cbmc

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Sep 21, 2015  – John D. Beckett

BUSINESS DILEMMA EDITION Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of monthly editions of “Monday Manna” that will focus on common business dilemmas and ethical issues we confront in the workplace. After a brief summary of the problem, we provide questions for personal consideration or group discussion. We then offer comments on the situation and also consider biblical principles that might apply.

It had been one of those long, aggravating days – the kind in which the nerves of everyone in the company had remained constantly on edge. “At least this day is almost over,” thought Carlos, the customer service representative for Ace Windows and Doors. Just as he was reaching for his coat to leave work for the day, his phone rang.

“I have tried for half an hour, and I cannot get your Model SD 92 storm door to lock properly!” said the frustrated customer.

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Sep 14, 2015  – Jim Langley

In William Shakespeare’s classic literary work, Hamlet, he includes the famous words, “To be, or not to be – that is the question: Whether is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles….” Through these, Shakespeare states, we see the essence of simply being.

For years I have been intrigued with the concept of being versus doing. In the business and professional world, doing is foundational to our work. We create “to-do lists,” maintain schedules either manually or on our computers and smartphones, establish specific, measurable goals and objectives, evaluate performance by bottom lines that reflect sales, productivity and profits. We are all about “doing.” But what about “being”?

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Sep 7, 2015  – Rick Boxx

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, a pace-setting e-commerce company, and one of the wealthiest business people in China, explained his simple, straight-forward business philosophy during an interview on a TV news magazine program. Mr. Ma said at Alibaba, “Customers are first, employees second, and shareholders are third.”

The entrepreneur went on to state, “If you take care of your customers, and your employees, they will take care of the shareholders.”

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Aug 31, 2015  – Robert J. Tamasy

It used to be said that “a watched pot never boils,” but with the advances in technology, a more current version of this saying might be, “a watched microwave never beeps.” It seems that whether in business, in family matters, cooking a meal, or simply going through the process of experiencing everyday life, we are in a hurry. We do not want to wait for anything. “I want it – and I want it NOW!”

In reality, however, the best, highly cherished things in life almost always require time – and lots of it. Prospective physicians attend college, then spend more years going to medical school and receiving training in their chosen specialties. To earn a prized MBA, business and professional must invest much more time and expense beyond college as well.

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Aug 24, 2015  – Jim Mathis

Having pursued professional photography for most of my adult life, there are many things I have enjoyed about it. Among them are the principles I have encountered that can be easily applied to other areas of everyday life. For instance, the value of clearly recognizing what is important.

As a young person I learned a lot about photography simply by looking at pictures in magazines. I was particularly influenced by Vogue and other fashion magazines that all offered strong visual content. As I studied their photos, I discovered that in creating an image with high visual and emotional impact, the most important thing is to eliminate everything from the photo that is not important.

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Aug 17, 2015  – Robert Tamasy

A wise observer of the workplace and the life of business and professional people is Max DePree, a highly successful corporate executive who has written numerous books, including The Art of Leadership and Leadership Jazz. One quotation from Mr. DePree that I recently saw particularly impressed me.

He stated, “Goals and rewards are only parts, different parts, of human activity. When rewards become our goals, we are only pursuing part of our work.” Read that aloud and chew on it for a few moments. What do you think Mr. DePree is saying – and do you agree?

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Jun 15, 2015 – Robert J. Tamasy

No job is perfect, and probably all of us have had times when we felt, “I hate my job.” But maybe the following will provide a new perspective on your present situation:

A name-brand pharmaceutical company manufactures a rectal thermometer. Inside the box are included directions for use, and small print on the instructions sheet states, “Every rectal thermometer is personally tested and then sanitized.” How would you like to have the job of thermometer quality control inspector at that company? How does your job seem now, in comparison?

You might be thinking, “Well, I’m not a thermometer tester, but sometimes it seems as if what I have to do is nearly as bad.” How should we handle hard times at work, those vexing moments when, as a friend of mine liked to say, “I would rather eat a bug”?

