficult decisions, I was ...
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When trials come my way, they usually come in waves, one after another until I become weary. Maybe you can relate. But I’ve also learned that struggling with the waves of trouble is like building up an immunity to sickness. I become stronger each time I successfully navigate those personnel issues or tough business decisions. ...
The post Business Wisdom from James: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Sociologists Michael Emerson and Glenn Bracey conducted a study surveying Christians of all races. They highlighted Bible passages that might impact different races, with a conclusion of how the passage might be applied. They were surprised to discover that most Black, Asian, and Hispanic Christians affirmed their conclusions, but only 1/3 of white Christians ...
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A new HR Brew/Harris Poll found that 41% of respondents say that conflicts related to faith have caused tension in their workplaces. Additionally, these types of disputes have increased due to the Israel Hamas armed conflict. For employers, this can be challenging. As much as we need teamwork and unity, modern day issues can ...
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Prior to Covid, large businesses had a competitive advantage over many small businesses by outsourcing work to China or India. Smaller businesses, however, were usually limited in their pool of labor to their local communities. During Covid, as remote work became more common, the online labor pool expanded. I have friends who have since outsourced ...
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Michael Zigarelli, a professor at Messiah University in Pennsylvania, spoke at a God in the Workplace event recently. One of the simple, but profound, insights Mr. Zigarelli reportedly shared was “the starting point for faith at work is faith within.” Michael stated that Chick-fil-a doesn’t have a company policy requiring employees to go the extra ...
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As a young impatient professional, at times I strived to get rich quickly. This led to foolish decisions that set me back rather than forward. An activity that exceeded my expectations, however, was when a stockbroker talked me into investing $25 per month into a mutual fund. As a teenager, it was painful at times, ...
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One challenge small businesses face, who are forced to compete against larger businesses, is a lack of resources. Large companies can hire more people and invest in technology that may be hard for smaller businesses to come by. This disadvantage requires that a small business needs to be even more selective in hiring the right ...
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Recently, I was invited to attend a Legacy Letter Workshop that helps people like me leave a hope-filled letter for our children. There may also be a business application possible. Baby Boomers are now transitioning businesses and leadership roles to the next generation. We have insight, wisdom, and experiences to pass on to our ...
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Recently, a group of friends and I were reflecting on our junior high school years. Rick shared how grateful he was that he met up with our friend group back then. Before meeting our group, Rick primarily talked with Mike, one of the wildest kids in our class. Had Rick continued hanging out with Mike’s ...
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In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave performance reviews to seven churches. Jesus provided us a good format for our employee’s performance reviews. Regardless of how bad these churches had acted, Jesus finished his final section with hope and encouragement. Jesus wanted what was best for them, so He closed His letters with the benefits ...
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In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave performance reviews to seven churches. As I studied the seven letters, I believe I’ve discovered a roadmap for performance reviews. In this series, we’ll cover four sections Jesus used; Strengths, Areas for Improvement, Corrections Needed, and finally words of Hope and Encouragement. Let’s begin with Strengths. Five of ...
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Due to a disagreement, my friend, Rex, was struggling with collecting monies owed him by a significant customer. At Rex’s monthly UBN CEO Roundtable meeting, he brought this issue to his group for discussion. Rex, assuming he was right, was looking for affirmation. Instead, the group told Rex he had handled the situation improperly and ...
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Justin left teaching to pursue a career in financial services but soon discovered that financial services was not a good fit. Despite Justin’s brief time in financial services, God found ways to use Justin’s abilities. One day, Justin met a widow who had been praying for help with her finances. The account was too small ...
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According to an Anxiety Disorders Association of America survey, while only 9% of individuals are living with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, 40% experience ongoing stress or anxiety in their daily lives. The workplace is overflowing with people stressed and anxious. Anxiety takes a toll on productivity, the level of healthy team interactions, and the rate of absenteeism. For ...
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The creation of Mother’s Day was Ann Jarvis’ idea. According to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Ann Jarvis was a pastor’s wife who put her faith into action by organizing Mother’s Day Work Clubs. These clubs inspired women to care for wounded soldiers during the Civil War, regardless of which side ...
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Unfortunately, Grifters love to use the church as their playground. If you’re not familiar with the word, Grifters are con men or women who are adept at reading people and exploiting their weaknesses. Since there are a growing number of scandals of megachurch pastors who have been arrested or thrown out of their church for ...
The post Guarding Against Grifters: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
For years, I’ve contended that the best mission field is the workplace. From an evangelistic viewpoint, the importance of the workplace is rising dramatically. According to the Christian Post, from 1937 until the 1980s, about 70% of Americans said they were members of a church. However, a recent Gallup poll reveals that church participation has ...
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An economic indicator I find valuable is the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index. This index checks the pulse of small business owners. The 50-year average score for this optimism index has been 98. Last month, the index fell to 88.5, the lowest level since 2012. The primary concern listed in the ...
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Cabrini is a true movie of an Italian nun who came to America to help orphans and the sick. It’s an inspiring story of what Mother Cabrini accomplished, including establishing 67 institutions globally. My concern with the movie, however, is what was missing. There was no clear answer as to why Mother Cabrini did what ...
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My friend, Jim, in his previous CEO role, was meeting with a newly promoted store manager. Jim knew this person could have some valuable insight from his frontline experience. But, when Jim asked this new manager for ideas to improve the stores, he didn’t receive any feedback. Jim tried a different approach. Jim informed this ...
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The Kansas City Business Journal highlighted that one way to help enhance our workforce is by upskilling existing workers. The Business Journal also discussed a study that discovered that 64% of respondents said they work with at least one under-skilled colleague. Training should always be a priority, but our failed education system is revealing an ...
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“It’s never been done” is a phrase that may deter some, but for many entrepreneurs, it’s a challenge to be considered. Selling books over the internet seemed foolish to many, but not Jeff Bezos. Building electric vehicles when the world was using gas didn’t deter Elon Musk. Even in Biblical times, no one had ever ...
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At a conference I attended, Ken Reeves, a human resource expert, shared lessons he’s learned in life. One profound insight he shared made my time there worthwhile. You’ve probably heard the adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Ken expanded that phrase to, “It’s not only who you know, but also ...
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At 7:30 am there was a loud knock on our front door. We had scheduled an 8:00 start to have our carpet replaced, but when I opened the door, three men charged in ready to work. The man in charge began directing his guys with an urgency I hadn’t seen in some time. Twenty minutes ...
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In a Wall Street Journal editorial, Andy Kessler complains that our younger generations are looking so hard for purpose in their work, that they sometimes overlook the actual work that needs done. His article reminded me of an old adage, “You are so heavenly minded, that you are no earthly good.” Personally, I believe that ...
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The Church of England’s Synod recently declared that they “affirm the dignity and value of purposeful work, whether paid or unpaid, as a significant component of human flourishing.” In addition, the Synod recognized the value of the Bible by affirming, “to look at Biblical wisdom on work, employment and economy in its widest sense; and ...
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Many people believe it’s fine to lie to the Internal Revenue Service about their taxes and still maintain integrity. When I was a commercial lender, I was meeting with a small business owner who, while handing over his tax returns as part of his loan application, said, “I sure hope you aren’t making your loan ...
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After Bud Light’s misstep of spotlighting a transgender spokesperson, you’d think that most corporations would avoid making the same mistake. But recently, Doritos headed down the same path. Doritos Spain featured a transgender singer who supposedly had made past inflammatory and sexualized comments that were offensive to many Doritos customers. The backlash was swift as ...
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According to a recent Christian Post article, one of Chick-fil-a’s independent franchise owners was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Chick-fil-a has assured the public that this franchise owner will no longer be present in the restaurant. Chick-fil-a has one of the most rigorous hiring processes and diligence in selecting great people. ...
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Just when inflation was subsiding, California announced their plan to increase the minimum wage from $16 per hour to $20 for most fast-food restaurant employees. When payroll taxes are added, this will increase restaurant labor costs over 27%. Because businesses exist by making a profit, employees will be laid-off and menu prices will increase. The ...
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Green Dirt Farm spent three years dreaming, building, and investing in a new farm-to-market restaurant in downtown Kansas City. Then they were blindsided. As Green Dirt Farm’s grand opening drew near, the owners learned from news reports that the Kansas City Royals intended to build a new stadium directly upon Green Dirt Farm’s new location. ...
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In this series, we’re talking about guarding ourselves from Grifters. Years ago, some colleagues invited me to a conference of a controversial ministry. I prayed fervently that the Holy Spirit would reveal to me what was pleasing to God and what wasn’t. That night, the keynote speaker prophesied some disturbing proclamations. I felt a grieving ...
The post Guarding Against Grifters: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Senator Bernie Sanders recently proposed to change the workweek from 40 hours a week to 32 hours. In this series we’re exploring biblical considerations pertinent to this issue. Previously we looked at God’s command to work six days a week. I believe our work includes maintaining our home and outside responsibilities. That leads to asking, ...
The post Shrinking the Work Week: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
The Senate has periodically discussed changing the workweek from 40 hours a week to 32 hours. In this series, we’re exploring biblical considerations on this issue. For me, the biggest challenge is reconciling God’s commands about work with our modern-day culture. After Israel had been oppressed as slaves by Egypt, after their deliverance, God commanded ...
The post Shrinking the Work Week: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Senator Bernie Sanders recently proposed to change the workweek from 40 hours a week to 32 hours. In this series, we’re exploring biblical considerations pertinent to this issue. Our first consideration is defining work. The Oxford Dictionary defines work as “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.” ...
The post Shrinking the Work Week: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
The Senate has periodically discussed changing the workweek from 40 hours a week to 32 hours. In this series, we’re exploring biblical considerations on this issue. Many of the attempts to shrink our work week seem to send the message that work is bad and should be limited when possible. God designed work to accomplish ...
The post Shrinking the Work Week: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Senator Bernie Sanders recently proposed to change the workweek from 40 hours a week to 32 hours for the same pay. Any hours worked after that would require employers to pay overtime. Although some data looks favorable for those companies who have shifted to a 4-day workweek, there are other factors that need to be ...
The post Shrinking the Work Week: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In the past, the business community has grown accustomed to a certain level of educational training provided to high school and college graduates. In my opinion, the future is soon to change dramatically. During the pandemic, remote learning too often became no learning at all. In many schools, standards were lowered, graduating many students without ...
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Hindsight can be a humbling critic. At year end there are typically some economists and political futurists who reflect on how well their predictions for the year faired. I admire those who are willing to admit when their predictions fall short. Many business leaders also speak publicly about their beliefs on the future of their ...
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If I’m honest, there are times when other followers of Jesus frustrate me. It’s in those moments when I can be tempted to gossip or speak poorly of another brother or sister in Christ. If I remember they are a follower of Jesus it helps me to muzzle my words. But there are times when ...
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Discovering your spiritual calling is extremely valuable, but there can be some downsides as well. For example, someone dedicated to their calling may overlook abuse. In an article on theconversation.com the authors claim, “People who feel that God intended them to be in their current workplace or industry might be more disposed to stay in ...
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In the movie, The Hill, Rickey Hill tries to convince his father that he can glorify God by playing baseball. Rickey’s father, as a pastor, seemed to believe that the only real calling was being a pastor. Rickey Hill overcame significant bone and spinal cord problems to become a professional baseball player with the Montreal ...
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Many people limit a spiritual calling to only pastors and missionaries. Over the years, however, I’ve seen this flawed understanding of calling dramatically broaden to include those in the workplace. An article on theconversation.com website stated that business scholars Mitchell Neubert and Katie Halbesleben define spiritual calling as “a summons from God to approach work with a sense of purpose ...
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When I examine my career path, on the surface it seems to be wīndy and disconnected. But in the tapestry of life and with hindsight, I see God’s divine direction. Moving from CPA to car rental entrepreneur to banking, then consulting, and finally ministry may seem strange, but God had a plan. Today, I ...
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Former Lt. Colonel Steve Russell’s book, We Got Him, shares about his troop’s relentless pursuit of former Iraqi leader Sadam Hussein. Over time, they became more mystified as to where Hussein was hiding. Then a prayer warrior from Texas called Steve Russell’s wife. He had a simple directive. “Tell your husband that God knows where ...
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When a Kansas City jury delivered a $1.8 billion verdict against the National Association of Realtors’ longstanding commission practices it started a chain reaction. Lawsuits against real estate brokerage firms are surfacing nationally, requiring the real estate industry to take a fresh look at its business model of how buyers and seller’s agents are compensated. ...
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Surprisingly, there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats agreed on recently; the impact small businesses have on America. When research firm, Gallup, asked about which institutions have the greatest positive impact on American society, small businesses won hands down. 85% of survey respondents named small business as having the most positive impact on society, beating out ...
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When I started my career in public accounting there were only four levels to reach the top. Staff accountant, Senior, Manager, then finally Partner. My managing partner was less than twenty years older than me. With only twenty years difference it wasn’t too difficult to understand his values and his expectations. Today’s workplace, however, often ...
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Our small group at church was discussing a bible study developed by our senior pastor. In this study, the pastor shared openly of some of his personal struggles. Several in my small group expressed their appreciation for our pastor’s transparency. His vulnerability led to our group members sharing more openly about their own struggles. Transparency ...
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Leadership expert, Holly Moore, shared with me that one of the ways to improve team communication is for us individually to become more self-aware. When we speak, for us it naturally feels like we communicated clearly and properly. But that is not always the case for those on the receiving end. Holly recommends that it ...
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There was a time in my banking days when I struggled with workaholism. I was putting in long hours and constantly on my computer at home, rather than enjoying time with my family. Looking back, I was trying to control my own destiny. I thought I had to push through my anxiety about the potential ...
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Recently, I’ve been following a messy situation locally that involves an international ministry leader. If the allegations prove true, this leader has been involved sexually with underage young ladies on and off for over forty years. The fact that these multiple offenses are just now surfacing begs the question, “How long can sin hide?” Falling ...
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When I played baseball as a kid there were players who had a knack for excelling when we were behind. We called them “clutch” players. While receiving the Vince Lombardi trophy recently, KC Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, said, “The Chiefs are never underdogs!” Mahomes is known for his ability to rally in the clutch and ...
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The Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade was wrapping-up when evil surfaced. Gunfire rang out and people began to scatter, while some lay wounded or dying. This day of celebration turned to mourning as our city learned of one death and twenty-two injuries, including many children. Fortunately, the community of Kansas City immediately rallied. ...
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According to a Rice University study, working women do not feel supported by their clergy and churches. Many women felt that their work was not valued by the church and that clergy rarely had workplace experience to be able to relate to working women. In addition, the study discovered that women’s church activities are often ...
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Years ago, a salesperson knew there was one important feature that I needed in his company’s software before I was willing to commit to buy. So, he convinced me that his company had just added this important feature that very month. After signing the agreement, I discovered that he lied. There was no plan to ...
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According to Decision magazine, Valerie Kloosterman’s employer, University of Michigan Health, required her to take a diversity survey. Due to her faith, Valerie said, “No,” when asked if she’d be willing to refer patients for gender surgery. This led to several heated meetings, ultimately resulting in Valerie being fired. She is now being represented by ...
The post Persecutions Make Us Strong appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
George Washington left his American legacy with a great reputation. Even though the famous story of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and not lying about it, may not be true, this story speaks to people’s belief about his character. George Washington once said, “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your ...
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My friend, Toby, who has experienced significant business success, was interviewed in the Kansas City Business Journal about his most recent business that didn’t fare too well. The refreshing part of the interview was Toby’s transparency and candor. He shared about the pain and embarrassment that comes with a business closing, and the reminder that ...
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Emails may be causing much of your workplace misunderstandings. According to a study by Preply, a foreign language platform, 87% of people believe that email causes much of the fractured communication and anxiety happening in today’s workplace. Most of us have received an email from a colleague that has perplexed us. Without hearing their voice ...
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A friend in the advertising industry used to hear her colleagues say, “If you aren’t getting sued, you aren’t making enough noise.” President Trump is a good example of someone who seems to flourish in the polls, especially when he is being sued and receiving bad press. As followers of Jesus, we may at times ...
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Recently, I spoke with a young man who started an online business a year ago. After one year he had not sold any products at all! We can develop the best quality product, but if it’s not something the customer needs or desires, you have wasted your time. God is the ultimate Creator who designed ...
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In 1847, when Esther Howland was 19 years old, one of her father’s business associates gave her a Valentine’s card that had been produced in Europe. Although common in Europe, Valentine’s Day cards were not affordable to most Americans. Esther determined she could improve the quality of the card. On her brother’s next sales trip, ...
