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Some time ago, my wife, Kathy, and I received a surprising offer of financial compensation from a major chemical manufacturer for damage one of its products did to our pine trees. Their settlement offer not only compensated us for actual losses, but also included an additional 15 percent for restitution. With this gesture, which the … Read more

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Some time ago one of my business friends contracted with a large provider of software to have a new system installed for his company. Based on this vendor’s promises, and their size and history, my friend was assured that with an investment of $250,000 and six months of implementation his company would be running more … Read more

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When we talk about competition in business, typically we are thinking in terms of trying to achieve an advantage over our competitors – whether through the products or services we offer, customer service, or other factors that could enable us to increase market share. And whenever a circumstance presents itself that could enable us to … Read more

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A survey conducted by Parade magazine, which appears in newspapers across the United States each week, discovered 51 percent of the 26,000 people polled believe the way people get ahead most effectively in the workplace is by taking advantage of internal corporate politics. Only 27 percent of those questioned said they believed professional advancement came … Read more

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  Practicing one’s faith in the pragmatic, bottom-line business and professional world, where seeing is believing, is difficult enough. Faith is especially hard to come by during times of economic adversity. A recent mortgage fraud case reminded me of this truth.   The borrower’s business grew rapidly by purchasing houses at below market prices and … Read more

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An organization called “Delivering Happiness at Work” had some great insights that were outlined in a Wall Street Journal article about happy employees. A study it conducted has discovered happy, content employees have 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, and are three times more creative. Although the research did not make this conclusion, employee attendance … Read more

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Suggestion boxes at companies are being replaced by online idea-submission systems, according to the Wall Street Journal, a respected business periodical. These systems not only receive ideas for changes and new initiatives, but also allow employees the opportunity to comment and vote on suggestions from other staff members. PricewaterhouseCoopers launched an idea-management website that generated … Read more

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Not long ago I heard author and speaker Lee Strobel give an excellent message on what he called the “5 P’s for making ethical decisions.” I thought his insights would be good to present in “Monday Manna.” The first P he mentioned is Purpose. When making a challenging decision, it is critical to remember your … Read more

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There seems to be an epidemic of callous, disrespectful behavior in today’s workplace. Yet, strangely enough, such demonstrations many times are not penalized. Sometimes they are even rewarded! According to a study mentioned in an article in the prestigious Wall Street Journal, employers often pay more for rude and disagreeable employees. The study discovered employees … Read more

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If someone were to ask you what is the primary factor for achieving success, what would be your answer?  That was a question Kent Humphreys, a consultant to corporate executives, wondered about. Everyone in the business and professional world desires to attain success, but for many individuals, success seems just beyond their reach. So what … Read more

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When my daughter, Megan, said she desired to become an occupational therapist. I did not understand this vocation or what such work would entail. That was before we attended an open house at Kansas University Medical Center’s Graduate Program for Occupational Therapy. The program director first greeted all of the parents and prospective students, then … Read more

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Many universities and corporate trainers teach business ethics from a perspective sometimes referred to as “moral relativism.” This basically means they do not believe in objective truth; to them, truth is in the eye of the beholder. As a result, according to this way of thinking, whatever an individual regards as right is good enough.  … Read more