In the 1880s, Henry Crowell bought an oat mill to provide feed for horses. The business was struggling when Henry turned to God in prayer for a creative solution for his business woes. God led Henry to begin selling his oats to people as a breakfast cereal. This was an unconventional strategy, because oats were sold from insect infested barrels […]

Most organizations have a few star performers that get all the accolades; from clients, from leadership, or from their teammates. But a company’s success doesn’t come from a single star player; it comes from the entire team. To remain competitive in your field, it is vital that accolades are shared across every team member, recognizing that each person brings a […]

Are you able to allow someone else to make a decision? Or do you give the responsibility for a decision to someone else only to take it back? Taking back previously given responsibility compromises your leadership and undermines your staff. Jeremiah 8:4 says. “Thus says the Lord: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he […]

As a nonprofit leader who raises money, I have found that my motives are sometimes less than pure. There are occasions when I’m with wealthy business people who need counsel or prayer. As someone who loves to help others, I’m quick to assist them. But at times, my mind drifts to thoughts of them writing the ministry a big check […]

Google conducted “Project Oxygen,” a multiyear research initiative, to identify manager qualities that enhanced a given team’s success. According to the Harvard Business Review, Google discovered that drive and technical expertise were outflanked by some surprising character qualities. These qualities included: being even-keeled, making time for one-on-one meetings, working with a team in the trenches, and taking an interest in […]

Robin’s family has a moving business, now run by her brother, Jim. Robin shared with me that one client hired Jim to move a heavy safe into their basement. While navigating a narrow staircase, Jim scraped the wall slightly. Even though this wall was very scratched up already, Jim felt an obligation to admit his error. When he showed this […]

Customer service complaints and issues are common in almost every business. Often, despite our willingness to help, those doing the complaining are unwilling to be part of the solution. It can be frustrating, regardless of how many solutions are presented, that the person on the other end of the line still seems combative or dismissive. Colossians 3:23 says. “Whatever you […]

Many businesses choose to hire a successor CEO from outside their organization, which is often necessary, but can prove riskier. Some of the best transitions I’ve witnessed happened when the future CEO worked under the existing CEO for a season. This method can provide for a smoother “hand off” and the ability to make course corrections if problems arise during […]

The Peter Principle says if we continually promote high performers, we will eventually promote them to a level of incompetence. According to Harvard Business Review, Alan Benson and Kelly Shue tested this theory by researching how well sales people did when they were promoted to sales manager. They discovered that high-performing salespeople were often not good managers, affirming the Peter […]

During my career, there are occasions when I’ve experienced struggles that seemingly could only be fixed with money. With my narrow view, I’ve prayed for God to fund the organization, not really considering other options. Sometimes He’s provided my need with volunteer labor instead. God has unlimited options. In Acts 3, a man who was lame since birth asked Peter […]