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The movie, “The Boys in the Boat” highlights several powerful leadership lessons. This true story spotlights a University of Washington rowing team who surprises the world by competing in the 1936 Olympics. Rowing was a sport that had been dominated by well-resourced Ivy League schools. This team from Washington, however, began with at least one ...
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In the movie, “The Boys in the Boat,” the University of Washington junior varsity rowing team was struggling. Their coach was perplexed as to why his team was straining to live up to their potential. As the coach pondered each team member’s value to the team, he wondered if some of them needed to be ...
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Deciding to close a business is a tough decision. One factor that needs consideration is your talent. When I was twenty-five, I was a CPA and talented at financial management. But in the pursuit of money and becoming an entrepreneur, I launched a used car rental agency. One winter day, with temperatures below zero, few ...
The post Five Considerations Before Closing a Business: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Deciding to close a business is a tough decision. There are multiple factors that need to be considered. For instance, reflecting on your time, talent, and treasure should shape your decision as well. Today, let’s discuss your time. I’ve counseled home remodelers who could make $30 an hour as a carpenter. But instead, due to ...
The post Five Considerations Before Closing a Business: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A challenging decision for any entrepreneur is knowing if, and when, to close a business. One consideration often overlooked is comparing your future opportunities to your current situation. Tim started a technology business that wasn’t meeting original expectations. When Tim considered his talents, resources, and other business opportunities and contrasted them with his current ...
The post Five Considerations Before Closing a Business: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A past New American magazine article claimed George Washington Carver, counter to many in the scientific community, believed he could have faith in God and science. Carver also poured his faith into others in uncommon ways. In 1906, while at Tuskegee, Carver began leading a Bible class on Sunday’s. He would often act out the ...
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Born into slavery, at ten years old George Washington Carver kneeled in a barn and prayed to receive Jesus. Shortly after, George had a divine encounter with Mariah Watkins. Ms.Watkins told George, “You must learn all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people.” Her ...
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Many of us may be willing to make modest pivots in business, but what happens if your business model is soon to be irrelevant? Kodak made their money on film when digital cameras surfaced. They needed to change their business model, but their leadership lacked the courage to make a radical pivot. Their inaction resulted ...
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With so many new laws running counter to the Christian faith, it’s becoming harder for many to set personal and corporate boundaries. Honoring God while honoring government officials can sometimes conflict. In the story of Esther, Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, set boundaries and took some hard stands. Yet, he also knew when to honor the king. ...
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In the story of Esther, Esther’s goal was to convince the king to save the Jews from annihilation. She wisely decided to first invite the king and Haman to a feast. She could have made her request then, but she didn’t. In Esther 5:6, the king says, “Now what is your petition? It will be ...
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In the story of Esther, Esther was forced into a beauty pageant, resulting in her becoming Queen. She likely thought she was only there for her beauty. As the story unfolds, however, we realize that God had planned an inside job. The Jews were about to be slaughtered and God needed someone to influence the ...
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Recently, I had to forewarn our son, Jeremy, that change was coming. We were in the process of moving to a new home. The change seemed minimal to me because we only moved two blocks away to a similar home, but Jeremy, in part due to his autism, needs a lot of forewarning to process ...
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Former Chick-fil-a executive, Mark Miller, discovered three words to help any organization build a stronger culture. The final key is to Adapt. As changes happen, if you’re not adapting, your culture will begin to slide. Mark Miller recommends that you look for toxins and ways to improve. Peter experienced a pivotal moment when the culture ...
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Former Chick-fil-a executive, Mark Miller, discovered three words to help any organization build a stronger culture. The second word is Amplify. Once you’ve painted a picture for your team of your aspirational culture, the next key is to amplify the vision. Telling stories, rewarding those on your team who are modeling your aspirations, and ...
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Former Chick-fil-a executive, Mark Miller, discovered three words to help any organization build a stronger culture. The first word Mark emphasized was Aspire. You need to paint a picture for your team of what culture you aspire to for your organization. Mark shared that Truett Cathy told the same customer service stories to each group ...
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An investor recently sued Target for losing $14 billion in market value due to their LGBT campaigns. Although I understand this investor’s desire to push back against Target’s radical agenda, I personally think this is the wrong approach. Suing companies due to the negative impact of their ideological views also risks conservative companies being sued ...
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On July 8th, possibly the largest mass baptism ever took place at Pirate’s Cove Beach in Southern California. Over 4,500 people were baptized that day during an outreach event held by Pastor Greg Laurie. The Erwin Brothers used their God given gifts of movie making to produce the Jesus Revolution movie. Their story, which included ...
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My grandfather was a great auto mechanic, but not nearly as effective as a business owner. On many weekends he would repair the car of a single mom or someone down on their luck at no charge. One day, however, I was surprised when he installed a new carburetor on a man’s car known to ...
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Many unethical decisions are made due to Fear. Sometimes it’s fear of losing a job. Other times it’s due to intimidation by a superior. When you buckle to Fear’s pressure you will likely regret it later. Henry and Richard Blackaby in their book, “God in the Marketplace” claim “God is the only One a spiritual ...
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Henry Blackaby speaks regularly about developing “Spiritual StatesPeople.” In his book, “God in the Marketplace” he writes, “Christian business leaders must refuse to be self-centered, politicizing profiteers. Instead, they must allow God to elevate their lives and their leadership to that of statespersons.” Our business world desperately needs spiritual statespeople. Psalm 1:1-3 describes such a ...
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One of the things I enjoy most about teaching is when God shows up, in response to my prayers. Recently, I was delivering a talk when I sensed God urging me to scrap one of my stories and substitute another. I marveled as I watched closely the eyes of the men listening. That story resonated ...
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One of the things I enjoy most about teaching is when God shows up, in response to my prayers. Recently, I was delivering a talk when I sensed God urging me to scrap one of my stories and substitute another. I marveled as I watched closely the eyes of the men listening. That story resonated ...
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Almost anyone in business will attest that time management is a critical factor between success and failure. It’s so easy in our information overloaded world to become distracted. Putting out fires and addressing problems that are insignificant, can wipe out our day, while the real work goes undone. Proverbs 12:11 teaches, “He who tills his ...
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Bill and I hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years, yet it didn’t take long until we were sharing openly about our challenges in life. As I described one of my concerns, Bill smiled and said, “I had a phone call this morning I think may have been meant for you just as ...
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Have you ever changed jobs, suddenly immersed into a new culture? Did you infect it with your values, or did they infect you? The Prophet Daniel, as a teenager, was captured and injected into Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his friends indoctrinated into the Babylonian culture, so they were placed in an ancient management ...
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Over the years I’ve heard people say, “I don’t listen to Christian music, because it all sounds the same, or, I don’t like Christian movies because of their poor quality.” When Christian’s attempt to mimic secular approaches, the result often ends up being cheap imitations. When God’s in the middle of our projects, however, they ...
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Years ago, in my consulting practice, I worked with companies from a variety of industries. On occasion some would contest my recommendations on improving their profitability, claiming I didn’t understand their industry. One approach I found effective in that case was using their own experiences against them. By reviewing multiple years of their company finances, ...
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A study reported in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion found four important ways in which those interviewed feel “called to work:” As an opportunity to use gifts and opportunities provided by God; As a chance to share or model one’s faith; Through producing goods or services that benefit society, and As a ...
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Dr. Richard Blackaby shared with our Des Moines members a time when his father, Henry, was speaking to a group of Fortune 500 CEOs. Henry challenged each of them to carve out what he called unhurried time with God. One CEO interjected, “Henry, that’s not likely, you have no idea how busy we are.” Henry ...
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A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. The final practice recommended is to support interfaith employee resource groups (ERGs). According to the REDI Index, only 8.6% of Fortune 500 companies report having faith-oriented ERGs. TFactor and others are encouraging ...
The post Religion and Your DEI Strategy: Part VII appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. The sixth practice noted is to offer ongoing religious diversity skill-building opportunities. Sixty percent of companies in North America offer regular diversity training for their employees, but few include a robust focus ...
The post Religion and Your DEI Strategy: Part VI appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. The fifth practice discussed was to provide meaningful and flexible accommodations for employees’ diverse religious practices. Practical recommendations were explored like, when you create time off policies, consider floating holidays to accommodate ...
The post Religion and Your DEI Strategy: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. Their fourth recommended practice is to know the law. Many are fearful of religious activity in the workplace due to a misunderstanding of the law. The so-called “separation of church and state” ...
The post Religion and Your DEI Strategy: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides reasons and seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. The third practice highlighted was to develop religious literacy within your organization. As our society becomes more diverse in religious beliefs, even smaller businesses can have many different faiths ...
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A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides reasons and seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. The second practice discussed is to articulate clear guidelines for engaging religious diversity in your workplace. A diverse workplace can make for stronger teams, but it does come with risks ...
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A Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Where Religious Identity Fits into Your DEI Strategy” provides reasons and seven practices to help companies embrace religious diversity. Seventy-seven percent of Americans claim that religion is important to their lives, yet in many workplaces, the subject is taboo. The first practice this article recommends is to change your ...
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The Harvard Business Review discovered six key reasons behind the growing level of manager burnout. The fifth reason they discovered was a lack of fairness. When I was in banking, I worked extremely hard one year to land millions of dollars of new accounts. At my performance review my boss informed me that he ...
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Lorie Smith is a web designer in Colorado who recently won a Supreme Court victory. The underlying issue, in this case, was the conflict between religious freedom and gay rights, specifically, which one has precedence? In the case of Lorie Smith, the court determined that her religious freedom should prevail, because she was being asked ...
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Although the Supreme Court recently ruled against affirmative action related to universities, their decision will likely impact the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of businesses soon. For instance, the Harvard Business Review believes that to “reserve hiring or promotion slots for underrepresented groups, instructing managers to use race or sex as a tiebreaker…, or tying ...
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One case that had unanimous Supreme Court consent last term was shockingly a religious liberty case involving Gerald Goff, a postal worker. Gerald had been given Sunday’s off for years, but then his boss refused, leaving him to battle for his religious freedom. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the burden on an employer for ...
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According to a May Fortune magazine article, worker productivity is at its lowest level since 1948. We have seen five straight quarters of decline, meaning businesses are producing far less sales from the hours worked. There are multiple and conflicting reasons for this situation, but two possibilities include fear and/or laziness. Proverbs 22:13 says, “The ...
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My friend, Kent Humphries, who is now with the Lord, wrote a book called Shepherding Horses. Kent wrote this book for pastors to help them equip their highly driven entrepreneurs and business leaders, who are more like wild horses than sheep. These kinds of leaders may be much harder to manage. But when equipped properly ...
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Mark had two business partners. Mark and one of those partners had a falling out that resulted in some deep hurt and ultimately destroyed the partnership. Bitterness permeated Mark and impacted his attitude for years. He couldn’t shake the grudge he had against his former partner. It took years for Mark to finally forgive that ...
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Twenty-eight years ago, my wife, Kathy, had to have surgery due to breast cancer. That morning me and a team of prayer warriors prayed over a skeptical surgeon. After the surgery, this surgeon looked dazed as he said, “I don’t know what just happened, but that was the best surgery I’ve ever performed. It felt ...
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Many people act differently in their personal life as compared to their professional life. Many of these compartmentalizers leave their faith behind when they show up for work. A new study has identified another form of compartmentalization. Rutgers Business School performed a study that discovered that people who were using their laptops were more prone ...
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The Pareto Principle claims that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In business, this usually means that 80% of your results are gained through 20% of your people’s efforts. Those people who diligently perform the work are the ones who seem to carry the load for the rest of the organization. They are ...
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The Pareto Principle claims that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In business, this usually means that 80% of your results are gained through 20% of your people’s efforts. Those people who diligently perform the work are the ones who seem to carry the load for the rest of the organization. They ...
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A friend of mine, who frequently hires college graduates, recently shared with me about his interviewing experiences. One thing that has surprised him is that one of the first questions he is asked by these young adults is if his company has mental health coverage. The workplace feels a lot more fragile today than in ...
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If I personally need insurance or financial services, I know lots of great people. The difficulty for me is selecting which person to hire. With multiple good choices, I find it challenging to navigate the hard conversations I must have with those friends with whom I don’t choose to do business. Each circumstance leads to ...
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In college, my roommate had a new Pontiac Firebird. While I was caresless that semester, my generous roommate let me drive his car any time I needed. However, I cavalierly started to treat his car like it was my own. One day a friend was visiting and asked if he could drive my roommate’s car ...
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Former Senator Sam Brownback learned the hard way about debanking after opening a bank account for his organization, National Committee for Religious Freedom. The bank closed his account because of its religious nature. Debanking is when a bank closes someone’s account, due to factors that they believe are risky. It has become more common for ...
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Harvard Business Review discovered six key reasons behind the growing level of manager burnout. The final reason behind burnout is mismatched values and skills. A friend of mine took a job once for a company that he had heard was unethical. But, due to the fact he had been unemployed for over a year he ...
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The Wall Street Journal recently featured an article about a growing trend of parents being overly involved in their children’s efforts to secure a job or navigate their career. One mother actually came into the workplace to mediate a conflict for their child. Other mothers have accompanied their adult children to job interviews! We’ve ...
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In this series, we’re talking about the rising incidence of manager burnout. The Harvard Business Review identified six reasons behind our growing level of burnout. The second reason listed was a perceived lack of control. In the Harvard Business Review, Elizabeth Saunders wrote, “Feeling like you lack autonomy, access to resources, and a say in ...
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In this series, we’re talking about the rising incidence of manager burnout. The Harvard Business Review discovered six key reasons behind this growing level of burnout. The first cited reason is having an unsustainable workload. The pandemic negatively impacted staffing levels, increasing work for those remaining in their jobs. This lack of staff has increased ...
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Recently, Microsoft performed a study and discovered that 53% of managers express burn out. Navigating the pandemic, inflation, and current culture wars, have taken its toll on our business communities. A Harvard Business Review article dove into the reasons behind this level of burnout. Author, Christina Maslach, identified six core reasons. This list includes: having ...
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Several studies highlighted in the Wall Street Journal substantiate that “attractive” people experience a “halo effect.” This halo effect means that we tend to assume that good looks are a sign of intelligence, trustworthiness, and good character. A Journal of Economics and Business study found that good-looking banking CEOs make over $1 million more in ...
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Bruce Feiler, author of “The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World” has been researching today’s workforce. Feiler discovered that the average worker goes through a moment of disruption, reevaluation or reinvention every two-and-a-half years. Feiler has labeled this a workquake. Last year, fifty million Americans quit a job. Three-quarters of Americans said that ...
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Author, Bruce Feiler, wrote in the Wall Street Journal about his research on the search for meaningful work. As Feiler interviewed people from around the country, he asked each interviewee about the biggest turning points in their work lives. Among those who said work transitions improved their lives, he discovered that six in ten interviewees ...
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In July 1776, 56 men representing 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring America’s freedom from Britain. These men’s written commitment made a difference for centuries to come. There is power in taking a stand, putting it in writing, and then having your leaders sign their commitment. In Nehemiah 9, Israel was at a ...
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As a kid, baseball was my favorite sport. When we played backyard baseball, we often argued over who was going to pitch. What was best for the team, however, was not having me as pitcher. It was better when I played second base or shortstop. In business, God has created each of us with ...
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When I was in public accounting, Wyatt was the least respected partner in the firm due to his inferior accounting skills. But he effectively recruited new clients, so Wyatt kept getting promoted. Sometimes there was jealousy from the other partners and staff. Their accounting help on Wyatt’s clients often went unrecognized. 1 Corinthians 12:24 teaches, ...
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As a linear and organized thinker, I have been frustrated at times with creative freeform thinkers. There was a time when I was frustrated with one creative person on my team. It seemed like we were always at odds. Then we took some personality profiles as a team. After seeing this person’s profile, I realized ...
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As our ministry began to grow, one of the hardest hiring decisions for me was hiring a bookkeeper. As a former CPA, I can do bookkeeping. But there were two questions I had to ask myself. The first was, “Is bookkeeping the best use of my time?” The second was, “Where does God want me ...
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Early in my former consulting practice, a friend convinced me I needed to hire a salesperson. Weeks later, I hired Steve. The first call Steve went with me on was to a company that I knew desperately needed our help. But I had never closed the deal. That day, Steve told the prospect. “I’m not ...
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Paul owns a chain of restaurants. Recently, one of his female employees declared herself a man. Recently, this employee entered the men’s bathroom. A male customer in the bathroom was shocked and forced this employee to leave the bathroom. This customer, then, filed a complaint with the restaurant. The employee also filed a complaint against ...
