In 2001, a local CEO noticed his parking lot virtually empty at 5:00 pm and became incensed. He rashly sent an email to his executive team ranting about their poor performance. He believed that the parking lot should be half-full on Saturday mornings and on most evenings. His email demanded that the work ethic of the company improve or otherwise […]

Many years ago, a bank I worked for was being sued and I was a key witness! As our attorneys prepped me for a deposition, I discerned that their advice applied to life in general. These attorneys shared that when I was asked a question, I was to only answer the question, no more or no less. They highlighted that […]

As an introvert, I have conversations in my mind that should be shared more frequently with my staff. Sometimes I assume they know more than they do. But as my wife, Kathy, likes to remind me, “Silence is not good communication.” Some time ago, I wrote a document about my dreams for Integrity Resource Center to share with a team […]

Before placing anyone in a leadership position, discover their One Thing. Their One Thing is the foundation everything else is built on. Once I find my One Thing, I know who I am. My personal One Thing is my connection with Jesus. That’s the only scalable, sustainable One Thing I’ve found that’s worth living and dying for. Paul taught in […]

An old friend’s life had taken a dramatic turn from our last conversation. He had sold his business and began using his persuasive personality to convince others to be generous. As we talked, he stunned me by pointing out God had used me in his transition. He went on to say, “Had I not met you, and the people you […]

Toby’s business had outgrown their cash, and they were days away from potential failure. The evening before a meeting with a possible purchaser of his business, Toby shared his fear of failure with his wife. Toby’s wife asked him, “If the business fails do you believe that I’ll still love you?” “Yes,” Toby replied. “If the business fails will God […]

Years ago, a business owner called me all excited about our ministry and our desire to promote integrity. He invited me to tour his machine tooling business. Amazingly, this CEO bragged about his integrity and how important ethics were to him throughout the tour. When people constantly promote their own integrity, it can be a smokescreen for trouble. Part way […]

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor our veterans who died while serving their country. According to the Veterans Affairs, over 1.1 million people have died while in the military. People have choices. They can choose to charge into battle with courage or they can choose to flee. Most of these brave men and women we honor today, chose to be […]

Do a Motive Inventory After several years of unhappy marriage, Gina and I realized we married for many wrong reasons. Instead of ending our marriage, we turned to God, whom we believed had a higher purpose for our marriage. In time, our marriage healed and became healthy. I meet people who insist God told them to make some business decision. […]

Daniel shared with me that he once worked for IBM and was impressed with their three core values used to shape their culture. Daniel later went to work for an Ivy League school’s foundation. During a planning session for the foundation, Daniel asked the CEO about what values the organization held to help shape their culture. Remarkably, the CEO had […]