Business negotiations are fraught with opportunities to become stressful experiences. In this series, we’ll discuss five guiding principles on how best to negotiate agreements.  The first principle is to clearly define your desired outcome from the transaction.   Recently, Rod needed to hire a new videographer. He examined his budget and considered the maximum value he ...

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God reveals amazing wisdom in the 66 books of the Bible. But I fall short when it comes to applying that knowledge to my work and my life. A former pastor summed it up when he gently chided me, “You know more scripture than you’re obedient to.”  Jesus called out similar behavior in the religious ...

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Leslie was frustrated with her boss. Although he told Leslie privately that she was performing well, that support disappeared whenever another manager questioned Leslie’s work.   Her supervisor failed to defend Leslie and instead deferred to other managers, telling Leslie it is better to “go along to get along.” Although Leslie loved the company and her ...

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 A 2022 Barna research study found that 56 percent of respondents said their faith is a private matter.   But scripture calls us to live and work in community. From Adam and Eve, to Jesus and his disciples, to the faith communities Paul encouraged, the Bible shows the importance of communion with others.  The writer of ...

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In banking, I participated in and witnessed many different business turnarounds. When a business is struggling to survive, and a new leader is hired to return the business to profitability, it’s common to see turbulence for awhile.  Layoffs and expense cutting are commonplace, but painful. Pain must come before improvement begins.   Our country has been ...

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As the Kansas City Chiefs headed to Super Bowl LIX recently, the Press questioned Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, again about his controversial statements made at a Catholic University in 2024.   According to the Associated Press, Butker said, “I don’t feel the need to apologize for anything.” He added, “I feel like God’s prepared me ...

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My first professional job was as a daily newspaper reporter. I got along with all my coworkers except the publisher’s assistant. Reporting to the top executive, she had (what I thought was) a condescending attitude to the lowly reporters, and to me, in particular.  On my last day, I sent flowers and a card to ...

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Working at a utility meant my colleagues and I had to be prepared for all kinds of disasters. To maintain that readiness, our company conducted regular emergency simulations. These drills were stressful by design.  During one drill, I let the stress get to me. When a colleague asked how we might respond to a hypothetical ...

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Is work getting you down? Do job frustrations and pressure make workdays feel like daily battles?   Although work is a blessing and opportunity to use our God-given talents, it can wear us out. Stress, conflicts with colleagues, and incentives to act in ways that clash with our faith can make modern work exhausting.   We can ...

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Over the years I’ve gotten to know many wealthy business leaders. I’ve wondered why some are generous, while others are not.   One of the answers comes from a recent survey conducted by the American Bible Study. This study determined that 94% of people whom they call “scripture engaged” gave to charity a median amount of ...

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