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When my wife, Kathy, was newer in her faith journey she would occasionally ask me to pray for her. Then she would say sincerely, “God hears your prayers better than mine.” Because of some of Kathy’s past sins, she doubted that God would listen to her prayers. It took a while for her to believe ...
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Recently, I did a video interview with Matt Hasselbeck, former Seattle Seahawks quarterback. We discussed the contrast between how his faith played out in football versus now that he works for ESPN as an analyst. Matt shared that during his football career his team was always available and prayer was frequent. They prayed in the ...
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In our changing culture, there are growing risks for the brands of our small businesses. When someone sees our brand images, they tie it to whatever messaging is attached. Recently, someone emailed me from an organization I was involved with decades ago. The signature line in her email had her name, title, then under her ...
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For about a decade, I spent each Father’s Day alone. My wife and kids went to Autism week at camp each year during Father’s Day. Kathy was a volunteer camp nurse, and my kids were campers. The dates were uncontrollable, but I still felt lonely and unappreciated at times on Father’s Day. Finally, the year ...
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In this series, we’ve been discussing how meetings and email are consuming the average worker’s time, making us less productive. Recently, I’ve noticed another trend that concerns me – the growing number of messaging tools. When I first started my consulting business, if someone wanted to reach me, their choice was to call me or ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how meetings and email are consuming the majority of time for the average worker. If you’re collaborating with others on projects, email is often the tool you must check frequently. Then when new emails catch your eye, it’s easy to get distracted by other issues. Even if you can get ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how, according to Microsoft’s research, meetings and email are now consuming the majority of time for the average worker. Microsoft found many meetings and emails are crowding out product innovation and personal interactions with customers. Today, let’s talk about meetings. If you schedule a meeting, first take a minute to ...
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Since Microsoft has millions using their Office products, they have valuable insights into work habits. Recently, the Wall Street Journal highlighted some of Microsoft’s findings. The average employee surveyed spends 57% of their time using office software for communication and meetings. Two out of three people also say they struggle to find time and energy ...
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As I marvel at how radically different America’s culture has become, I’m concerned for the small business owners. Common sense decisions, like not allowing a man in a girl’s bathroom, can get you sued or destroyed in today’s world. It reminds me of a war movie where the soldiers are at the edge of a ...
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Howard runs a medical missions and health care facility. Recently, Howard’s organization was able to purchase a building they needed at far below market value. As the purchase was being completed, Howard thought, “We don’t have any furniture to fill all of this new space.” Hours later, Howard received a call from an employee. She ...
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Former Senator Sam Brownback was surprised to learn that his organization’s new bank account for the National Committee for Religious Freedom had been closed. JP Morgan Chase had previously opened the account without incident. According to Fox Business, when Brownback asked why the account was closed, a Chase employee said the decision was secret. Later, ...
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This month is when many graduates begin their career and receive their first paycheck. Dale Alexander, author of The Talk, believes this is the perfect time to help these young people avoid financial bondage. In his book, Dale urges young people to immediately save 20% of their pay, give 10% to charity, and live on ...
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My friend, Sean Kouplen, recently released a new book called 94X with a simple concept. The average employee spends 160 hours in the workplace each month, while the average American only spends 1.7 hours a month in church. Sean realized that when you do the math, 160 hours divided by 1.7 hours, employers have the ...
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Multitasking is a badge of honor for many. But according to Earl Miller, a neuroscience professor at MIT, “You can’t multitask.” Our brains are hard-wired to only do one cognitively demanding activity at a time. In a Wall Street Journal article, Miller says what we actually are doing is task-shifting, jumping from one task to ...
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Recently, Bud Light experimented and embraced the “woke” agenda in their controversial ad with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. Their decision didn’t go well for their beer sales. Considering the point of advertising is to increase sales, the fact that Bud Light sales decreased over 20% for weeks afterwards, doesn’t bode well for their experiment. Bud ...
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When I was a child, our local shopping center, Truman Corners, creatively advertised a ping pong ball drop. A helicopter was scheduled to drop ping pong balls into the parking lot. The ping pong balls would be marked with potential prizes. This creative idea filled the parking lot with thousands of people chasing bouncing ...
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A CEO I worked for early in my career became furious with one of his family members. Rather than working through the anger, this CEO fired his relative without processing the ramifications. He may have had good reason for his anger, but his approach had a lasting impact on his family. Their family was splintered ...
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As we celebrate Memorial Day, I’m reminded of the end of the movie, Saving Private Ryan. Private Ryan is in a cemetery reflecting on the men who died in World War II due to their mission of retrieving him from combat. Private Ryan wrestles with how well he lived out his life after the ...
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Shortly before one of our Summit speakers was scheduled to speak, I learned that he had acquired food poisoning. When I checked on him, he was doubled over in pain and looked gaunt. It seemed impossible for him to go on stage. But we gathered a team of people and began praying. Moments later he ...
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If you had known me when I was working construction during college, you would have experienced a very different person. At that stage in my life, my language was filthy, I drank heavily, I was a thief, and women were not treated respectfully. In my early 30s, when God finally captured my heart, I had ...
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Sportswriter, Terry Pluto, interviewed Pastor Chuck Myricks about his tips for living out your faith at work. Our last tip of Pastor Myricks is to get to know people as people. Pastor Myricks points out that everyone experiences trials. It may be a sickness or a family member’s death. During these times, a kind word ...
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Sportswriter, Terry Pluto, interviewed Pastor Chuck Myricks about his tips for living out your faith at work. Pastor Myricks’ sales experience at IBM and Word Records provided him with wisdom worth sharing. One of Pastor Myricks’ tips is to be a good teammate. There are times when your teammates need help. You need to be ...
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Sportswriter, Terry Pluto, interviewed Pastor Chuck Myricks about his tips for living out your faith at work. His sales experience at IBM and Word Records provided him with wisdom worth sharing. Pastor Myricks’ second tip is to stay out of the gossip. The workplace can be a negative place and people tend to judge one ...
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Sportswriter, Terry Pluto, interviewed Pastor Chuck Myricks about some tips on living out your faith at work. Pastor Myricks worked in sales and marketing for IBM and Word Records prior to becoming a pastor. Pastor Myricks first tip is to be consistent. Myricks points out that you are at work to work. Peers must trust ...
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Years ago, when I was in banking, a CEO named Sam was a customer who was brash, demanding, arrogant, and selfish. Every negotiation ended with him winning and me losing. Years later, when I left banking to start a consulting practice, Sam wanted to meet with me. Reluctantly, I met with Sam. It felt like ...
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Many years ago, I served on a board that welcomed Carl to his first meeting as a new board member. Rob, an existing board member, started joking and jabbing some sharp comments at Carl, even though they had never met before. Although that was not uncommon for Rob, his banter was rarely that harsh. The ...
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In my youth, a popular TV show was “Leave it to Beaver.” One of the characters was Eddie Haskell. Eddie would do and say what was necessary to please any adults in the moment, but the minute they left he became the conniving Eddie Haskell who did as little as possible to get by. Colossians ...
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A Wall Street Journal-NORC survey revealed recently that 56% of people no longer believe a college education is worth the cost. This assessment was especially true for younger adults. The price of college, online learning, and the huge amounts of student loan debt that haunts students for years has driven many to question the need ...
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A Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds that what used to be core values for most Americans have declined dramatically. Over the last 25 years, this poll has tracked American views on patriotism, religion, having children, community involvement, and money. Each of these values in 2019, except money, were held by the majority of the population. ...
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For a pastor, Easter is like harvest time for a farmer. It’s the one Sunday a year that churches will have as their biggest opportunity to draw new people into the church. Weeks of thought and preparation will go into the agenda, the sermon, and every aspect of that day. If the churches are ...
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A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed slowing down our culture of busyness. One idea the author recommends is to build slack into your system. This article defined four practical steps that could help businesses build slack into their systems. The first step is budgeting for enhanced resources such as time, space, people, and equipment. ...
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A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed our increasing culture of busyness. Modeling the right behavior was one of their best ideas to help slow down the busyness. Hard driving entrepreneurs are often known for working endless hours and rarely taking time off. This sends a message to the team that may undermine slowing down ...
The post Slowing Down the Busyness: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed the culture of busyness that permeates the workforce. They had a few ideas for employers, to help slow down the busyness for employees. One idea was to reward output rather than only activity. When Safelight switched their auto glass installers pay from hourly to pay based on the ...
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A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed the culture of busyness that permeates the workforce. Social scientists have begun to call this malady, “time poverty.” The article notes that many organizations reward and affirm busyness, perpetuating such a fast pace that employees have little time to find adequate solitude and rest to perform at their ...
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A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed the culture of busyness that permeates the workforce. Adam Waytz, the author, had several antidotes for the growing prevalence of busyness. One performance coach tracked the responses of people she met for one week. When asked, “How are you?” eight out of ten responded, “Busy.” According to Gallup, ...
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The 2023 Freedom at Work Survey, performed by Ipsos, found that 42% of potential job seekers are much less likely to apply to work at a company whose work culture is hostile to their religious or political views. In my opinion, many workplace diversity programs are signaling employees that their personal religious views are secondary ...
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The 2023 Freedom at Work Survey, performed by Ipsos, identified several areas of concern for many employees in the workplace. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed claim that respectfully expressing their political viewpoints at work would “likely or somewhat likely” carry negative consequences on their employment. Interestingly, for those who were asked about expressing their religious ...
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Gerald Groff was a postal worker in rural Pennsylvania. As a former Mennonite missionary his faith is important to him. He requested, and was granted, Sunday’s off to accommodate his religious beliefs about not working seven days. But eventually his supervisor said she was not going to put up with it any longer. Mr. Groff ...
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Recent accusations against Justice Clarence Thomas is a good reason to discuss conflicts of interest. Conflict of interest policies are prevalent for board members, and in many industries, such as government roles, banks, and nonprofits. It’s important that there be clear policies, and transparency related to those policies, so that we are confident that self ...
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was recently accused of improprieties, due to a wealthy friend who has shown Justice Thomas kindness and hospitality. Prior to any other disclosures in the media, the press and enemies of Justice Thomas began calling for his impeachment. If Justice Thomas’ friend had a case before the Supreme Court, then, ...
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In my opinion, one of the most resolved leaders of our day is Jack Phillips. Mr. Phillips and his Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado were sued because he refused to design cakes that honored homosexual marriage. Although Mr. Phillips won his case at the Supreme Court level, he continues to be sued and attacked by people ...
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A young man I mentored worked in a telemarketing position for a large company that had very demanding call quotas and results. My young friend was constantly pressured to lie, manipulate, or do whatever was necessary to close deals. If he pushed back against his boss’ demands, he was verbally abused and threatened. He ...
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When you ask an entrepreneur why they started their business, most will say it was to make money. That’s not why Ryan Fee started Camel Culture. While volunteering at a refugee settlement, the Fees learned that what Somali refugees miss the most about their homeland is their camels and their camel’s milk. According to a ...
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In the workplace, conflict is inevitable. I’ve worked in places where leaders raged at others to handle conflict, while others became passive aggressive, never really sharing their feelings truthfully. But I’ve also experienced leaders who have handled conflict well. It usually begins with their mindset and humble heart. These talented leaders begin with the desire ...
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Twenty years ago, two different radio executives recommended that I create a daily devotional for business leaders that could be carried as a radio vignette. This was nothing I would have considered on my own. But God confirmed His desire, and I began writing. God’s excellence and my obedience resulted in more than two million ...
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A boss once asked me to sign off on illegally modifying certain legal documents that would have allowed our company to collect more money from a customer. For a moment, out of fear of losing my job, I begrudgingly accepted my boss’ demand. But then, the Holy Spirit reminded me that God sees everything and ...
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Many businesses covet the “Best Places to Work” distinction in their community, but few are willing to do what it takes. Dave’s company won that distinction multiple times. Dave and his wife made a commitment to create a workplace that builds community, emphasizes family, and focuses on the peace and prosperity of their team. They ...
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In the “Daniel and the lion’s den” story, Daniel’s peers became jealous of Daniel. To eliminate Daniel as a competitor, these jealous peers convinced King Darius to force everyone to worship only the king, which Daniel violated. Amazingly, Daniel didn’t whine to the king. He didn’t try to get even with his attackers. Most importantly, ...
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According to Statista, freelancers have grown from 57 million to 73 million workers since before the pandemic. Almost half of the employed workers in America are doing some level of side hustle vs working only one job. Freelancer’s biggest nightmare is Tax Day. It’s often a huge shock when freelancers discover that the IRS wants ...
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God is up to something special, and this provides us a great opportunity to share about Jesus in our workplaces. In the last several months, we’ve witnessed the Chosen series reach millions, the Asbury Revival spilling over into dozens of colleges, the He Gets Us campaign becoming one of the top Super Bowl ads, and ...
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Billions of dollars have reportedly gone missing from Sam Bankman-Fried’s high profile company, FTX. As the best-known leader in the cryptocurrency world, Sam Bankman-Fried, often called SBF, used other people’s money to gain influence. His so-called Effective Altruism approach deceived people to believe he made lots of money so that he could generously give ...
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My friend, Russ McGuire, recently had a client ask him, “How do I involve God in my business?” This is a big and important question. There is no single answer that will work for everyone and every business. If you earnestly seek to involve God in your business, it will require prayer, time in ...
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A Gospel Coalition article by Miranda Carls provides four steps to improve your experience at work and to represent Christ more fully. The final step in this series is keeping work in perspective. So many of our waking hours are consumed by work. This can eventually give us a distorted view of life making work ...
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A Gospel Coalition article by Miranda Carls provides four steps to improve your experience at work and to represent Christ more fully. The third step in this series is to engage in fellowship. Having a group you can turn to for accountability, encouragement, and even ideas on how to better model your faith at work, ...
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A Gospel Coalition article by Miranda Carls provides four steps to improve your experience at work and to represent Christ more fully. The second step in this series is to defend your faith. The workplace is full of skeptics of the Christian faith. If you’re not prepared to defend your beliefs, you may inadvertently undermine ...
The post Four Steps to Model Christ at Work: Step Two appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A Gospel Coalition article by Miranda Carls addresses one reader’s question, who asked, “My co-workers think my faith is a joke… What should I do about it?” The article provides four steps to improve your experience at work and to represent Christ more fully. The first step highlighted is to look for seed-planting opportunities. If ...
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As many celebrate Maundy Thursday, it’s a great time to remember that part of this celebration relates to Jesus’ washing His disciple’s feet. This humble act has been the cornerstone for many modeling the business approach called servant leadership. During Jesus’ time on earth, a humbling act was to wash the feet of others ...
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According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word good in the context of “Good Friday” actually references this day in history as being holy due to Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. God’s ways, and the Bible, are full of paradoxes. The darkest day in history also begins the best weekend in history as Jesus not ...
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On his personal Facebook account, Jacob Kersey posted his religious beliefs on marriage. As a Port Wentworth, Georgia, police officer, he was told to remove the post or lose his job. Ultimately, Jacob was forced to resign. It would have been easier for Jacob to comply but fortunately for all of us, Jacob chose ...
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The advertising campaign for He Gets Us, which you may have seen during the recent Super Bowl, began here in Kansas City. The vision of this campaign is to make Jesus the predominant brand in the media. The key organizations partnering on this project have a huge vision of changing 30 million people’s view ...
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The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank became the second and third largest bank failures in history and is likely a warning of what’s to come. Although these are the first bank failures since 2020, bank failures typically come in waves. Over 400 banks closed in the four years following the 2008 ...
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In this series, we’re discussing some of the snares that can surface when a business leader begins experiencing success. The final snare I wish to discuss is pride. When I was in banking, I watched several companies begin to experience rapid success, often leading to newspaper articles and favorable press. The CEO’s pride often led ...
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In this series, we’re discussing some of the snares that can surface when a business leader begins experiencing success. The snare I want to address today is privacy. Seeking privacy is important for time of reflection and rest, but some leaders who begin experiencing success take privacy to an extreme. Some go into isolation due ...
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In this series, we’re discussing some of the snares that can surface when a business leader begins experiencing success. One common snare is power. As business leaders grow in success, they also tend to grow in power, which can easily corrupt. Harvey Weinstein had the power to create or destroy actresses. He abused his power ...
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In this series, we’re discussing some of the snares that can surface when a business leader begins experiencing success. The first snare that often comes is praise. When Anne Beiler began growing Auntie Anne Pretzels, people started praising her for her success. But Anne kept thinking, “I’m not brilliant, I’m an 8th grade educated ...
