two women meeting at table

Lessons on Accountability

March 4, 2019

Accountability is like getting a colonoscopy (so I am told!): Everybody knows it is best to have it done, yet no one wants it done to them. As I have shared before, I went through a 360-degree review last fall. Those interviewed suggested that I hold other people more accountable. Since receiving my results right […]

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#TheoThursday – The Gift of Momentary Silence

February 28, 2019

Theological thoughts about the workplace “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 The last two weeks I have written about how I pray for Hoffer Plastics, and how Bible reading impacts my leadership. These “disciplines” are easy for someone with a Type A personality because both involve “doing.” Solitude, the last discipline […]

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Let People Chew You Out

February 25, 2019

Leadership is about listening. In the manufacturing context, this means that you should be approachable to anyone on the plant floor. You might not agree with the feedback, it might even irritate you, but you should listen to it. Even if people feel the need to chew you out, let them. Recently, I had this […]

#TheoThursday: Mourn with those who Mourn

February 21, 2019

https://youtu.be/-N2IxxfN5Kg

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The Problem Wasn’t Stress

February 18, 2019

I was in the middle of one of those projects that feels like it is the most important project ever. The irony is that I cannot even remember which one of those “most important projects” this one was in retrospect. Still, I was stressed out. The gym is where I often go to sweat the […]

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#TheoThursday – How does Bible reading impact my leadership?

February 14, 2019

The Bible is often misunderstood. For starters, it is important to realize that it’s a collection of 66 books in one, consisting of various literary genres, with all 66 books telling a single story: the story of all stories. With the limited space of a blog post, today’s post attempts to answer the question: How […]

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The Cost of Keeping Your Word

February 11, 2019

Have you or your team ever misquoted a job? What do you? Do you refuse to own up to the contract? Do you run the job at a loss? About three years ago, we took on some work from a customer whose molds were at a company in distress. Unfortunately, the pricing we offered wasn’t […]

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#TheoThursday – How I Pray For Our Business

February 7, 2019

The topic of prayer has gotten a lot of attention from mass media the last few years, and most of it is not good. Look up “prayer shaming” on Google, and you will see many references to how worthless prayer supposedly is. This post isn’t going to dive into any of that. #TheoThursday posts are […]

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#TuesdayT – Losing it

February 5, 2019

Challenging truths for life and leadership This week’s truth comes from Jocko Willink: “Losing your temper is a sign of weakness.” Leaders are self-controlled. “Losing it” is always weakness. I’ll own that I am occasionally weak. What about you? Self-awareness demands an honest assessment. It is where improvement begins. Honestly assess your demeanor this week. […]

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Misconstrued Resistance (and negativity)

February 4, 2019

When your team pushes back against one of your ideas, do you hear negativity or constructive criticism? Let me take you into the Bald in Business headquarters — my home. It’s the place where my wife, Sarah, and I often contrast as a team. Like any couple raising a family, we often share opposing views […]