Mary was new within the audit department, but she made it clear that she believed she should be in charge. Our boss had served faithfully for years in running the department, but Mary was determined to force him out. Mary began a very aggressive smear campaign against our boss. She spread multiple lies, and even had the gall to call […]

For a while in high school, none of my friends had the same lunch hour as I did. Not wanting to sit alone, I joined a table of guys known as the Valley View Vandals. Soon I realized, any time there was trouble, these guys were either starting the trouble, or they quickly ran to join in! I soon realized […]

In 1980, the Kansas City firefighters went on strike. It was a very contentious strike that led to several suspicious fires that some believed were set by firefighters. One evening my neighbor and I drove by the scene of a nearby fire in a newly built nursing home. With few firefighters to help, my neighbor and I joined many others […]

Years ago, I introduced Dennis to Craig, a business owner who was looking for funding. Since I didn’t know Craig well, I warned Dennis to carefully vet this opportunity. At the first meeting Dennis told Craig, “I’m willing to consider investing in your business, but I hate liars. If you ever lie, we are done that instant.” A month later […]

Years ago, Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-a, spoke at one of our luncheon events. There were many key leaders desiring to meet with Truett while he was here, but Truett went missing. I eventually found Truett in a deep conversation with the doorman of the hotel. Truett was learning all about this man and offering up encouragement. As many […]

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 one moment, I knew my […]

Gallup’s new book, “It’s the Manager,” uncovers several findings that point to the importance of hiring the right managers. A key factor is their ability to inspire their team to be more engaged. Gallup’s research discovered that roughly a third of employees in the U.S. are highly engaged. However, in successful businesses, engagement can reach as high as 68%. This […]

Gallup’s new book, “It’s the Manager,” uncovers several findings that point to the critical nature of hiring the right managers. One factor is understanding why engagement is so important. Gallup highlights that in previous decades workers ranked their family, having children, owning a home and living in peace as priorities that came in above having a good job. But in […]

Gallup has a new book called “It’s the Manager.” According to a Wall Street Journal article, Gallup discovered “the single most profound distinct and clarifying finding” in its 80-year history. Gallup’s study revealed that managers didn’t just influence the results their teams achieved, they explained a full 70% of the variance. Gallup advises companies to seek out managers who infect […]

P.K. Bernard said, “A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.” Creating a vision statement, working “on” the business, can seem like a waste of time, energy and human capital resources when compared to working “in” the business. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the […]