Integrity Moments

When I was a young banker, our bank’s business development leader announced a citywide blitz. All commercial lenders and business development professionals were commanded to go from business-to-business to promote the services of our bank. Calling on perfect strangers unannounced was very unsettling for me. Fortunately, our leader wisely decided to send us out in ...

The post Courage in Pairs appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

When Hobby Lobby sued the U.S. government over the healthcare mandate in 2012, a significant legal issue arose for the court to decide. The issue was whether companies had religious freedoms. Individuals have long had religious freedom, but the Courts hadn’t yet decided whether businesses had similar rights. One factor that swayed the court was ...

The post Does Your Business Have a Statement of Faith? appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

As a young businessman, I decided to buy houses and rehab them. The job was more than I could handle by myself, so, I convinced four friends join me in a partnership. One partner wisely recommended, “Rick, we need clarity and written commitments before we start.” This written agreement saved us many headaches. Joshua knew ...

The post The Importance of a Covenant appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

A recent Gallup report continued to show how stress at work is impacting U.S workers. More workers (49 percent) said they are struggling in their lives than those who say they are thriving (46 percent). The results reflect a new low over the past three years. Modern work can be stressful and anxiety-producing. We amplify ...

The post Grounded appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Harvard Business Review highlighted two studies that point to the importance of humble leaders. One study related to leaders helping their employees return to work after Covid. This study discovered that employees were less likely to consider leaving their employer if their leader was humble – someone who acknowledged personal limitations, was open to learning ...

The post The Impact of Humble Leaders appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Major General Briggs shared great wisdom at our Faith Incorporated event this year about making difficult decisions during a crisis. Sprinkled into a story about the military’s obsession with being prepared and their zealous use of checklists, was a humorous insight. Major General Briggs said, “If you want people to keep and use a checklist, ...

The post Laminate It appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Major General Jack Briggs shared with our Faith Incorporated audience how to make wise decisions during a crisis. He gave an example of how some soldiers, trapped in a firestorm in Afghanistan, radioed for air cover. In the heat of battle, when they were asked for coordinates, the soldiers mistakenly gave their own coordinates, rather ...

The post Military Preparedness appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Major General Jack Briggs has lots of battle experience making hard decisions. At our Faith Incorporated event, he shared four amazing questions to be asked for making major decisions. The four questions were “What do we know? What don’t we know? What are we doing about it? And Who else needs to know?” The first ...

The post Four Powerful Questions for Decision Making appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Bible commentaries describe Psalm 101 as King David’s strategy for ruling in accordance with God’s righteous rule. Within the Psalm’s eight verses are guiding principles such as, “I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart,” (verse 2) and “I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.” ...

The post Guiding Principles appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Beau Johnson, author of On Purpose, shared with our Faith Incorporated audience about the four seasons of our work life. Beau suggests the final season is Multiplication. After building influence in your industry, you can then focus on helping others grow their influence. This is multiplication. You will not be around forever. This means you ...

The post Working On Purpose: Season Four appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Beau Johnson, author of On Purpose, shared with our Faith Incorporated audience about the four seasons of our work life. The third season Beau referenced is Influence. After we’ve worked through the Exploration phase, we’ll need to eventually land on our passions and areas of expertise. This is the season when you need to become ...

The post Working On Purpose: Season Three appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Beau Johnson, author of On Purpose, shared with our Faith Incorporated audience about four seasons of our work life. After the Identity season, Beau suggests that we enter the Exploration season. God has equipped you with skills and passions that will advance your career and your contribution to society. You will, however, need a season ...

The post Working On Purpose: Season Two appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Beau Johnson, author of On Purpose, shared with our Faith Incorporated audience about the Four Seasons of our Work Life. In this series we’ll unpack some of Beau’s wisdom. The first season he referenced is what Beau labeled Identity. We need to discover who we are and want to be regarding our character. During ...

