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 in a meeting with a colleague who was reviewing “Tom’s” work as a website development person. Just as the meeting started Tom turned his attention to his smart phone, and then looked up. I was hoping he turned off the device. Instead twice more Tom took his attention from our meeting and shifted it to his electronic device. I was already a little irritated going into the meeting because we were behind schedule, and I was concerned about how we were going to get everything done in a timely manner.

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. 

I’ve covered many elements important to effective websites in this blog.  I want to reinforce an important point.  When someone establishes a website to generate business, the website needs to target a specific audience. The more specific the targeting, the hotter the customer button will become. The business owner must identify the hot button.

Every day the news gives us more salacious allegations of malfeasance by high profile individuals. We shake our heads, wonder why, and act judgmental as we call for their heads. Frequently the issue is one of addiction.

We pass an alcoholic on the street and wonder how somebody ends up in that circumstance. Addiction starts with one step. Perhaps a 14-year-old snuck a few drinks from their parent’s liquor cabinet or engaged in underage drinking with friends at some social event. They became addicted to alcohol before they realized what they had experimented with. They probably can’t tell you the day it happened. Addictions are sneaky and can destroy anyone.