A great example of the impact a story can have is how Spring Break became such a booming movement. In the 1950s, Spring Break attracted only 20,000 college students to Fort Lauderdale, until 1958. In 1958, Glendon Swarthout released “Where the Boys Are.” This book, which later became a movie, told the story of college girls meeting boys during Spring […]

A recent Harvard Business Review article gave us some data and great encouragement that affirms our impact from our Unconventional Business Network events as well as for our new upcoming Unconventional Business Women Gatherings. Shawn Achor, a frequent Conference for Women event speaker, researched the impact that conferences had on the women who attended. He discovered that attendees were twice […]

In 1995, Kathy and I struggled to start a new ministry, we learned that our son had autism, we were forced out of a church we loved, and then, Kathy discovered breast cancer. That year, we not only wanted to quit full-time ministry, we wanted to quit life. But God encouraged us to persevere. During our darkest moments, God sent […]

During my college years, a prevailing management theory contended that bosses should keep their distance from employees. Becoming too friendly with employees was believed to undermine your authority, so many workplaces became cold and aloof. This sometimes even spilled over into peer-to-peer relationships. New research highlighted in Harvard Business Review, however, surfaces a different conclusion. Researchers Emma Seppala and Marissa […]

CVS’ President Helena Foulkes announced in January that CVS stores are moving towards banning touched-up photos in its store displays. It has chosen to own its mission by helping young women overcome their self-image problem that results from comparing themselves to photo shopped models. Many companies have mission statements, but few have leveraged those statements to do good for the […]

According to author, Ron Carruci, US companies spend $37 billion per year on meetings, despite 71% of senior managers viewing them as unproductive. In a Harvard Business Review article, Mr. Carruci, highlights three recommendations. First, he recommends that the scope of the meeting be clearly defined and narrowly focused on items within your control. Second, he suggests a synchronized cadence. […]

The television program “60 Minutes” convened a group of 12 people in Grand Rapids Michigan during the last presidential campaign, with an even mix of people for and against Donald Trump. This group had very heated debates and disagreements. “60 Minutes” was surprised to learn that despite their differences the group not only maintained contact after the focus group, they […]

As I watched the end of the Super Bowl last month, I was pleasantly surprised with the postgame interviews of the Philadelphia Eagles. The coach and quarterback boldly gave praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for their amazing victory. When we lead with excellence in any vocation, our expression of faith will be more tolerated and more powerful. However, some […]

Phil Cohen was telling me that his father-in-law, Frank Turpin, was a great leader. Over Frank’s career, he worked his way up to vice-president of what later became Exxon. Frank died in 2004. A few years after he died, Phil called Frank’s son, Hank, and asked, “How was your dad so successful?” Hank replied, “He knew how to attract talented […]

In the 1980s, I had talented friends who hated working for large organizations. But, their pay was higher than they could get elsewhere, so they stayed. Today, small businesses have a more even playing field than 30 years ago. A study conducted by Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economist, discovered that the pay premium for working at large organizations has dramatically […]