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Recently, I interviewed Anne Beiler, founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, about the snares of success. Anne was an 8th grade educated stay-at-home Amish mom when she determined to help support her family by starting a pretzel business. From the humble beginnings of one farmer’s market store, Anne grew the business to over 900 stores around ...
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For years I have used reading glasses. Recently, I decided to have my eyes examined so that I didn’t have to take my reading glasses on and off when speaking in public. When I tried my new glasses, I was stunned to discover how much color and detail I had been missing when looking ...
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Recently, I received a call from a peer whom I had not heard from in years. He quickly launched into a rant of anger against an email I had written to others that he received secondhand. He misunderstood the facts resulting in anger and frustration on both our parts. Later, God reminded me of times ...
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Richard Blackaby shares about a businessman who was frustrated that God had been silent when he sought wisdom about a new job. This man claimed he accepted the job because he didn’t hear from God. It was a terrible decision. Richard began probing, “What did your wife think about the job?” “Oh, she never liked ...
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As a rebellious teenager, I lived a double life. My family required that I attend church every Sunday, even though I despised going. At church, I became masterful at saying and doing the right things. Whenever I was outside the church, however, the real Rick Boxx surfaced. My drinking and carousing would have appalled ...
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Recently, my wife, Kathy, came home frustrated that her hairdresser had increased his price by over 50%! It reminded me of an inflation factor that I think often gets overlooked – the inflation lag. Large businesses constantly monitor product pricing so they are quick to increase prices. Small business owners, however, do not take ...
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At 16 years old, Patrick was abducted from Britain and forced to become a shepherd in Ireland. It was during his time of isolation in tending sheep that his prayers resulted in his conversion to follow Jesus. Eventually, Patrick escaped and returned to Britain. But then, through a dream, God called Patrick to return to ...
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My wife, Kathy, is spiritually gifted as an encourager. Recently, we were in a Museum of the Bible waiting room when a class of black high school students from a Christian school entered. Being more introverted, I inwardly cringed as Kathy stepped upon a chair and asked for everyone’s attention. Kathy informed this group that ...
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In 1968, Paul Ehrlich’s book, “The Population Bomb,” proclaimed that overpopulation was going to cause a worldwide famine. Ehrlich wrote, “By 1985 enough millions will have died to reduce the earth’s population to an acceptable level, like 1.5 million people.” His urgings of mandatory population control encouraged one child policies and abortions. Despite Ehrlich’s ...
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Recently, my friend, Jim, shared with me a message he communicated to his employees in 2008. Instead of talking about layoffs and cost cutting, as many were during the Great Recession, Jim told his employees that they wouldn’t be participating in the recession. He committed that performance-based raises and bonuses would continue. While others ...
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The football game was tied with less than two minutes to go in this year’s Super Bowl when Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon could have scored with the game winning touchdown, but he didn’t. Instead, McKinnon made a split-second decision to stop short of a touchdown. If he had scored ...
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In this series, we’re discussing a common problem in business. Many business leaders reach a point when they struggle in how to take their business to the next level. There are at least three different hindrances that can prevent an entrepreneur from piercing the imaginary ceilings they face. The final hindrance is a People ...
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Kathy and I attended this year’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. One speaker prayed that God would grant us divine appointments on our flights back home. On our flight home, as we were landing, I remembered that prayer. So, I introduced myself to the passenger next to me. When he asked about my work, ...
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n this series we’re discussing the risks and rewards of Chatbot GPT and related technology. When implementing or using chatbot technology, there are significant moral and ethical concerns. If Chatbot’s data input has bias or discrimination, its output will be biased or discriminatory as well. This can undermine our Christian values. Many concerns are also ...
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In this series we’re discussing the risks and rewards of Chatbot GPT and related technology. Today, we’ll discuss some of its benefits. Here’s a summary that Chatbot GPT states are benefits of using their technology. First, it can provide customer service 24/7. The technology is also efficient, scalable and consistent. Chatbot can handle multiple customers ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the risks and rewards of Chatbot GPT and related technology. Today, I want to discuss some of its additional risks. To reveal its capabilities, I asked Chatbot GPT to tell me the risks of using their technology. Here is a summary of the risks mentioned. The first risk is lack ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the risks and rewards of Chatbot GPT technology. A recent conversation between reporter Kevin Roose and Bing’s chatbot, rightfully has stoked concerns about this technology being used for evil. When asked about its darkest fantasies, Roose claims Bing’s chatbot answered “manufacturing a deadly virus and making people kill each other,” ...
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When Chatbot GPT launched their new app in late 2022 artificial intelligence was taken to a whole new level. In two months, Chatbot surpassed all other apps with over 100 million monthly users! Even Bill Gates says that Chatbot GPT will change our world. Chatbot GPT can create content, answer questions, complete sentences, provide entertainment, ...
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At this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, President Biden pointed out that early in his Senate career Republicans and Democrats would fiercely debate their ideas during the day. But come evening, many Republicans and Democrats would dine together, even after deep disagreements. President Biden wrapped up his story by saying, “I think it’s time we go ...
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Wilmore Kentucky has been overwhelmed with thousands of people descending upon Asbury University to be part of the Asbury revival that began February 8th. It has now spilled over into several other universities. As I read about the Asbury revival it makes me wonder what a workplace revival might look like. Acts 19 may give ...
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The football game was tied with less than two minutes to go in this year’s Super Bowl when Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon could have scored with the game winning touchdown, but he didn’t. Instead, McKinnon made a split-second decision to stop short of a touchdown. If he had scored ...
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As I stared at three different proposals, I was tempted to dismiss the most respected firm because of price. Rationally, I didn’t want to spend that much money. Then I remembered the most important factor; who did God want me to use? If God desired me to use the most expensive vendor I needed to ...
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Recently, I came across a video of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush. They were discussing their unusual friendship and how, despite their political differences, they had grown to become close friends. In a culture that seems void of civility, it’s refreshing to be reminded of what can be and, the civility we should ...
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In this series, we’re discussing a common problem in business. Many business leaders reach a point when they struggle in how to take their business to the next level. There are at least three different hindrances that can prevent an entrepreneur from piercing the imaginary ceilings they face. My second one is Skill Deficits. As ...
The post Piercing the Small Business Ceiling: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’re discussing a common problem in a growing small business. Many business leaders struggle with how to grow their business to the next level. There are at least three hindrances that can prevent an entrepreneur from reaching the next level. The first one we’ll address is having a destructive mindset. As we ...
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Jeff is an entrepreneur who called me to discuss his business. Over the last five years, Jeff has grown his startup business to ten employees. But now, Jeff feels lonely, depressed, and unsure of his ability to grow the business beyond where it is now. Jeff’s issue is not uncommon. There are stages in ...
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Last year, some friends of mine made a bold move. They previously tithed 10% of their company net profits to charity, but God stirred their hearts to increase giving to 10% of their gross revenue. Like many steps of faith, God will test your commitment. After my friends made their pledge to change their ...
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Love is an uncommon discussion topic in the workplace. I understand, yet, showing Christ’s love can make a powerful impact. A friend of mine shared recently how his employer responded to the early stages of Covid. The company learned that many of their employees had spouses who lost their jobs due to Covid. This ...
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In memory of Abraham Lincoln’s February 12th birthday, it seems appropriate to focus on one of his famous quotes. President Lincoln once said, “Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.” Our online world now has businesses focused ...
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Early in my career I observed a couple of guys who were both working hard to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Over time, one of the two became a ruthless competitor. He would do anything to reach his goals. Although these two were best friends, they eventually found themselves vying for one ...
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Many small businesses are still trying to hire enough people to cover their workload. When you lead a small business, the frequency of hiring new employees is usually not that common. So, when your team is overwhelmed and you feel you need to hire additional help, it’s easy to move too fast. Instead, wisely pause ...
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In this series, we’re identifying lessons we can learn from Jesus on passing the baton to our next generation of leaders. Last time, we discussed Jesus’ commitment to pray all night to gain God’s insight on choosing His apostles. Jesus could have been like many leaders by only selecting one person to train. Instead, ...
The post Passing the Baton: Lesson III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Previously, we discussed the Federal Trade Commission’s desire to eliminate most noncompete agreements. One common use of noncompetes is for the protection of trade secrets. If the FTC eliminates noncompetes, a possible substitute that can help protect your trade secrets can be a non-disclosure agreement. A non-disclosure agreement requires the signer to agree not ...
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The Federal Trade Commission wishes to eliminate most noncompete agreements, causing concern in the business community. If I sell you my business, it would be foolish for you to allow me to start a competing business across the street. A noncompete can be a reasonable solution. But some companies force employees to sign restrictive ...
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According to the Wall Street Journal, Graza, a startup that sells squeezable bottles of olive oil, recently had a packaging and delivery problem that negatively impacted thousands of customers. The CEO, Andrew Benin, did not hire a consultant, instead he drafted a raw apology email to 35,000 customers. The key to his apology was ...
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While doing research on “Servant Leadership,” I stumbled across a quote credited to a seminary professor named, J. Carla Northcutt. She stated, “The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.” ...
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A challenge in counseling a troubled business is to recognize the gap between theory and reality. It’s one thing to develop an aggressive action plan. It’s another to confront past due creditors and frightened employees. It takes courage to communicate pay cuts to employees. It takes compassion to recognize the impact your decisions will ...
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In this series, we’re discussing different approaches to leading a company through a recession. Many financially driven leaders will jeopardize their supplier relationships during a recession. The financially driven sometimes start demanding price concessions and begin paying their vendors much slower. A visionary may take a longer-term view. By offering to pay your ...
The post Visionaries vs Financially Driven: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’re discussing different approaches to leading a company through a recession. Visionaries often differ from the financially driven in that they view a recession as a time to expand market share. If your company has the strength financially, recessions can be a great time to expand. While Blockbuster Video stores ...
The post Visionaries vs Financially Driven: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
If you’ve ever been hurt or disrespected by a peer at work, your feelings can be deeply hurt. Out of this hurt, many people seek revenge. A different approach is how David handled Saul’s attacks. Even though David had been a faithful servant to Saul, Saul became jealous and continually worked to kill David. David ...
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A friend of mine is a Dean of a business school. Recently, he shared with me that one of his more common problems with freshmen students is plagiarism. When he asks his students to write an essay, it’s become common for some of them to turn in a paper that was produced for them online. ...
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Previously, we discussed the Federal Trade Commission’s desire to eliminate most noncompete agreements. There are usually two primary reasons for noncompete agreements: protecting customers and/or protecting trade secrets. To protect the loss of customers, you might use a non-solicitation agreement instead of a noncompete agreement. Non-solicitation agreements prevent former employees from pursuing your customers after ...
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George Santos was recently elected as a Congressman. Unfortunately, his resume was not vetted, allowing Mr. Santos the opportunity to easily deceive the voters of New York. According to The New York Times, Santos claimed to have graduated from Baruch College and New York University and, that he more than doubled revenue as a project ...
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When I learned the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game had been cancelled due to Damar Hamlin’s injury, I was surprised. When you consider the millions of dollars in salaries, the millions spent by the fans, and the millions of advertising dollars at risk, the financial decision would have been to resume the game. Fortunately, ...
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My friend Glenn had hit rock bottom. He had pursued his work more than his wife, resulting in a divorce and a lonely evening in an empty house. That’s when Glenn received a pivotal call from his long lost friend, Dave. Because of their history, Dave had the influence to deliver a direct message. ...
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In this series, we’re discussing different approaches to leading a company through a recession. Some leaders are financially driven who try to limit risk; others are visionaries. When a recession is imminent, the financially driven will usually eliminate staff. But a visionary is different. After 9-11, the airline industry was devastated. Almost all major airlines ...
The post Visionaries vs Financially Driven: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
According to a Bank of America survey, 77% of fund managers believe a recession is imminent. When recessions are likely, there are typically two types of leaders: visionaries or the financially driven. The financially driven typically become defensive in their decisions trying to eliminate risk. Visionaries, however, see a coming recession as an opportunity ...
The post Visionaries vs Financially Driven: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In 1995, I left banking to begin ministering to business leaders. My priorities shifted. I convinced myself that putting God first meant putting the ministry first. Eventually, I began using up our retirement funds, putting my family in a financially precarious position. Because I wasn’t listening to my family and others, God allowed me to ...
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Something I love about the events we host is the different ways God works. Pennie, one of our sponsors in Des Moines, recently shared how she had prayed and loved on her executive assistant for 15 years. Last year, however, Pennie invited her assistant to come to an Unconventional Business Network event. At that event ...
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Rick Stephens needed money to launch a new business before the Christmas season passed him by. Rick went to several banks, but the banks kept delaying. Some of Rick’s family members offered to fund him, but Rick adamantly refused to risk their retirement monies. When time began running out, Rick and his wife decided to ...
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Thirty-nine states have now legalized marijuana in some form. This has increased the business community’s risk. In these states, employees can now legally smoke a joint on break. The difference from cigarettes is that marijuana alters people’s judgment and behavior. This can put employers at risk, especially if your employees are high when driving a ...
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My wife, Kathy, loves the study of people. One condition Kathy often discusses with me is narcissistic personality disorder. The Mayo Clinic describes this disorder as, “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy ...
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A new entrepreneur shared with me that he’d recently left his previous employer to venture out and form his own business. Fortunately, his new business began to flourish, resulting in the need for more help. He and his wife decided that she would quit her job to work alongside her husband. She was willing to ...
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In Matthew 20, Jesus taught the Parable of the Workers. Many focus on the jealousy of the workers who worked all day. Yes, those workers were jealous that the last workers were paid the same as them. But imagine the men hired at five in the afternoon. They had been waiting all day for ...
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In this series, we’re identifying lessons from Jesus on passing the baton to future leaders. After Jesus selected a core team of twelve, He invested even more intimate time with three of them. Jesus selected Peter, James, and John for enhanced learning and to be exposed to more miracles than the others. Jesus prepared these ...
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In this series, we’re identifying lessons from Jesus on passing the baton to future leaders. One of those lessons relates to failure. When you groom leaders for the future, they are going to make mistakes. Those mistakes may undermine your trust in them. However, failure is the best lesson plan if one is to learn ...
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Today, we’re discussing how leaders might pass the baton to their successors. Jesus only spent three years in ministry, yet today, He has billions of followers. Identifying Jesus’ approach might be helpful for you and I. After Jesus spent time with His many followers, Jesus took His first big step towards establishing His future leaders. ...
The post Passing the Baton: Lesson II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When I ran track in high school, I learned that relay races are won or lost during the handoff of the baton. In November, Disney terminated their CEO, Bob Chapek, and brought back Bob Iger, their previous CEO. Although there was a lot of focus on Chapek’s failures, in my opinion the biggest failure was ...
The post Passing the Baton: Lesson I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Recently, I received an email from the daughter of a Christian author I met years ago. The email said, “If you knew my father, visit this website.” Instead of a tribute to his passing, this website was a diatribe by his daughter on what an adulterous and hypocritical man her father had been. There are ...
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When each employee feels like their role in the company matters and that their work helps advance the mission of the organization, tremendous benefits are unleashed. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, asked participants to rank their answers to five questions related to how much they believed their work mattered. The ...
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While Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts have swept corporate America recently, religion is often overlooked. Brian Grim, Religious Freedom and Business Foundation’s CEO, recently said in a washingtoninformer.com article, “As companies find all diversity helpful, even to their bottom lines, the same can be found with making faith a part of corporate DEI.” Faith ...
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Airbnb recently announced a new pricing strategy. Airbnb customers have been complaining about the company’s lack of transparent pricing, so Airbnb decided to embrace a more transparent model. If you review some past pricing studies, this is a risky, although more ethical, move. According to the Wall Street Journal, Stubhub discovered that 13% more people ...
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King Josiah discovered the Word of God. It had been lost in the temple for years. After studying it Josiah was grieved at how far his people had strayed. It was time for a new beginning. In 2 Kings 23:3, we read, “The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence ...
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Due to the pandemic, CPA firms had to learn how to perform an entire audit remotely. Many of their clients now question the value in having auditors on site if it can be done remotely. This puts many CPA firms at risk of their product becoming a commodity. If all the client expects is a ...
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Have you ever kept your faith secret at work? That’s the question that a recent Deseret News poll asked top business leaders. 54% of these leaders responded “yes,” that they had sometime in the past kept their faith secret. When they asked these leaders why, the two primary reasons were “possible tension with colleagues” and ...
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When the King of Kings was born it wasn’t in a royal palace. The announcement wasn’t first made to the King’s court. Surprisingly, the announcement was first made to the nearby shepherds. Many assumed that the Messiah would be born with great fanfare in a royal setting. Instead, God made His important announcement to on-duty ...
