Most of us have interviewed potential employees with very little work background. These may be individuals fresh out of school or those who have been out of the workforce for a period of time. Trying to discern a person's qualifications without work experience is a challenge.

Establishing the correct wage for staff is never easy.  We see an example in Scripture, “But Laban said to him, ‘If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.’” (Genesis 30:27-28, NIV).

I've learned over time that when we fail to meet an employee's reasonable expectations and salary requirements, they move on. For example, I interviewed a prospective salesperson who wanted to make $200,000 within 12 months. Given that this person just finished school with little experience, I knew that making half the expected salary was unrealistic. If offered a position, the expectations would not have been met.

A question I deal with frequently is how much freedom to give staff and how to make sure that staff does not misuse this freedom. King David wrote after hearing from the Lord, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.” (Psalm 32:8-9, NIV)

I was bringing in spaghetti squash from my garden and reflecting on the amount of green plants spilling over my garden boxes. I thought about how it took so much plant to produce about 15 squash. When it is time to eat I think more about the squash than the green plant I picked it from. However, without a healthy green plant there’s no squash.

I thought about how plants are like a business. 

Planning and adhering to work commitments is a common challenge.  Time and time again some individuals simply schedule too much work and miss deadlines. Often the person feels bad about it, but believes a good explanation equals a good result. Most customers disagree.

In my own mind I differentiate between a reason and excuse. A reason is something you provide in advance concerning why you may not be able to meet a customer’s expectations or requirements. An excuse is something conjured up as a reason for failure.