During a transition season, I struggled to sort out opportunities and decide how to spend my time. I wasn’t sure how to determine God’s will and direction.  One of the best suggestions I readily adopted was holding a regular “Business Meeting with God.” The idea felt familiar. I had extensive experience providing updates to ...

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In 1776, our Founding Fathers grounded their argument for independence from Great Britain in the declaration: “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” They may have declared their independence from Britain, but at the same time, they were noting their interdependence upon their Creator.   Many ...

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In a Harvard Business Review article titled “The Power of Mattering at Work,” the authors introduced a profound way to help your teammates realize that their work matters. They labeled the concept laddering.  This concept originated when NASA was trying to put a man on the moon. One of NASA’s leaders, Owen Maynard, wrote on ...

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A Harvard Business Review article on the Power of Mattering at Work told a story about Jane, a custodian. Jane longed to be more than just a janitor, until her supervisor shared a different perspective.  This supervisor showed Jane the definition of custodian that said, “A person responsible for looking after something.” This wise ...

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In a Harvard Business Review article titled “The Power of Mattering at Work,” the authors make a distinction between belonging and mattering. The authors contend that we may desire to belong to a group, but we have a more fundamental need to matter.  They define belonging as feeling welcomed and accepted in a group, while ...

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In the book of Ruth, Boaz is a generous man who abides by God’s mandates. For instance, Boaz did not reap his fields all the way to the edge so that the poor could gather the leftovers.  Boaz demonstrated an abundance mentality that unfortunately far too few business leaders embrace. A scarcity mindset, however, says ...

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When I worked for large banks, it was obvious that I was a steward of the bank’s resources, not an owner. There were budgets, bosses, and built-in accountability to remind me that the bank’s money was not mine.   As a banker I witnessed many business owners use company resources for personal gain, while employees and ...

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When we catch ourselves putting too much focus on our finances, scripture recommends generosity as a way to restore balance. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians to be a conduit for giving to others as a form of service and gratitude.  “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, ...

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If you remember the parable of the talents, the last servant made excuses for his poor performance. Although this servant blamed his mistake on fear, it could have just as easily been due to laziness.  In the workplace, you can often identify the lazy workers by their multiple excuses. Some of them can get comical.  ...

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Kathy and I hired a contractor whom we respected to do some work for us. Unfortunately, when problems occurred with his team’s performance, we began having trouble with the contractor responding to our concerns.  We needed to have some tough conversations, but we were delayed week after week. It seemed our contractor had “stuck his ...

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