The post Working On Purpose: Season One appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Less than half of the leaders responding to a recent Gallup survey think they are exceptional at fostering accountability within their teams. Managers serving under these leaders gave their leaders even lower scores. It can be difficult to create a culture of accountability at work. Holding people accountable can require difficult conversations, stressful interactions, ...

The post Speaking Truth in Love appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

As the only one in his work group who actively professed his Christian faith, Brendon often felt isolated. He turned to his friends for advice on how to cope. They suggested television networks to watch, websites to visit, and podcasts to follow. He tried their suggestions but quickly realized these media outlets had their own ...

The post Right Counsel appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Kim packed all her belongings and moved across country to take a new position selling hearing aids. The very first month Kim’s boss coached her on how to deceive the customers about their hearing aids to increase sales. When Kim told her boss that she was not comfortable lying to the customers, she was fired. ...

The post Haters of Integrity appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Recently, Tom shared with me that the Catholic church did something to offend him. So, he began a quest of researching other Christian churches. Tom became overwhelmed when he discovered over 45,000 denominations. He then decided to shift his focus to researching the Bible. That’s when Tom discovered that Catholics include different books in the ...

The post The Confusing Pursuit of Truth appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor our veterans who died while serving their country. According to the U.S. military data over 1.2 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 ...

The post Men and Women of Courage appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Everyone on Karen’s team agreed that she created an accommodating work environment. She went out of her way to make sure everyone got along. Unfortunately, accommodating team members also meant that Karen struggled to make decisions. She delayed responses while she sought out everyone’s opinions in her effort to have every decision reflect the group ...

The post People Pleasing appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Author Os Hillman wrote that our own strengths and talents often can be a barrier to our faith. When we are skilled in an area, it is easy to depend on that strength instead of depending on God. In Luke 5, Jesus challenged Simon (soon to be “Peter”) to trust God for his work outcomes. ...

The post Our Own Effort appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

In Arthur Brooks’ book, From Strength to Strength, he references a study that discovered that 70% of workers say that the most important element to a happy work life is friendships at work However, 82% of all businesses in America are now led by solo entrepreneurs, with little opportunity to make or have friends at ...

The post Looking For Help appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

When I launched a faith-based consulting practice, a partner helped me start the business. Six months later he returned to banking, while I carried on alone. Very alone. We had rented some space in a dreary basement of a bank building. Suddenly, I was isolated, lonely, and making decisions in a vacuum. As an introvert, ...

The post We Are Not Meant to Be Alone appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Arizona Christian University’s most recent American Worldview Inventory report addressed the level of Biblical worldview in eight different categories. For the marketplace, I believe their category, Lifestyles, Behaviors, and Relationships is critical. Unfortunately, according to the report, only 10% of adults are integrating the Bible into their behaviors and relationships. Our biggest opportunity, however, lies ...

The post Making Disciples in the Workplace appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

We all want to imagine that our work is important and lasting. We want to make a difference. But the truth is that much of what we spend time working on won’t last. Days before his death, Jesus was at the house of Simon when a woman poured out a jar of expensive perfume over ...

The post Lasting Work appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

The executive erupted as the employee described the team’s mistake. The executive didn’t want to hear about what led to the mistake or how the team was working to mitigate the problem. He wanted the offending employee to feel his anger and the consequences of the error. How do you react when a team member ...

The post Honest Mistake appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

As the time approached for the day long prayer retreat, I started having second thoughts. There were so many important things that needed done. Also, as an introvert, I relish my quiet time with God, while corporate prayer is more of a struggle. Despite my reluctance, I went, and left grateful. The time of prayer ...

The post Building Community appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Jeff was expanding his tree service into a new city. While building his business there, Jeff met Bob, a young competitor. Jeff worked hard to build his business, but rather than trying to crush the competition, Jeff decided to mentor Bob. He even referred work to Bob’s company occasionally. After Jeff died in a tragic ...