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Jun 8, 2015 – Jim Langley

Perseverance, in our quick-fix, must-have-it-now society, is not a popular topic. But that does not mean it is not worth a good discussion. Throughout our lives, at work and away from work, we often must make a choice – either to persevere and stick with the process, or take a diversion. Many people see the choice as an easy one – find a diversion if results fail to come as quickly as desired.

However, I have always enjoyed taking what is sometimes called “the road less traveled.” This road is usually more challenging, but is also more rewarding once you have reached your goal. My friend, Chris Hedges, serves as an excellent example of this.

I met Chris a few months ago while he was making his first book tour. The book, Average Joe’s Story: Quest for Confidence, is inspirational, but getting acquainted with the author inspired me even more than his literary work. You see, Chris has been battling cancer since he graduated from the University of Miami. Upon finishing his 20,000-mile national book tour, Chris “celebrated” by spending 10 days in a Florida hospital for treatment. He is already working on his second book, and it will not surprise me if someone tags him with the appropriate nickname, “Mr. Perseverance,” one of these days. Perhaps I did just that!

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Mar 23, 2015 – by Robert J. Tamasy:

Over the years, among my most enjoyable experiences have been visits to the famed Walt Disney World entertainment complex in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. I have gone there on several occasions and each time has been a treat for all of my senses. During my most recent trip I was impressed by one particular trait the legendary founder, Walt Disney, always emphasized – attention to detail.

Mr. Disney was meticulous, painstakingly working to ensure the quality of each of his productions, whether an animated film, a movie with real actors, or later – his Disneyland and Disney World theme parks. A friend of mine, Bob Foster, owned a guest ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A. that once had Walt Disney as a guest. Admiring the natural beauty of God’s creation at Lost Valley Ranch, Mr. Disney told my friend Bob, “I am engaged in the work of re-creation.”

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Mar 16, 2015 – by Jim Langley:

We often hear people in the workplace talking about “passion” these days, and passion comes in many packages. So let me ask you a question: “Where do you place your passion?” We are all passionate about certain areas of our lives and certain people around us. Much of our life is filled with what we could call common drudgery – merely living out an existence or “just getting by.”

That is the way much of the world portrays life, why advertising counsels us that hope for fulfillment and release should be found in the things we can purchase. Many commercials say, “Your life can be much more meaningful and exciting!” I question the truth and motive of such statements. The media are filled with misleading promises about products and lifestyles that appear to lead to self-gratification and happiness. We would be wise to not become passionate about their promises or buy into the lifestyles they cunningly endorse.

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Mar 9, 2015 – by Robert J. Tamasy:

Recently I read a brief account about a sheep in Istanbul, Turkey that jumped off a cliff. What made the story especially tragic was nearly 1,500 other sheep followed, about one-third of those dying as a result. Most of the others suffered injuries, and all must have sheepishly wondered, “What was I thinking?”

In case you think this must have been an aberration, a rarity in the world of sheep, be assured it was not. My friend, Ken Johnson, wrote a book called Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, and recounted many examples of how foolish sheep are. One experience relates directly to the sheep-over-the-cliff incident.

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Feb 23, 2015 – by Jim Mathis:

Have you noticed that with the ever-increasing complexities of everyday life and work, we are somehow managing to make things more complicated than they need to be? One evening I was at Homer’s, a coffee shop I once managed, performing with my band Sky Blue. As usual I used a Fender guitar amplifier that has been in my family for 50 years. I have an older amplifier I often use regularly as well. We are constantly told “newer is better,” but using decades-old musical equipment is not unusual. Major touring acts often use 50 or 60-year-old instruments and accessories.

The reason for this is simple: Just because something is the latest in a long line of products, this does not necessarily mean it is better than those that came before it. A drawer in my photography studio holds a number of cell phones or smart phones, none of which is working and all are less than 10 years old. The point is that often, simplicity is superior to complexity.

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