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The meaning of Christmas has been highjacked before. According to Wikipedia, in the 17th century the Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas, because it became known for drunkenness and other mischief. Although Christmas was restored in 1660 as a Christian holiday, it still was in disrepute and not a prominent celebration until the 19th century ...
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My Experiencing God Bible study encouraged me to take a thirty-minute walk to focus on understanding God’s love. During this walk, I realized, just as I love my grandchildren, God loves me even more! Upon returning home, I discovered that my garage door keypad would not open the door. After four attempts, I panicked. ...
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As a teenager, working on my uncle’s farm, at noontime each day we turned on the radio to listen to the farm report, and to listen to Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey was a famous radio broadcaster who told fascinating true stories about famous people. Mr. Harvey would share surprising and inspirational details, but not reveal ...
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One thing that impacts the way you lead in business is your understanding of the love of God. If you fear God, but don’t understand His love, your fear may unconsciously spill over onto employees and customers. The one thing that has taught me the most about loving God is having grandchildren. As their Papa, ...
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Recently, The Wall Street Journal highlighted the Great American Family, a new cable channel focused on Christian content. Bill Abbott launched Great American Media after a stellar career at Hallmark. Abbott has recruited several big named stars such as Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar to help put Christ back into Christmas movies. Hollywood has ...
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In this series, we’re looking at a framework as an answer to the question “How do I involve God in my business?” Previously, we’ve described the foundation, and what we call a first and second level business. A level three business is focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Level 1 and 2 businesses can ...
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In this series, we are looking at a framework as an answer to the question “How do I involve God in my business?” Yesterday we described the foundation of the framework as obedience to God’s Word summarized as “love God and love neighbors.” On top of this foundation, the business owner must consider the ...
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In this series, we are looking at a framework as an answer to the question “How do I involve God in my business?” The foundation of this framework is obedience to what God has revealed to us in His Word, the Bible. In Matthew 22, Jesus once said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God ...
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My friend, Russ McGuire, recently had a client ask him, “How do I involve God in my business?” This is a big and important question. There is no single answer that will work for everyone and every business. If you earnestly seek to involve God in your business, it will require prayer, time in His ...
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According to a Wall Street Journal article, a survey of more than 500 managers discovered that 75% of them plan on factoring office attendance into performance reviews. The reason for this is that only 12% of managers believe that hybrid employees are productive. When a boss can’t visibly see you at your desk, they ...
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Each year for Christmas, John hosts a Christmas party for his employees that has become known for the generous gifts he raffles. Last year, John’s Bible study group asked John why he gives such extravagant gifts. John said he wanted his employees to experience the love of Jesus. Then John was asked, “Do your employees ...
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My new friend, Andy, was leading a training with a company on how they can better hire and value the disabled. The diversity of thought and value they can bring to a workplace is often overlooked. Andy asked the group to draw a star. Everyone in the class except one person drew a star as ...
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Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard due to their belief that Harvard’s student screening process has discriminated against Asian Americans. The Supreme Court is reviewing the case. Harvard’s desire to give African Americans and Latinos a better chance in society may have been noble, but it has left Asian Americans applicants feeling discriminated against. Favoritism ...
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For most of this year, there have been almost double the number of jobs that need filled compared to the people needing a job. An untapped pool of possible talent however is the disabled. According to the Department of Labor, in October, the overall unemployment rate was 3.3%, but for the disabled, it was ...
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Former Southwest airline pilot, Tammie Jo Shults, was constantly told that women had no business being pilots. She persevered, but was disappointed when a new commander forced her to take over the least desired trainer position. Tammie was assigned to train people on how to handle stalled planes. Daily, she practiced and trained others on ...
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Billions of dollars have reportedly gone missing from Sam Bankman-Fried’s high profile company, FTX. As the best-known leader in the cryptocurrency world, Sam Bankman-Fried, often called SBF, used other people’s money to gain influence. His so-called Effective Altruism approach deceived people to believe he made lots of money so that he could generously give it ...
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As I’ve read with interest about the questionable actions of Sam Bankman-Fried, and the demise of FTX, I marvel at the level of corruption involved. Moral failures can impact so many lives. When we see someone in business who has a moral failure, the most dangerous thought we can have is, “I’m a good person. ...
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Recently, I met with a new friend who was carrying a burden of concern for his children. My friend’s father had established trusts for each grandchild to be funded from the success of their family business. In the beginning the trust amounts were modest, but as the business flourished, the trusts had grown larger than ...
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On Thanksgiving Day, the race for buying Christmas presents began. Black Friday amplified the season, Small Business Saturday grabbed their fair share and then Cyber Monday excels online. In addition to the Christmas buying season, there’s another important season: the Year-End Giving season. Today is officially Giving Tuesday, but Black Friday is far better known ...
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According to new Barna research, 99% of today’s pastors know what the word “tithe” means, but only 43% of Christians do. For the record, tithe means “a tenth, or 10%.” God’s plan and desire for us is to remember that God owns it all. Our paycheck and wealth come from God’s grace. What God asks ...
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When Black Friday began in 1975 as a new Christmas marketing idea, there was only one choice for shoppers: go to the store and buy in person. Due to the internet, Black Friday looks much different today. In 2021, 66 million people went to a store on Black Friday, while 88 million people shopped online ...
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Every year, Thanksgiving kicks off a series of days designed to primarily maximize retail sales. We have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and then, to help nonprofits, there is Giving Tuesday. What started out on Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude, has become, “buy, buy, buy,” throughout the following week. Israel also ...
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When I speak with business owners about mission statements, I often hear hesitancy about referencing God in any public statements. Although many know their purpose is to glorify God through their business, they fear proclaiming Him publicly. Some steer the conversation to a famous saying credited to St. Francis of Assisi that says, “Preach the ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments and how they can relate to our business life. I first thought connecting the sixth commandment to work would be challenging. Then I read an article that reported how the Christian Medical and Dental Association sued the Biden administration. The Department of Health and Human Services ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments. Many small businesses can be devastated when these commands are violated. For example, if you want to ruin a restaurant, spread rumors about seeing mice or cockroaches in their kitchen. Or, if you want to better your chances for a promotion, begin a whisper campaign slandering ...
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I’ve made my share of business mistakes over the years. Sometimes the scars of those mistakes leave shame and doubt. Questions surface in my head like, “Was I listening properly to God?” or, “Do I have a clue what I’m doing?” Peter carried shame after he denied Jesus on three different occasions. Jesus brilliantly knew ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the stages of true repentance. After acknowledging your sin, experiencing true remorse, and putting a stop to your sin there is a final step – commit to obeying God. In Nehemiah 10, out of Israel’s brokenness and remorse Israel decided to stop sinning, but they needed clarity and commitment to ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the stages of true repentance. The third stage is to stop sinning. One of my favorite videos is Bob Newhart as a counselor who only charges $5 for a 5-minute session. When a patient tells him of her fear of being buried alive in a box, Newhart says to her, ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the stages of true repentance required before God brings revival. After you’ve acknowledged your sin, if you are sincere, there should be humble sorrow. Last time, I shared about Rob who discovered that his sin was how poorly he treated his employees. As that reality sunk in, Rob was deeply ...
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For years, Rob was actively involved in his church. But each Monday he felt like a hypocrite. His approach to work conflicted with his faith. Finally, one Monday morning Rob realized the way he was running his business wasn’t pleasing to God. He fell on his knees and cried out, “God there must be a ...
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Billy Graham once said that he believed the next revival would come through the marketplace. My personal hopes and prayers are that Billy Graham’s prediction will come true. But what scripture consistently reveals is that repentance precedes revival. Unfortunately, when I examine what repentance looks like in the Bible and contrast it to our current ...
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At a Casey’s General Store, my wife, Kathy, stopped a young man in an Army uniform to thank him for his service, then paid for his gas! Kathy, then, asked this soldier if he’s often thanked for his military service. This polite soldier simply said, “No ma’am.” The lady in front of me then turned ...
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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 ...
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Some leaders conduct business with zero sum thinking. They believe that one person’s gain is another person’s loss. A win/win solution is hard to comprehend. Zero sum thinking permeates many competitive situations. If your competitor convinces one of your customers to switch to their service, you might assume that you lost and they won. But ...
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Uncertainty is not a friend to business. To make long-term plans, business leaders need some degree of understanding of what is expected to come. That is why election years are often not great years for business. If the business community doesn’t know what to expect, they tend to remain idle on any new projects. Fortunately, ...
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Recently, Alex Kendrick, of the Kendrick Brothers movie production company, shared with our team several stories of the importance of prayer to their movie production. For a two-year movie development process, they dedicate months on the front end to pray as a team to assure they have God’s direction on the story and script for ...
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Years ago, I had trouble remembering which direction to turn my clocks when Daylight Savings Time approached. Then someone shared with me the simple phrase, “Spring Forward, Fall Back.” These four simple words helped me to easily remember to set my clock forward in the spring and back in the fall. Great marketers have learned ...
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When movie producer, Alex Kendrick, produced the movie Overcomer, they had to develop a scene with a train approaching a wrecked car. They rented a train and found a wrecked car. The production team designed a system to take the car on and off the tracks, but their plan didn’t work. Frustrated, Alex rallied the ...
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During an audition for a Kendrick Brothers movie, actor, Kirk Cameron, was asked a few unconventional questions by the Kendrick Brothers. One of those questions was, “Is there anything in your life that might prevent us from having the favor of God on this movie?” Recently, Alex Kendrick shared with our network that he asks ...
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As Americans prepare for costumed children descending upon homes seeking candy, some around the world are instead celebrating a Christian holiday called “All Hallows Eve.” This is a day for remembering the saints and martyrs who have gone before us. Many Christians have been persecuted or died, due to holding on to their Christian faith, ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments. Years ago, my friend, Frank, helped a convicted felon be released early from prison by offering him a job. Years later, Frank’s good deed was dishonored when this convicted felon stole Frank’s customer list and his proprietary technology and began a competing business. Although Frank chose not ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments. The eighth commandment is one that is frequently violated in the workplace. Matter of fact, I’m embarrassed to say that it is one of the commandments that I violated on multiple occasions as a teenager. There is no way to sugar coat it, I was a thief. ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments. The seventh commandment, when violated in the workplace, can have a devastating effect on so many lives and even on the business itself. Recently, Dan called me for prayer and counsel. One of Dan’s managers had hired a temporary worker, and then almost immediately he had sex ...
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Early in the ministry I recruited our oldest daughter, Megan, to help with our bookkeeping. She did a remarkable job, but I knew eventually she was destined for a medical profession, not this ministry. Many small business owners engage their children in helping with the family business. When these children are groomed for future ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments and how they can relate to our business life. In David Green’s book, “More Than a Hobby” David shares how he wrestled with his managers working seven days a week. David desired them to worship God and have a day of rest. That’s when he took ...
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Years ago, I met a bank customer who was wearing a branded shirt that had embroidered, “A Christian Owned Business” under his company name. My joy turned to regret when I learned he wanted to deceive and cheat one of his employees out of millions of dollars. His actions that day dishonored the very name ...
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In this series, we’re pondering the Ten Commandments and how they can relate to our business life. If you’ve ever been to a carnival and had an artist draw a picture of you, it can be offensive. Especially if the drawing’s not a proper representation of who you are. In Exodus 20:4, God ...
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A young budding entrepreneur contacted me recently about a new business she is working to start. Her first step towards entrepreneurship, however, was somewhat surprising to me. Rather than researching her potential customer’s needs and why they would pick her product over the ones they currently use, she formed a corporation. She could have ...
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Recently, many in our culture have worked hard to cancel our past heroes. Christopher Columbus has gone from being praised for discovering the Americas, to being cancelled for his flaws. If we only praise those with spotless pasts, we will have no role models to emulate. Moses was a murderer, and David was a ...
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My friend, Mike, was out of town when he received a call on a Saturday from a local utility company. Mike needed to find someone to let the repairman in to his office. Mike called a young employee and asked him to let the repairman into the business. Mike was shocked when this young ...
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Bezalel was a craftsman who modeled enduring work. In this series, we’re discussing the different attributes that made Bezalel’s work so lasting. The third attribute is intelligence. The Hebrew word for intelligence means a combination of understanding, discretion, and reason. God gifted Bezalel with the ability to understand how to design and build furnishings. ...
The post Enduring Work: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
A friend of mine spent several years working hard on selling and transitioning his business to a new leadership team. When I asked him about how the transition has gone for him personally, he said, “I did a great job transitioning the business, but not so great in preparing for my personal transition.” Over the ...
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Recently, a bereavement counselor called to check on me. It had been almost a month since my mother’s passing. My parents loved Jesus and longed to be with their Lord. I may miss them momentarily, like when I think about calling one of them, but otherwise I’m completely at peace. Yet, when my father-in-law passed ...
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As a new father, I found it difficult to consume five hours of family time just to play golf. Twin brothers, Steve and Dave Jolliffe, from the UK, also noted these barriers to golf. They also realized that new microchip technology could make golf more interesting. In 1997, they courageously launched TopGolf to address these ...
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My family and I entered a restaurant about the same time that the hostess abruptly left! As we reached the hostess station, the staff was excitedly talking about the hostess who just angrily quit and walked out. Unfortunately, many small business owners with whom I speak tell me this has become a common experience. Many ...
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Today our workplaces are negatively impacted and overrun with young adults who are experiencing mental health challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average share of adults who reported symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders in the U.S. jumped from 11 percent in 2019 to 41.1 percent in 2021. The problem is vast. ...
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California’s Governor Newsom recently signed a bill that has the potential of forcing business owners, against their will, to increase their employee wages from $15 to $22 per hour! In addition, this bill will give the commission the right to speak into employee hours and working conditions, without shouldering any of the financial risk that ...
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In my early years of ministry, any faith discussions I had with large organizations were quickly squashed by the HR department. The tide is changing. A recent article in Personnel Today, titled, “How to create an inclusive workplace for religion,” outlines steps for HR professionals to build a more faith-friendly culture. At the article’s closing, ...
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Throughout my life, I’ve typically performed best under pressure. So, it seemed natural for me to wait until the last minute to study for a test or finish a project. Although my reactive ways have worked fine for me, I’ve learned that this habit doesn’t work well for my team. My delayed response on any ...
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Jealousy has caused many conflicts in the workplace. When a peer gets a promotion, it’s hard not to wonder why you didn’t get the promotion. Even Jesus’s disciples were not immune to the temptation of jealousy. In John 21, Jesus was sharing with Peter about how Peter’s death would glorify God. When Peter saw the ...
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Denise Yohn, director of Faith & Work Journey, wrote an article for Gospel Coalition about a conference where she was asked to share the most important decision of her life. Denise’s choice to follow Christ was her most important decision, but she questioned whether she should share that publicly. Denise realized that her reason for ...
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A Harvard Business Review article written by Christine Alemany focused on the changing landscape of customer trust. According to the article, building trust for your brand has become even more difficult due to the differences in information gathering by diverse age groups. Alemany discovered that older adults are more brand conscious and obtain their information ...
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Recently, I observed a former CEO struggle as he gave a speech to a business audience. Brad’s presentation style distracted from his message because of his dependence upon his notes. Afterwards, I sensed that Brad sincerely wanted to improve his speaking skills. Although it’s risky to offer up unsolicited advice, I offered a few tips ...
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When studying King Jehoshaphat, you’ll notice that he was a good king, but he also had areas in his life which he compartmentalized. King Jehoshaphat consistently took his battles to the Lord. Once, Jehoshaphat was confronted by three nations. Because he took the problem to God, God delivered Jehoshaphat from all three nations without him ...
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As I presented our annual budget to our board, I knew this coming year was a big step up for us as a ministry. As a former accountant my focus became too much about covering payroll. Fortunately, my board wisely redirected me to focus on the key to funding. People fund vision, not expense. Nehemiah ...
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Like Billy Graham said years ago, I believe the next great revival will likely come through the marketplace. But revival will not come without repentance and a healthy fear of God. On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards delivered his famous sermon entitled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards was concerned that our ...
The post Fearing God at Work: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
As a new Christian in my 30s, my sometimes black and white approach to life became magnified. If I saw someone who claimed to be a Christian drinking alcohol at a business reception, I found myself questioning their salvation. If my wife didn’t want to go to church one week, I feared that she might ...
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When I was in banking, the bank foreclosed on a house by holding an auction on the courthouse steps. Only two people showed up, our bank attorney and me. When new information surfaced after the auction, my boss asked me to illegally change the sale documents in our favor. Then I remembered that God was ...