The post Mentoring the Competition appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

For a while, I worked for a banker who had a fierce competitive rivalry with his cousin. There were seasons when the rivalry was more intense due to their personal conflict. My peers started realizing that if they had a loan prospect who was also getting a bid from our rival bank, they could stir ...

The post A Fruitless Competitive Rivalry appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

As graduation season approaches, many college students may be excited about completing their education, yet also anxious about burdens they now face. Educationdata.org claims the average college graduate is now faced with $40,000 in student loan debt! Since two decades ago, the average student loan debt at graduation has increased 117%. Debt can crush hopes ...

The post The Graduation Burden appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Many communities provide training for potential employees, as well as entrepreneurial training and support. However, Sherrod Brown, in an Inc magazine article, noted that a significant shift has happened in the marketplace requiring these programs to be redesigned. With the rapid growth in side businesses, many people now need workforce skills and business skills. Many ...

The post Budding Entrepreneurs appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

When we formed an event team in St. Louis years ago, one of the first roles we filled was a Prayer Coordinator. Over the years we’ve experienced intense spiritual battles before events. At our first event our team had some major medical challenges brewing. We began funneling our prayer requests to our prayer team. The ...

The post Enlisting a Prayer Team appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

My associate, Mike, and I were trying to find the Skywalk in downtown Des Moines without going outside into the torrential rain. We thought we had succeeded when we saw the S sign over a staircase. But then we discovered that the staircase was closed for construction. Mike asked a nearby construction worker if he ...

The post Our Guide to the Skywalk appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Over 1200 people were packed into the Iowa Governor’s Prayer Breakfast this year. One of the things I appreciate most about this event each year is that there are no denominational turf battles. Instead, it is an event for the capital C church. In John 17:20-21, Jesus said, “I pray also for those who will ...

The post Workplaces Free of Denominational Battles appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Houston Christian University recently conducted a survey of Christian business leaders. One of the issues discussed was the challenge of living an ethical life in the workplace. The research revealed that sixty-one percent (61%) of Christian leaders feel that moral conflicts put the impact of their faith expression at risk. In my opinion, the core ...

The post What Is Your Purpose? appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Nehemiah, Ezra, and the people of Israel, all experienced God’s miraculous involvement in rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. Then Ezra shared God’s Word with the Israelites, resulting in a time of repentance and revival. Rather than let this spiritual peak subside, Ezra pulled all the key leaders together to study God’s commands and how ...

The post Preparing Leaders for Action appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

In Nehemiah 8, Ezra read from the Word of God for half the day, while Levites clarified what the words meant. I’ve been to church frequently, but I can never recall a time when the whole congregation begins weeping. But they did that day. Nehemiah 8:9 says, “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and ...

The post God’s Word Brings Repentance appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Nehemiah, with God’s help, remarkably rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls in only 52 days. For most people it would be a time to celebrate. Instead, Nehemiah had a dream of rebuilding the whole city, not just the walls. But it was going to take the help of the people, money, and resources. Nehemiah realized he needed to ...

The post Involving Everyone appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Jenny had a major decision to make about a new direction for the department she led. To help make sure she made the best decision, she embarked on an extended exercise of seeking input from others on what she should do. Unfortunately, she talked to so many people, with so many opinions, that she realized ...

The post The Right Voice appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

In his book, “A Man After God’s Own Heart,” Jim George tells a story of an army officer in India who stopped to have his shoes shined by a poor boy on the street. The boy approached the task with such intensity and enthusiasm that the officer was amazed. He asked the boy why ...

The post Jesus’s Shoes appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

The organization was disappointed when a planned business acquisition fell through. Teams had dedicated hundreds of hours to organizing the transaction and working to finalize it. So, when it fell apart, the organization experienced a great sense of frustration and disappointment. But that disappointment was forgotten when a new opportunity arrived two years later. The ...

The post Good or Best appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.