As a young loan officer, I was presenting a difficult loan proposal to the bank’s loan committee. During my presentation, the bank’s CEO pronounced my deal as approved, but I continued promoting the loan. Our Chief Lending Officer said, “Your loan’s approved! I recommend you quit talking before we change our minds.” In Genesis 24, Abraham’s servant experienced success when […]

Awhile back, I had a concern to address with another ministry leader. I sent him an email and requested a response. After no response, I began imagining all kinds of reasons why this person had not responded. I foolishly sent off another email and unloaded my frustrations, marking the email as urgent. This ministry leader called and apologized for not […]

Years ago, Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa was developing disaster recovery plans for their business. As they wrapped-up, the person guiding them through their plan reportedly said, “The last potential disaster we need to consider is a tornado.” He went on to say, “The odds of being hit by a tornado are unlikely. Let’s only take buildings 5 and 6 […]

Imagine having two employees. One employee seems to ignore your every command. The other employee, however, is just the opposite. The 2nd employee obeys every directive, every policy and always listens to your instructions. Then, they follow those directions as best as they can. When review time comes, which of these two employees are going to most likely be blessed […]

Almost daily, every business leader is faced with opportunities and decisions that will impact the direction, the employees and the success of the organization. Aaron, while he was left in charge of the Israelites as Moses went to meet with God on Mt. Sinai, decided to construct false gods at the request of the Israelite people. Why? They had grown […]

Twenty-three years ago, Kathy overheard three mothers talking about starting a school for children with special needs, and she volunteered me to help. Although I tried to escape this new calling, I sensed God wanted me to help. Last month, I co-chaired the 20th anniversary celebration of Horizon Academy. Over 800 children with learning disabilities and their families have been […]

A Harvard Business Review article by Weldon Long pointed to a research study that discovered an amazing truth. 48% of business to business sales reps are afraid of making “cold calls!” There were two primary reasons Long noted for this fear. The first is the fear of sounding like a sales person, and the second is a fear of failure. […]

When Jeff began leading his family’s 4th generation business, he was anxious, knowing that most businesses never last beyond the 3rd generation. He worked hard, but nothing seemed to succeed. The business struggled and Jeff began feeling like a failure. Desperate, Jeff bowed down on the shop room floor and dedicated his business to God. Soon thereafter the business began […]

While mentoring a young executive, I shared the importance of having the right balance in being people-focused versus task-focused. With my financial background, I tend to focus on tasks. However, I’ve realized over the years that people are far more important. Research conducted by Robert Anderson and William Adams discovered that the number one indicator of effective leaders is strong […]

Judy had a budget to buy a gift for herself that would remind her in the future of her trip to the Holy Land. She spent that budgeted amount on a beautiful pair of earrings at a shop in Bethlehem owned by Arab Christian brothers. While visiting the Wailing Wall, Judy lost one of her new earrings! This loss, on […]