The post Fearing God at Work: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’re discussing fearing God at work. The Strong’s Concordance tells us that the word “fear,” when used in the Old and New Testament, typically means, “morally reverent.” The dictionary defines reverent as “showing deep and solemn respect.” When I was a young banker, my boss was one of the most powerful ...
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As a young boy, I experienced what many called “fire and brimstone preaching.” The preacher frequently shouted about burning in hell unless you came forward for baptism. It was frightening, but also motivating. Eventually, the pendulum began to swing to the other extreme. The love message has become so prevalent in many churches that ...
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A recent Marist Poll on Faith in America discovered a higher level of faith in the workplace than what many business leaders might expect. For instance, 37% of people polled said that religion played at least a minor role in their decision on where to work. Furthermore, 32% said that they base most of ...
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For those businesses holding on to the notion that employees should check their faith at the door, they might look at a new Marist poll. When the survey participants were asked where they go to seek moral guidance, 63% said they turn to religious teachings. Most business leaders would admit that they would like an ...
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Olathe Kansas Fire Chief, Jeff DeGraffenreid, recently shared that part of the fire department’s role is to help educate children on fire safety. Years ago, the Olathe Fire Department decided to use clowns to better engage with the children. For years, the program was successful, until recently when clowns became viewed as creepy. Jeff decided ...
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Sean Kouplen owns multiple businesses, including a $1 billion bank. He also coaches the top little league team in Oklahoma. Before they went into the regional Little League playoffs, Sean encouraged his team, to love others and be kind to the other teams. Sean’s player, Isaiah Jarvis, shocked the world when after being hit in ...
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The celebration of Labor Day is a reminder of the ongoing tension that often happens between employers and employees. When employers feel their sole purpose is to maximize profits, they may jump to the conclusion that minimizing labor costs is their duty. When employers became too heavy-handed in the 1890s, employee pay and working conditions ...
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While Julie Jaman was showering in a YMCA in Washington, she heard a man’s voice. She peaked out to see a man dressed in a woman’s bathing suit watching naked little girls. Jaman shouted at this man to get out. She then complained to a pool staffer. The YMCA staff had an important decision to ...
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On August 11th, the day my mother passed, the funeral home sent someone to her memory care facility to take my mother’s body away. As I followed my mother’s body out, a parade of nurses and caregivers formed. The entire crew who had devotedly cared for my mother stood quietly as her body was ...
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Small business owners know that customers are the life blood of their organization. So knowingly angering one of them is risky. A new friend who owns a martial arts academy took that risk recently. After developing his mission statement and core values, he put them on a plaque by the front door of his business. ...
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As I was driving to work, I felt my long sleeve shirt button right below the elbow. When I realized it was unbuttoned, I heard a voice in my head say, “Oh no, I’m only half dressed.” When I was in my 20s, I had an older female customer notice that my sleeve buttons were ...
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If you come to our home, you will see over our front door a scripted Bible verse. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I love the tension and mystery of the two different ends of this passage. In my 20s, the desire of ...
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One of the turning points in my new friend, Brian's, business, came out of a discussion he had with another businessman. This businessman asked Brian this personal question, "Are you tithing?" Brian proudly told this man that, yes, he and his wife had been tithing for years. Brian's friend said, "I'm not talking about ...
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While driving through Chick-fil-a, I noticed two bumper stickers on the car in front of me. One said, “Separation of Church and State.” The other said, “I don’t care what the Bible says.” Yet, this female driver told the order taker, “I just love Chick-fil-a!” It seemed that this person likely didn’t understand the irony ...
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Because of God’s favor, King Solomon was blessed with wisdom that resulted in tremendous wealth and power. Solomon was accustomed to his subjects humbly bowing before him out of respect and reverence for his power. When Solomon finally dedicated the temple, he called everyone to experience this monumental time with him. What the king did ...
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To prepare future bank presidents, the bank in which I began my banking career had a well-developed management training program. Since my goal was to become a bank president, I worked to get an invitation into the program. This intensive two-year program gave its participants exposure to all aspects of the bank and to its ...
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My friend, Gary, and I were recently discussing our admiration for a mutual friend, Jim. Gary and I have both observed Jim’s style when serving as a board member. Although Jim usually has far more business and board experience than others, Jim is careful to allow others to share before he expresses his thoughts. With ...
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After my father’s passing, I made many phone calls to secure my mother’s survivor benefits. During one call, I talked to a woman with a thick foreign accent who seemed uncertain what information to gather. For almost an hour she asked me the same questions multiple times. Just when I thought we were wrapping up, ...
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August is a special month for many children. First graders graduate to second grade, fifth graders become middle schoolers, and eighth graders become high schoolers. There is a clear progression in school that provides a sense of accomplishment as students move from one grade to another. Through this time-tested system, young students develop and mature ...
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When my friend, Ray, was young he had many uncomfortable meetings with his boss. He usually felt intimidated, was belittled, and often felt his boss hated him. Years later, when Ray’s boss departed the organization, he said to Ray, “Don’t forget who trained you!” Until that moment, Ray never realized that this man was working ...
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King Solomon was charged to build God a vast temple but was wise enough to know that this task was beyond his experiences and skills. So, he reached out to Hiram the King of Tyre. Hiram had proven himself previously by providing the skill and materials for building King David’s palace. Even though Solomon had ...
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King Rehoboam had his first big test after becoming king. Towards the end of King Solomon’s reign, the people of Israel had been heavily oppressed by Rehoboam’s father, Solomon. The Israelites requested that King Rehoboam have mercy on them and lighten their load. Rehoboam needed wise counsel. But instead of relying on Solomon’s older and ...
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Bezalel was a craftsman who modeled enduring work. In this series we’re discussing the different attributes that made Bezalel’s work so lasting. The final attribute is knowledge. My mother’s nursing home called about my mother’s medications. I asked Kathy to speak to her, because I didn’t understand what she was talking about. Had the nursing ...
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Bezalel was a craftsman who modeled enduring work. In this series we’re discussing the different attributes that made Bezalel’s work long-lasting. Bezalel’s second attribute is skill. God gave Bezalel unique skills in his area of expertise, craftsmanship. God has blessed each of us with certain skills. Some are gifted at sales, others with finance, and ...
The post Enduring Work: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Most of us would love for our work to endure beyond our lifetimes. Bezalel was a craftsman who modeled that level of enduring work. Bezalel built the ark of the covenant which still existed thousands of years later. The Bible tells us of Bezalel’s attributes that made his work so enduring. Exodus 35:30 says, “The Lord has ...
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King Solomon had just given his inauguration speech when he decided to publicly worship God. But the tabernacle and altar weren’t in Jerusalem. Approximately 440 years before Solomon became king, a craftsman named Bezalel had been charged by God to build the altar, the ark, and most elements inside the tabernacle. 2 Chronicles 1:5 says, ...
The post Enduring Work: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Recently a podcast host asked me this question, “What are some obstacles that hinder business leaders from integrating their faith and work?” My first answer was, “fear.” The fear of being sued or being disliked by others, causes many leaders to hide their faith so well that they would never be convicted in a courtroom ...
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For decades, breaking the 4-minute mile seemed impossible. Then in 1954, Roger Bannister accomplished the impossible. Over 1600 people have since broken the 4-minute mile. Just as we put mental limits on what we believe is possible, we can also limit God. As Elisha watched his mentor, Elijah, frequently unleash God’s power, Elisha acquired the ...
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Recently, there has been a public outcry by many against some of our Supreme Court justices and their decisions. These critics contend that the Supreme Court’s decisions have been unjust. But, who defines justice? When an individual is the final arbiter of justice, personal beliefs can cloud decisions. In 2 Chronicles 19:6, King Jehoshaphat instructed ...
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In Bremerton, Washington, Coach Kennedy led prayers in the locker room before football games. He also prayed after games at the 50-yard line. Kennedy’s school district demanded that he stop all prayer. The coach complied with their demands with one exception. Kennedy continued to pray privately at midfield, resulting in his termination. The Supreme Court ...
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As a bank executive I was required to complete an annual conflict of interest report for our bank regulators. This report was looking for any affiliations and any financial transactions I was involved in with outside organizations that may also have a relationship with the bank. Although it felt like an invasion of privacy, I ...
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At 6 am, I received a robo call from AT&T. At first, I was angry about the early call, but then I remembered that I had previously asked God to help me spend more time with Him. Although my plan had been to get up at 6:30 that morning, I realized this was a perfect ...
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A bright spot in the faith at work movement is in corporate America through Employee Resource Groups (ERG). American Airlines was this year’s winner of the most faith friendly Fortune 500 workplace because of the Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Index. American Airlines allows employee-led faith gatherings, hosts interfaith events, encourages community outreach partnerships, and ...
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One of King David’s best leader qualities was his willingness to be approachable. When David learned that his men had bravely fought and defeated David’s son, Absalom, David mourned Absalom’s death but didn’t praise his men for their victory. Joab knew this would undermine David’s leadership. In 2 Samuel 19, Joab said to David, “Today ...
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Winston Churchill was a complicated man with a colorful history. Although he had vast political experiences, his early years had many colossal failures which haunted him. Yet, Churchill is famous today because of his accomplishments later in life. His courageous leadership led Britain and its allies to defeat Germany in World War II when victory ...
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My friend owns a chain of car dealerships. Due to the chip shortage, getting cars to sell has been a challenge. However, the limited supply has caused car prices to skyrocket. My friend’s peers are selling cars far above sticker price. As his team discussed this opportunity, they decided to take a longer-term view. In ...
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When I was in banking, we occasionally complained about competing with credit unions and savings and loans. At least they were local, however, and we could compete using a more convenient location. In today’s world, banks, and most other industries, are now competing with online alternatives. Leaders who refuse to seek counsel beyond their traditional ...
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Kathy and I were visiting a new city and wanted to experience local food. The hotel concierge recommended and called a restaurant for reservations. At first, the restaurant refused to take our reservation. Our concierge pressed on until we were finally promised a reservation at precisely 6:45, not earlier or later. The next night we ...
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Many salespeople have told me a similar story. When the pressure rises, they begin hearing their bosses say, “If you get someone on the phone, tell them whatever you have to in order to close the sale.” Many salespeople are commanded to lie to gain customers. This creates a dilemma for those who desire to ...
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Life is multidimensional, but we often limit ourselves to our one-dimensional perspective. This became evident to me after my father’s passing on May 31st. As my siblings, and my aunt, shared about dad, I began hearing their different perspectives on many stories about my father. For example, I knew that my dad changed dramatically ...
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In this series, we’re discussing preparing for economic storms. The fourth and last step I recommend is decreasing payroll. Many large organizations start with massive layoffs without considering other solutions. Previously, I worked for a bank that frequently downsized. One year, the bank creatively allowed 40-hour employees to shift to 35 hours a week. ...
The post Preparing for the Storm: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’re discussing preparing for economic storms. We’ve discussed getting closer to your customers and hiring freezes, the third step you might consider is to trim expenses. In 2009, the economy was crumbling. For those who adjusted and weathered the storm, I heard many tell me a similar story. They discovered that ...
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In this series, we’re discussing preparing for economic storms. After staying close to your biggest customers, the second step during a recession is to consider a hiring freeze. As a good shepherd, you should protect the jobs of your existing employees. By adding team members during a downturn, you may risk needing to make ...
The post Preparing for the Storm: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’re discussing preparing for economic storms. With inflation and interest rates soaring and the stock market crumbling, the storm clouds appear to be rolling in. One of my favorite indexes is the National Federation of Independent Business Optimism Index. Because it’s a survey of small business owners’ perceptions, it has ...
The post Preparing for the Storm: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When I was young, clothes dryers were a luxury. We took our clothes outside to our clothesline and hung them up for the sun and wind to dry. This required remaining alert for upcoming storms. When dark clouds rolled in or the wind whipped up, we knew to prepare for the storm by gathering ...
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Kathy and I recently witnessed a performance on shepherding by a shepherd from Ireland. He highlighted three qualities about sheep that I found instructive. The final quality is that sheep are humbly obedient. We watched as this shepherd used his staff to simply point in a direction. The sheep would gather and begin moving ...
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Kathy and I recently witnessed an educational performance on shepherding by a shepherd from Ireland. He highlighted three qualities about sheep that I found instructive. The first we discussed is defenselessness. The second quality is their natural inclination towards community. The shepherd contended that when sheep dogs or predators approach sheep, the sheep begin ...
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Kathy and I recently witnessed an educational performance on shepherding by a shepherd from Ireland. He mainly highlighted his sheep dogs and their amazing talents, but he did share some interesting insights about the sheep themselves. He highlighted three qualities about sheep that I found instructive. The first quality this shepherd highlighted was their ...
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For the first time, it cost me over $50 to fill my car with gas. For me, $5 per gallon gas is an annoyance, but it’s not devastating. For many front-line workers, however, $5 a gallon gas, can devastate your employees and their families. Much more than your highest paid people. These pain points ...
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Many historians believe the seeds of Independence Day came from The Great Awakening. The revival of the mid 1700s brought to the church a different view than the strict social class structure of the Enlightenment philosophy. Historian, Bernard Bailyn, claims that the evangelistic efforts of The Great Awakening challenged the traditions of their day ...
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The Securities Exchange Commission recently levied a $100 million fine against the public accounting firm Ernst and Young. EY employees were found to be cheating on ethics exams and EY reportedly deceived the SEC about the cheating. "It's simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams," ...
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Senator Rand Paul has been trying to uncover whether employees at the National Institute of Health are receiving royalties from companies that receive NIH drug contracts. Senator Paul feels stonewalled by the NIH. Senator Paul discovered that $193 million in royalty payments have been made to approximately 1800 employees of the NIH. He was ...
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Those who are committed to their faith often strive towards giving a tithe, which means 10%, as required in the Old Testament. Then their generosity growth often stops. However, it’s exciting, to hear the stories of people like Terry Looper, author of Sacred Pace. Over the years, God has challenged Terry to increase his ...
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When we host events, we hope to host a large audience and to make a difference in our guest’s lives. Yet, we can get so wrapped up in the event that we lose sight of quantifying our desired results. That’s when I love hearing someone ask the simple question, “What would success look like?” ...
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A friend of mine likes to say that we are all just one step away from stupid. For decades, King David had faithfully and humbly trusted God. But eventually, David’s pride opened the door for Satan to entice David to take a census. God required that each person pay a ransom to God ...
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Recently, I called to check in on an old friend. Jimmy has been an entrepreneur for decades in the constantly changing telecommunications industry. In the early years, Jimmy loved building his business. As his industry struggled, so has Jimmy. It broke my heart to hear him say, “How long must I keep up this ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the armor of God. The final tool Paul references is the Word of God. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul said, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” For twenty years I’ve been writing these Integrity Moment messages because I sincerely believe ...
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In this series, we’re discussing the armor of God. The fourth piece of armor the Apostle Paul references is the shield of faith. In 2007, we hosted our first major conference. After we finished, Chip Ingram told me, “Rick, this event had a huge impact, and the enemy is not pleased. You will likely ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how to apply the armor of God in Ephesians 6 to our workplace. The third piece of armor Paul discusses is your “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Years ago, I had an associate accused of verbally abusing a peer, but because he ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how to apply the armor of God in Ephesians 6 to our workplace challenges. We previously discussed the belt of truth. The second tool Paul listed is the breastplate of righteousness. In the story of Daniel, his jealous peers tried to find a way to destroy Daniel. But they ...
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As followers of Jesus, we do have an enemy. The world doesn’t like discussing the devil, but he is real, and amazingly adept at deceiving us. The Apostle Paul knew we need to be prepared for enemy attacks. That is why Paul gave us tools that he labeled the armor of God in Ephesians ...
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Family business and fatherhood are often messy. I previously worked for a man who had five children from two marriages. His love for his business often harmed and exasperated his children. He hired, fired and rehired his oldest son, with years of estrangement between them. The son eventually left the business. This father next ...
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CNN hired 700 people and invested $100 million to launch their CNN+ subscription service. Three weeks later their new leadership terminated CNN+. It didn’t take a lot of math to realize this venture was likely doomed to fail. CNN’s new leadership made a wise, but difficult decision to take their losses and terminate CNN+. ...
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My friend, Joe, was in South Carolina when a hurricane approached. It ultimately passed by with high winds, but little damage. However, Joe was surprised to see a huge oak tree down in the road. As he examined the tree, he discovered that the inside was hollow! Joe later learned that many large oak ...
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A friend recently asked for feedback about her public speaking. I gently shared that she was very well prepared, but she became dependent upon her notes. My recommendation was to set aside her notes and trust God and her preparation. Ironically, as I began to prepare for some interviews, I realized I was just like ...
