When I was a child, encouragement and affirmation were qualities I rarely received nor witnessed. Therefore, it’s harder for me to offer those gifts to others. Fortunately, my wife, Kathy, is the best I’ve seen at encouraging and affirming others. Kathy will stop a stranger to give them a compliment. This often leads to Kathy sharing with them that “God […]

During my childhood my mother worked outside the home full-time and somehow managed to raise five kids.  With that as a backdrop, when I married Kathy, I assumed she would always work outside the home as well. She did, until we discovered that my son, Jeremy, had autism and needed more help than a daycare could provide. Kathy’s new vocational […]

Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror. One lesson I learned is the importance of restitution. During the jury deliberation the jury struggled with how to assess an amount for the intangible value of “pain and suffering.” In Numbers 5, God told Moses, “Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way, and so is unfaithful to the Lord, is guilty and […]

Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror on a personal injury case. There were many lessons learned that I would like to share. One lesson I learned is that justice doesn’t always prevail in the courtroom. My naïve belief going into jury deliberations was that twelve reasonable people would come out with a fair and impartial verdict. That […]

Recently, I learned several lessons as I spent three days as a juror. The first lesson is how differently people can view the same set of facts. The defendant had run a red light, then crashed into the plaintiff’s car. The plaintiff’s car was “totaled,” and, she racked up $107,000 in emergency room and subsequent medical bills. Her request for […]

Recently, I had lunch with Jim. Jim was excited to hear that my wife, Kathy, is leading our new Unconventional Business Women ministry. Jim shared a story that put a smile on my face, but didn’t surprise me. Jim shared that he was in a drugstore recently when he saw Kathy. At the time, Jim had a family situation that […]

One of the most important roles of leadership is listening — really listening.  Empathetic listening.  Active listening.  Unfortunately, the voice you occasionally get to hear is that of whining. As difficult as it may seem, as a leader, you’re to empathize and listen. Consider the story of Job who whined to God about His circumstances. God patiently listened before setting […]

Tom’s a CEO who had a leader who was struggling at work. He needed some additional oversight until he matures into his potential. But he was reluctant to release any control. Tom knew that if this leader didn’t accept his recommendations willingly he would likely sabotage any help he sent his way. He needed to prove that he was teachable, […]

Researchers Alison Reynolds and David Lewis studied how businesses tackle complex problems. These researchers labeled the businesses that were best as solving problems as “Generative.” Two key attributes stood out at these Generative companies; being Cognitively Diverse and Psychologically Safe. Reynolds and Lewis discovered that teams that were diverse in their backgrounds and thinking styles proved more successful at solving […]

When I was a young and foolish 25-year-old, I read an article about a new business concept called “Rent a Wreck.” After leaving public accounting I was searching for my next career, so I started a used car rental agency. Looking back, I heard only what I wanted to hear. When friends and bankers asked me tough questions, I had […]