Last week’s “Monday Manna” looked at consequences of submitting to the insistent demands of our egos, doing whatever is necessary to ensure getting what we desire. Recently I came across an illustration from nature that demonstrates the virtues of very different behavior.  The story comes from Ulrich Zwingli, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in … Read more

From the life of the operatic composer Giuseppe Verdi comes the story of one night when he performed a piano recital at La Scala in Milan, Italy.  After his final piece, the appreciative audience demanded an encore. Verdi, hungry for applause, chose a loud and frilly composition he knew would thrill the audience, even though … Read more

Two executives had become locked in an ongoing feud that was beginning to have a negative impact on their company. After all internal efforts to settle the dispute had failed, the CEO of the organization asked if I would be willing to try and be a peacemaker between the two.  Both men professed to be … Read more

Innovations in the world of communications have been wonderful. We can use social media to stay in contact with friends and colleagues and reconnect with individuals we know from the past. Emails and texting have become a preferred way to communicate quickly. (Thanks to email, for example, this “Monday Manna” is reaching people in more … Read more

Being a follower of Jesus Christ, I celebrate the birthday of Jesus on December 25, as do billions of other Christians around the world. No one knows for certain the exact date Jesus was born, but December 25 seems as good a day as any to observe His birth.  The Bible tells us wise men … Read more

An old cowboy spent years working cattle ranches where winter storms took a heavy toll among the herds due to freezing rains and howling, bitter winds that piled snow into enormous drifts. Temperatures often dropped below zero degrees. Most cattle would turn their backs to the ice blasts and slowly drift downwind until finally a … Read more

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

If you needed to select an attorney, a new CPA, a different supplier, or perhaps a new janitorial service for your office, how would you go about evaluating possible candidates? Looking through phone books or online listings would not be very helpful, since they provide only limited information. So we might consult with friends and … Read more

Just about every culture has a time for celebrating the harvest and thanking God for another year’s provision. In the United States, Thanksgiving goes back to the early colonial times. Even though most of us are not farmers, millions of people still take time to show gratitude to God for providing for our needs. There … Read more

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

Looking back over the news headlines the last two years, there seems to be a recurring pattern with many top business leaders and sports figures – a severe fall from places of privilege, wealth and honor to places of public disgrace and ridicule.  Whether it be senior officers of banks that engaged in manipulating rates; … Read more

My wife Liz says I do not know how to turn my mind off. I respond that because I do not have much of a mind to start with, I need to keep working with what little I have! But the reality, she is right. I plan, worry, experience stress and agonize over situations – … Read more