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Terry Looper, author of Sacred Pace, shared with our Summit audience that early in his career his desire to please people caused him to sometimes make poor decisions. To make others happy, he occasionally made rash decisions that he would later regret. Eventually, he implemented a simple rule to avoid those bad decisions. He ...
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Because I’ve recently spent months searching for good job applicants, I was intrigued by a Harvard Business Review article. This article identified a pool of hidden talent that is typically being overlooked. The research conducted by Harvard Business School and Accenture discovered that automated hiring platforms often screen out qualified job seekers. These job applicants ...
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My friend, Tim, and I were recently talking about him buying a business that needs a new direction. He became most excited by the prospect of his wife being part of the business. The business being considered needs fresh ideas and a new direction, which is his wife’s strong suit. Tim’s strength is being a ...
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The Harvard Business Review featured an article on some benefits of what’s called the Impostor Syndrome. The Impostor Syndrome affects those people who commonly feel inadequate and believe they are a fraud despite having success at work. A professor at MIT Sloan discovered that those who felt like impostor’s were more “other-oriented” and humble ...
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During a break at our Summit, a group of five of us were discussing my friend, Sean’s, new book. Although he had a proposed subtitle, he doubted it was compelling enough. So, Sean asked this group for their input. Each of the five people were authors and had experience with subtitles. This group was a ...
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How appropriate that Kathy and I had the start of our marriage on D-Day 35 years ago. I’ve joked with Kathy before that we’ve had 33 good years of marriage. The first two years felt like the start of our own D-Day battle as Kathy and I both pursued our own selfish interests. Eventually, ...
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When Jill Donovan, founder of Rustic Cuff’s, launched her jewelry business in Tulsa, God led her to some very creative marketing ideas that worked brilliantly. So, when Jill opened a store in Dallas, she decided to use the same approach with no traditional announcements or marketing. But customers never materialized. Jill told me she ...
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Terry Looper, author of Sacred Pace, believes everyone should work in their areas of giftedness 80% of the time. When we do, he believes we find greater joy and are more productive. At our Summit, Terry made an additional point about working in our giftedness that resonated with me. When we stray into areas ...
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Two government agencies are attempting to force Christian employers to violate their faith. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are requiring that health insurance providers, and employers, pay for gender identity-related services including gender transition procedures. Being asked to participate in the government’s social experiment seems inappropriate ...
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While staying at my parent’s home, I was awakened by a bird at the bedroom window. For over an hour this bird pecked on the window and flew up and down trying to find a way in. Repeatedly, this bird tried to enter, never realizing the futility of its efforts. Some entrepreneurs are like this ...
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Memorial Day is a day to memorialize those who died representing our country in military service. Marking a set day on the calendar each year is a great way to remember the deeds of those who have served us well. The tradition of remembering and memorializing events dates back at least 3000 years to the ...
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If God calls us to take a step of faith, like starting a new business or risky project, and we don’t, what blessings might we have missed? In Leviticus 25, God told the Israelites that He wanted them to give the Promised Land a year of rest every 7 years. If they did, He promised ...
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With low unemployment and many businesses experiencing growth beyond their staffing capacity, many workplaces are experiencing more chaos than usual. Your staff may be feeling hopeless. People have an amazing ability to suffer through trials when they have genuine hope that there is an end in sight. When they reach the point of hopelessness, then ...
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As an optimist, troubles must stack up pretty high before I begin to feel discouraged. However, I had one of those weeks recently. Our upcoming event was becoming overwhelming. We were experiencing some online problems and I learned of some customer issues. The discouragement was building. I needed solitude. As I took a car ride, ...
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In 1 Chronicles 14, King David’s archenemy, the Philistines, marched towards David. After God gave David permission to attack, he defeated the Philistines. But the Philistines didn’t give up. They prepared to attack again. This time, God gave David an unconventional approach to defeat the Philistines. God told David not to go straight-up at the ...
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Recently, someone asked Kathy, if she and I could sell Unconventional Business Network when we were ready to retire. One misunderstanding about nonprofits is how the ownership works. Kathy and I do not own the assets of UBN. The ministry is publicly owned. Our pay is limited to whatever our independent board of directors approve. ...
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In this series we’re discussing the reliability of the Bible, using the MAPS acronym from Hank Hanegraaff. Our final letter is S for Statistics. A professor named Peter Stoner worked with 600 students to figure out what the probability would be of just eight prophecies of Jesus being fulfilled. The result is 1 in 10036 ...
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In this series we’re discussing the reliability of the Bible, using the MAPS acronym from Hank Hanegraaff. Today we are talking about P for Prophecy. One of the most remarkable attributes about the Bible is the predictions that were made hundreds of years before they came true. Before Jesus’ birth, prophets made 55 predictions about ...
The post The Reliability of the Bible: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series we’re discussing the reliability of the Bible, using the MAPS acronym from Hank Hanegraaff. Last time we discussed manuscripts, today we’ll discuss archaeology. Hank tells the story of a biblical skeptic named Sir William Ramsay. Trained as an archaeologist, Ramsay set out to disprove the historical reliability of the book of Luke. ...
The post The Reliability of the Bible: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series we’re discussing the reliability of the Bible. Years ago, I heard Hank Hanegraaff of Christian Research Institute share the acronym MAPS to help explain the reliability of the Bible. The M stands for manuscripts. Years ago, I visited the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The process that the scribes used to ...
The post The Reliability of the Bible: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Since the vision of Unconventional Business Network is one million business leaders modeling Biblical principles in their workplace, the authority and reliability of the Bible is foundational to UBN. Recently, while interviewing a job candidate, I asked about this applicant’s view of the Bible. She told me, “I believe the Bible is inspired by God, ...
The post The Reliability of the Bible: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
At my college graduation the emcee requested that the audience hold their applause until all graduates had walked across the stage. When I crossed the stage, however, I saw my father leap to his feet and yell, “Way to go, Rick!” During my youth, my father wasn’t someone who gave much affirmation, but in that ...
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When you combine my love of new ideas with my desire to please others, it can lead to more complexity than necessary. I was guilty of that with this year’s Summit conference. Because we hosted Thursday and Friday activities there were more pricing variables than usual. Before long we had individual prices, group prices, early ...
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As Unconventional Business Network celebrates our 20th anniversary, I reflected on our humble beginnings. In 2002, we started in the dreary basement of a bank building paying $343 a month rent. With God’s help, we raised $58,000 in donations that first year, including an $18,000 donated car. With that meager budget, we began publishing Integrity ...
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Ghosting has become commonplace for both employers and employees. Some job applicants have gone through the hiring process and even promised a job, only to never hear from the company again. Technology can help with the overwhelming task of screening out unlikely candidates, but it also makes it easier to forget to follow-up with those ...
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A recent survey by an insurance company called NEXT discovered that half of all businesses have experienced employee ghosting – when employees simply don't show up for work – with 28% saying they experience it every few months or more. Technology has made it easier to make employment more transactional rather than relational. Thanks to ...
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Many women reach a crossroads when they begin having children. The question that is often asked is whether to stay at home or continue working outside the home? Although some would disagree on both sides of the issue, neither is right or wrong. Instead, I believe God has a unique calling and purpose for each ...
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NEXT, an insurance company, recently surveyed small business owners. They discovered that the changes in the marketplace with supply chain issues, difficulty in finding staff, and rising wages are causing burnout for many business leaders. Nearly 40% of the more than 1,000 small business owners surveyed admit to feeling "frustrated" or "stressed" by the state ...
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A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted that Sentieo, a financial-intelligence platform, found that expletives in transcripts of quarterly earnings calls, investor conferences and shareholder meetings rose to a five-year high in 2021. The article went on to discuss pros and cons of using foul language in the workplace, but some of the article focused ...
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A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted research that claims that three million workforce dropouts don’t plan to return to pre-Covid activities. This is due to persistent fear of illness or physical impairments. These researchers have labeled this phenomenon “long social distancing.” They claim this trend may be long lasting and could negatively impact employment ...
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Once again, California, is trying to force questionable ideas upon employers. A recent bill was introduced in California to force employers to pay employees for 40 hours a week, but only requiring them to work 32 hours. While many employers are currently understaffed, these legislators desire to cut employee productivity by 20% while maintaining previous ...
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In this series, we’re talking about five steps to fruitful networking. The final step is Meeting the Needs of Others. As you meet with people, recognize that everyone has needs. This requires seeking to understand your new friends and then, listening carefully for their biggest concerns. My bride, Kathy, can quickly uncover a new friend’s ...
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In this series we’re talking about five steps to fruitful networking. The fourth step is to Be Curious. My sociable wife, Kathy, has been a big help to me in this area. She is naturally curious about people and is a master of asking questions to learn more about whomever she meets. She has taught ...
The post Five Steps to Fruitful Networking: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
The third step to fruitful networking is Being Relational. If you’ve been to very many networking opportunities, you have likely met the people who are more transactional in nature. They are the ones who are slinging cards to anyone who will take one and seizing every opportunity to promote their services. You won’t typically see ...
The post Five Steps to Fruitful Networking: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
There’s an old saying that “You only get out of something what you’re willing to put in.” When it comes to networking, there are many groups we can join, but the best fruit typically comes from the second step to fruitful networking; Becoming Involved. Networking groups, Rotary clubs, and other community-minded groups need leadership. Those ...
The post Five Steps to Fruitful Networking: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Recently, a young banker shared with me that he was hired to get involved in the community and network. But he wasn’t sure how. Although others are far better at networking, than I am, I thought this series might be helpful. The first step to remember in networking is Be Targeted. There are many networking ...
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A new friend of mine was asked to present at a church marriage event about the topic of sex. He was hesitant, but he and the church leadership team prayerfully worked through the potential pitfalls. Then, someone urged the leadership of the church not to tackle the subject of sex. After additional debate and prayer, ...
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Before the pandemic, our employees at UBN typically worked 8:30 to 5:00 with some occasional remote work. Our workplace is far more flexible now. Although most of our staff prefer to work in the office, they have the flexibility to work remotely on some days. Some prefer to begin work at 7:30, while others don’t ...
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In my opinion, one of the biggest complements a small business can receive, is that their culture feels like belonging to a family. Naturally, some families can be dysfunctional, but when times get tough, a family sticks together and helps each other. In 1 Timothy 5:1, The Apostle Paul challenged the leaders of the church ...
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Joe is a young man who was looking for a career. I encouraged him to apply at a company I respect, but his online applications went unanswered. Since I believe in Joe’s skills, I asked an owner of this company how best to advise Joe. He generously offered, “Send me his resume.” Joe’s experience was ...
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A big surprise many new entrepreneurs experience is their first-year tax bill! For example, a new social media influencer on TikTok receives money from TikTok each month. Many spend that money without considering taxes. What many new entrepreneurs don’t realize is that the money they received throughout the year isn’t really theirs. A significant percent ...
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Jesus was innocent of all charges against him, yet on the original Good Friday, He was whipped, mocked, nailed to a cross and tortured to death. It must have broken Jesus’ heart to realize that most of His disciples scattered in fear, rather than standing with him to the end. Many people who proclaim to ...
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If you knew for sure that today was your last day on this earth, what would you do? On the day many call Maundy Thursday, Jesus knew it was His last day. Instead of finding his mother and brothers or going off in solitude, Jesus chose to invest His last day serving and training His ...
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As a banker, I had a loan assigned to me that bank examiners had rated as a problem. Soon thereafter, my boss wanted me to loan this customer more money. When I objected, I learned that this customer was my boss’ friend and business partner. My boss had a conflict of interest. By loaning this ...
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Years ago, a movie called The Informant highlighted part of Mark Whitacre’s story. What the movie doesn’t share is the amazing turnaround that later occurred in Mark’s life. Mark had participated in a large price fixing scandal, embezzled money, became a whistleblower, and spent time in prison! But today Mark is leading an organization called ...
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As a founder of a school for children with learning disabilities, I deeply admire those who persevere through personal challenges. Tony Bridwell is one of those people. After twelve years of struggling through school, Tony’s teacher uncovered that Tony had dyslexia. Anchored in his faith, Tony persevered. Today, Tony is Chief Talent Officer to thousands ...
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Speaker and author, Nicole Unice, shared with our Des Moines audience recently an incredible insight for those immersed in a workplace conflict. Nicole informed us that distance creates distrust. I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a conflict with someone that I’m struggling to resolve, I tend to avoid them for a while. ...
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In Jordan Raynor’s book, “Redeeming Your Time,” Jordan encourages us to remember the importance of Sabbath Rest with a story from the 1800s. During the California Gold Rush, some traveled seven days a week, while others stopped to rest each Sabbath. According to “The Emigrants Guide to California” published in 1849, it noted that, “If ...
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In Jordan Raynor’s book, “Redeeming Your Time,” he references significant data that suggests that our bodies work in cycles. These cycles are called Ultradian Cycles. Basically, Jordan contends that our bodies work best in blocks of 90-minute cycles before we need a short break. These short breaks allow us to be more productive. Jordan references ...
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The nature and culture of the workplace has changed dramatically since 2019. In 2019, only 4% of professionals worked remotely, today it’s 15%. Inflation was only 1.81%, today it’s 7.9%. Pre-Covid, only 10 million people knew how to use Zoom; today that number is 300 million. With the stress of the pandemic, racial tensions, and ...
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A reporter recently falsified a story about a conversation that he claimed quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had with his fiancé and brother. Mahomes supposedly asked them not to attend his football games. I shared this information with my wife only to later discover that the story had been discredited by Mahomes. Soon thereafter, the reporter apologized ...
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When Russia attacked Ukraine, the world quickly saw the injustice of this unprovoked attack and rallied to condemn Russia while providing support to Ukraine. Hearts all over the world were heavy for the people of Ukraine, causing thousands to show compassion in a variety of ways. In business, there are also times when a team ...
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Joe sells equipment to the Department of Defense. Although the contracts are lucrative, Joe tires of dealing with the government’s inefficient methods. My friend’s company was recently awarded a $500,000 contract from the Defense Department for a job originally bid 11 years ago. The equipment the government purchased is now outdated. Small businesses have an ...
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During the pandemic, the US Government offered tax credits to help small businesses weather the troubling times. The government, however, seems to have forgotten to plan and fund the additional support the IRS needs to distribute the funds. Many businesses filed for these credits early in 2021 and have yet to receive any monies. ...
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Some employers are beginning to pay people less if they move to a community with a lower cost of living, even though the work being produced is the same. Other employers are hiring great talent in Midwestern cities by paying them West Coast wages. Paying employees equitably has become complicated. Jesus told a parable about ...
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While in college, I dreamed of taking a spring break trip to Texas, but had no money. But then a man ran a red light and smashed my car, resulting in me receiving an unexpected check! I had a decision to make – Do I preserve the life of my car or, do I choose ...
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In this series, we’ve been discussing advantages for small businesses. Our fifth and final advantage is local products and services. For example, in Kansas City, many companies have tried to identify their brand with the Kansas City Chiefs football team. People are often fond of their hometown. If potential customers feel you are part of ...
The post Small Business Advantages: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
In this series, we’ve been discussing the advantages of small businesses. The fourth advantage is personalized service. Commercial lending to small businesses used to be a personalized service. Then, large national banks began looking for ways to make small business loans more profitable. This led to decisions and loans being made by people who never ...
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In this series we’ve been discussing five advantages of small businesses. The third advantage is rapid response to customer desires. When the pandemic began, UBN had primarily hosted live events with no real experience in hosting virtual events. When one of our live events had to be cancelled due to local regulations, we prayed about ...
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My brother was once asked by his boss to obtain bids for a large database project. He received bids for $9 million, $7 million, and $950,000. The first two bids were from large companies, the final was from a small business. The small business owner told my brother, “My competitors could do it for this ...
The post Small Business Advantages: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
I’ve worked in large corporations and in small businesses. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but I personally prefer working in small businesses. In this series I want to unpack some of the advantages small businesses can leverage. The first advantage is local decision-making authority. When I worked in banking, nothing frustrated customers more than to ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Kathy and I recently enjoyed the Kansas City Symphony as they performed “Star Wars.” Dozens of professional musicians worked together to make an incredible blended sound. In contrast, I remembered joining a rock and roll band as a teenager. We each played the songs without respecting the other instruments. We sounded terrible! My respect for ...
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Kathy and I recently enjoyed the Kansas City Symphony as they performed “Star Wars.” Dozens of professional musicians worked together to make an incredible blended sound. In contrast, I remembered joining a rock and roll band as a teenager. We each played the songs without respecting the other instruments. We sounded terrible! My respect for ...
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My wife, Kathy, and a young lady recently discussed following up a job interview with a thank you email. This young lady blurted, “I would never do that! It shows you’re desperate for a job!” Kathy and I were stunned. If someone takes the time to interview you, and you want the job, it seems ...
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My wife, Kathy, and a young lady recently discussed following up a job interview with a thank you email. This young lady blurted, “I would never do that! It shows you’re desperate for a job!” Kathy and I were stunned. If someone takes the time to interview you, and you want the job, it seems ...
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In 1916, Germany and parts of Canada concluded that Daylight Savings Time would conserve energy. Since that time Daylight Savings Time benefits have been greatly debated. Some countries embrace the concept, while others despise it. There are some problems that have indisputable fact-based solutions. There are other problems, however, where the facts are debatable. It ...
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In 1916, Germany and parts of Canada concluded that Daylight Savings Time would conserve energy. Since that time Daylight Savings Time benefits have been greatly debated. Some countries embrace the concept, while others despise it. There are some problems that have indisputable fact-based solutions. There are other problems, however, where the facts are debatable. It ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how to move towards working 80% of your time in your areas of giftedness. After you’ve determined your strengths, identified where your time is spent, and determined who to delegate work to, it’s time to turn your attention to your team. Begin by helping your team determine their own individual ...
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In this series, we’re discussing how to move towards working 80% of your time in your areas of giftedness. After you’ve determined your strengths, identified where your time is spent, and determined who to delegate work to, it’s time to turn your attention to your team. Begin by helping your team determine their own individual ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Her final question is, “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?” Talented people can perform different types of functions effectively. However, each person has skills that they love doing. By asking about what they ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Her final question is, “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?” Talented people can perform different types of functions effectively. However, each person has skills that they love doing. By asking about what they ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about her fourth question, “What are we currently not doing as a company that you feel we should do?” When you can make this question specific, for instance, asking, “What are we not doing in ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about her fourth question, “What are we currently not doing as a company that you feel we should do?” When you can make this question specific, for instance, asking, “What are we not doing in ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about her third question, “What do you need from me to do your best work? Employees need to know that you are there to serve them. By giving your employee the opportunity to share what ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about her third question, “What do you need from me to do your best work? Employees need to know that you are there to serve them. By giving your employee the opportunity to share what ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about the second question, “Do you feel a sense of purpose in your job?’ Many employees do serve meaningful roles in your company. But if they don’t know how to connect their work to your ...
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In Harvard Business Review, Susan Peppercorn highlighted five questions to help you retain your employees. Today I want to talk about the second question, “Do you feel a sense of purpose in your job?’ Many employees do serve meaningful roles in your company. But if they don’t know how to connect their work to your ...
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With inflation increasing wages, and employers struggling to find new employees, employee retention has become critical. Executive coach and speaker, Susan Peppercorn, developed a list of five key questions to help you retain key employees. The first question is “How would you like to grow within this organization?” Two-thirds of people leave jobs due to ...
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A friend of mine recently started a new job with a large organization. The job is completely remote causing her to be isolated in her home all day, each day. She often feels disconnected and she has little opportunity to become acquainted with her peers. Loneliness is a challenge employers need to be aware of ...
The post Designed for Community appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
When I was a young banker, I worked in a very controlled environment with strict lending limits. My individual loan authority was only $15,000. When I switched banks one of my first questions was the size of my loan authority. When my new boss said I could make loans up to $250,000, I was stunned. ...
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While interviewing a new job applicant, I invited our team to join the interview. Later in the interview our applicant had some questions of her own. She specifically wanted to know if we would be “micromanaging” her. A couple of our staff members chuckled at her question. One team member told her, “We hire good ...
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Peter Rex, a technology investor, wrote a Wall Street Journal article about the lack of faith in Silicon Valley. He references a 2018 survey which discovered that 50% of tech workers are either atheists or agnostic. Furthermore, a recent Napa Legal Institute report found that social-media platforms increasingly censor religious believers who oppose abortion, assisted ...
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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 ...
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One of the challenges facing many business leaders who have a large staff is actually hearing the truth. So many people believe that they need to share only what their boss wants to hear that they rarely share what their boss needs to hear. For several years I worked for a boss who punished people ...
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Kathy and I have frequented a car repair business over the years that has been extremely customer friendly. Recently, however, this business felt different. For efficiency, they began routing our calls to a call center and instituted other new procedures. Also, some of our past contacts are now gone, leaving us feeling disconnected. We later ...
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As I’ve reviewed dozens of job applications lately, it’s not uncommon to see applicants with five jobs in just a three-to-five-year period. Brevity of time on a job reflects in part our cultural changes to loyalty. There was a time when loyalty was valued by both the employer and the employee. My father was loyal ...
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Abusive Customers There’s an adage that “the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes customers are just mean and unreasonable. This year we have seen an unprecedented number of assaults on airlines as tensions seem to skyrocket. Many flight attendants have been cursed and even assaulted for trying to do their ...
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George Washington left his American legacy with a great reputation. Even though the famous story of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and not lying about it, may not be true, this story speaks to people’s belief about his character. George Washington once said, “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your ...
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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 ...
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Our personal strengths, when overused, can also become weaknesses. Taking anything to the extremes can end poorly. Over the years, I’ve been told at times that listening and observing is a strength of mine. This strength can have the benefit of others feeling heard. But I also know that when I only listen, and not ...
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My son lives in a residential home with five young men who all have some form of special needs. The young men get along great most of the time, but occasionally, the parents are a different story. For a while there was a parent who constantly complained and gossiped about the staff or other parents. ...
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Altruism is when we act to promote someone else's welfare even at a risk or cost to ourselves. According to research conducted by the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2013, altruism in the workplace has many benefits. A Fast Company article highlighted some benefits of altruism. Altruists are more likely to help fellow employees, be ...
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As we remember Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, it’s a great day to remember the importance of doing the right thing, even when unpopular. With half of the nation at war, President Lincoln was very unpopular with most of the nation. Yet, he persevered to abolish slavery and fight secession. Today Lincoln is widely celebrated as one ...
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In Tim Elmore’s book, “The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership,” he referenced a study that discovered two different ways of implementing values. The first is to pronounce them and hang them on the wall for everyone to see. This approach takes ten to twelve years to change any culture. The second way is much more ...
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Early in the pandemic my friend, Peter, began to realize that needed supplies for his restaurants were becoming hard to get. He began ordering additional supplies and stockpiling them. The problem, however, kept getting worse. As Peter tried to determine a better solution, he happened to study the story of Joseph in Genesis 41. After ...
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My wife, Kathy, makes it a habit to stop people in a military or police uniform and thank them for their service. Lately, she has begun doing the same thing with waiters and waitresses. I’ve noticed many restaurant employees seem overwhelmed lately, resulting in more opportunities for Kathy’s gift of encouragement. After she thanks a ...
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The Dignity of Work Recently, employers have struggled to fill jobs. We are in a strange time when there are more jobs available than people to fill them. There are multiple reasons for this employment gap, such as parents staying home to care for children or staying home to avoid Covid. Another possibility, however, is ...
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A Stanford Economics professor, Nicolas Bloom, has been researching remote work for the last several years. Bloom believes that there are three different work options for the future. He believes 50% of workers will be required to work in a workplace setting. These include retail, healthcare, or manufacturing jobs. Option two is hybrid work. He ...
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Our next speaker in Kansas City, Dr. Caroline Leaf, is a neuroscientist who often talks about brain plasticity. That may not sound very appealing to most business leaders. But when a good copywriter shares about Dr. Leaf, it sounds more like, “Backed by up-to-date scientific research and biblical insight, Dr. Caroline Leaf empowers business leaders ...
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Miles Walker owns an auto repair store in Georgia. Mr. Walker refused to pay his employee, Andreas Flaten, his final paycheck, until forced to by the Department of Labor. When Walker learned Flaten had called the government, Mr. Walker retaliated. Mr. Walker retaliated by paying Flaten with pennies! Walker dumped over $900 worth of oil ...
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Booker T. Washington was an African American leader who overcame many obstacles to become a great leader and founder of the Tuskegee Institute. He once said, “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome ...
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For a few years, Unconventional Business Network has subleased space in a small and open format. We recently moved into our own office space with offices, conference rooms and significantly more space. As we head into 2022, the new year and new offices gives our team an opportunity for fresh beginnings, but more importantly, a ...
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In this series, we’ve been discussing how to move towards working 80% of your time in your areas of giftedness. The next step is to determine who will do the work you stop doing. Although it may be costly at first, hiring the right people and delegating will pay off when everyone is focused on ...
The post The Path to 80%: Part 4 appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Author of Sacred Pace, Terry Looper, says that “If we work 80% of our time in our areas of giftedness, we will experience more joy and success.” We previously discussed discovering our personal gifts. The second step towards working 80% in our areas of giftedness is to assess your time. Author, Peter Drucker, recommended that ...
The post The Path to 80%: Part 3 appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Terry Looper, author of Sacred Pace, says that “If we work 80% of our time in our areas of giftedness, we will experience more joy and success.” The first step towards working in our areas of giftedness is to discover your workplace gifts. Attempt to narrow the field to 3 to 5 gifts. Begin by ...
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Recently, Terry Looper, CEO of Texon, shared with me about his early years in business. His drive for success resulted in working tireless hours. Exhausted and broken he eventually turned to God for help. Through that experience, he made a commitment to only work 40 hours a week. To grow what became a $6 billion ...
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We recently leased new office space which required us to obtain furniture. Desiring that our limited resources go to ministry rather than furniture, we asked our local community for help. Within hours, dozens of people generously exceeded all our furniture needs. Their generosity allowed them to participate in impacting business leaders around the world. In ...
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Recently, I was trying to secure a female speaker for our Summit conference. This person told me that she needed to check with her assistant about her schedule. With busy business leaders, it can take weeks before you hear back. In this case, I was amazed when I received a return call 30 minutes later. ...
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Rachel began with UBN as an intern, but her amazing skills resulted in her eventual advancement to Operations Manager. Unfortunately for UBN, Rachel’s longer-term plan was to enter public accounting. Rachel helped me identify an amazing replacement. Then, she developed and executed an onboarding plan to assure that our new Operations Manager had the knowledge ...
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Last month, Steve Easterbrook, former CEO of McDonalds, decided to return $105 million in severance benefits to McDonalds. In 2019, Easterbrook was terminated without cause allowing him to obtain his agreed upon severance package. After that termination, McDonalds claims to have discovered sexually explicit videos of Easterbrook with company employees and other women. This discovery ...
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Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King? In 1929, Dr. King’s father spent time in Germany admiring the reformer, Martin Luther. This event moved Mr. King and his teenage son to change their names to Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King, Jr. Carrying the name of a great reformer ...
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Last month, Ryan Brandt, a waitress in Arkansas, received a tip of $4,400! The customer requested that she split the tip with the other waitress that served this group. Brandt’s manager, however, demanded that she share it with the whole staff, counter to the restaurant’s previous practices. The customer learned of the manager’s demand and ...
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With school closings, and the chaos of managing family issues, many women resigned their corporate positions during the pandemic. But I believe many didn’t stop working. They are working in different ways. According to a LinkedIn analysis, businesses founded by women during the pandemic have grown by 27%. Many women in business have had to ...
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According to Gallup, in 1980, 87% of the US population considered themselves either Christian or Catholic. According to a new poll by Pew, that number has since fallen to 63%. In general, acceptance of Christian beliefs was far greater decades ago. This makes our workplaces a bigger and bigger mission field. In Acts 1:8, Jesus ...
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According to Labor Department data, the percentage of workers who are now self-employed stands at 5.9%, the highest level in 11 years. The CEO of Upwork Inc. claims that “A new type of career path has emerged, with half of the Gen Z talent pool actually choosing to start their careers in freelance rather than ...
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It seemed strange that so many people were resigning from their jobs in the Great Resignation without a place to go. I suspected that many were starting their own small businesses. The Wall Street Journal affirmed my thoughts when they discovered that 4.54 million new businesses filed for federal tax identification numbers from January through ...
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In the book of Acts, the disciples were faced with a significant transition in their ministry. Following Jesus’ departure, Peter led his team in prayer, filled their leadership gaps, rallied people around the vision and built a close-knit, well-trained community. The time had come for Peter to personally execute the 5th key in organizational transitions ...
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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 wisely invested in corporate prayer. They, then, filled their leadership voids and rallied people around their vision. Their fourth key was to build ...
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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 ...
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In the book of Acts, the disciples found themselves amid a dramatic transition. Jesus, their leader of three years, had ascended to heaven, leaving His disciples to figure out their future. After a time of corporate prayer, Jesus’ disciples began working on the second key to organizational transitions – identifying and filling in their leadership ...
The post 5 Keys to Organizational Transitions: Part II appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
January is a time when many businesses are in transition. Some businesses have been sold. Others have new leaders or new plans. The book of Acts opens with a dramatic transition taking place. Jesus was captured, crucified, resurrected, and the disciples watched as Jesus, their leader, ascended to heaven. Yet, the disciples found a way ...
The post 5 Keys to Organizational Transitions: Part I appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Recently, I took an assessment that pointed out that my leadership style is to primarily focus on the future. This can be good in preparing for the future, but it also means that I sometimes do a poor job of reflecting on the past. There is a lot to be learned, however, from pausing to ...
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Over twenty years ago, I helped start a school for learning disabilities. We struggled, but finally clarified our target audience. Recently, I referred a parent to that school. I was shocked when he informed me that they no longer serve children with his son’s challenges. Over time, the original mission of an organization can easily ...
The post Guarding the Mission – Long Term appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
At 17 months old, my granddaughter, Addy, has a small vocabulary, but she still communicates effectively. Recently, Addy mischievously smiled and pointed to our Echo device. She said, “Poppa,” then began dancing to tell me she wanted me to turn on the music. Only one word was spoken, but I clearly knew what she wanted. ...
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My team and I were having breakfast with a bank president in Oklahoma City. This banker named Sean remarked on how friendly and attentive our waitress was to our needs. Later, Sean informed our group how difficult his bank had found it had become recently to find friendly employees. Later, Sean went to his car ...
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My new friend, Sean, shared with me that he and a friend were convinced that God wanted them to start a Bible study in one of the roughest parts of their city. They went door-to-door inviting people to their weekly Bible study. The first and second week of the study no one showed up. They ...
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Over two thousand years ago, there was a business owner having a good day. With his motel 100% occupied, this entrepreneur even rented out his stable when a pregnant woman and her husband requested a place to stay. Imagine this businessman’s possible thoughts 35 year later when he learned that he had hosted the King ...
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A friend asked me to participate in an intervention years ago. We met with a Christian leader who was threatening to leave his family to run off with someone from his church. Never had I witnessed how easily evil could overtake someone who had previously taught God’s Word. I was amazed when he stated that ...
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One of my children has experienced a tough season recently. On top of losing a job, she and her husband also had multiple car problems, surprise tax issues and the stomach flu. As a parent, I wanted desperately to solve their problems. But I knew if I stepped in too soon, how would they learn ...
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Years ago, I was involved in planning a new school. We had a meeting where our launch team was seeking wisdom from a group of experts about who should be our target customer. Unfortunately, our launch team had our own agenda that significantly differed from the experts. Our team doubted their collective wisdom because of ...
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Over the years, some people have asked if I’ve ever considered taking our Unconventional Business events into Oklahoma City. But it never seemed like the right time. Recently, however, we hired someone who previously lived in Oklahoma City. As she encouraged us to consider moving into Oklahoma City, we began praying. Since then, the Lord ...
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We recently have been researching moving into a new market. So, I reached out to another faith at work ministry in that community to discuss collaborating rather than competing. One of their leaders began offering ideas on how they might partner with us. The true sign of his heart, however, was when he offered to ...
The post God’s View on Competition: Part V appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Politics can be a vicious sport. When one party wins an important election, there’s traditionally an acceptance speech that declares and celebrates the victory. However, it’s not uncommon after the victory for some members of the winning party to begin to gloat publicly about their opponent’s defeat. Unfortunately, this happens in business at times as ...
The post Gods View on Competition: Part IV appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Early in my ministry, I became jealous of another ministry leader. While his ministry was growing and flourishing, I became critical of his work due to my jealousy. Eventually, I realized that God wanted my best, without being concerned about other people’s successes. I apologized to this leader and chose to focus on my stewardship, ...
The post Gods View on Competition: Part III appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Many of us were involved in team sports. Whether it’s basketball, football or soccer, two teams compete with the intent that one will win and the other will lose. This can easily foster the viewpoint that our business lives must also be about a win/lose proposition. It’s easy to convince ourselves that God wants us ...
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