We read in scripture that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52, NIV) A take-away from this verse is recognizing that Jesus’ growth in wisdom, integrity, and relationship with God was ongoing. As He became older, He learned more. While He had wisdom from God directly, my interpretation of this verse also indicates that he participated in an ongoing growth effort.

I tend to read at least two hours every evening. I find that reading is more productive and useful than watching endless banter on political programs or most other TV productions. This time allows me to read quite a few books.  Of course, some are better than others.

Sometimes I re-read some of the best books two or three times to take better notes that I did the first time through. For example, when you see a well-done movie several times; you start picking up things that you glossed over or missed the first time through. By watching the movie again, you pick up on nuances and other information.

Attracting, recruiting, and retaining quality employees remains a challenge for many employers.  A key element in meeting this challenge is posting the position and a job description.

Most of us tend to focus on what we want. We use the communication to prospective employees entirely from our point of view. However, in today’s environment many qualified applicants have choices concerning which opening to pursue. We need to understand how this reality impacts how we write the post. 

Most people know that new sales online have been increasing.  In 2018, e-commerce increased 14.2% from 2017. The increase has been steady for years while we see retail stores struggling with stores closing in large numbers. This includes large retailers like Kmart and Sears but also involves smaller stores in strip malls. 

However, an interesting statistic is that, though retail sales in brick-and-mortar stores have been stagnant while e-commerce has increased; the increase is clearly at the expense of growth that would have occurred in traditional stores.  It is also true that while traditional stores have suffered decline, there is still a tremendous amount of retail activity. Over 90% of sales are still conducted through traditional storefront locations.

When a prospective client asks for my opinion, usually they simply want me to affirm what they’ve already decided to do. They really don’t want an independent perspective. We see an example in scripture where a prophet of the Lord was pressured. “Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.’ But Micaiah replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.’” (1 Kings 22:13-14, NIV)

Clearly, the messengers only wanted Micaiah to affirm what the other advisors had already determined was the correct action. Unfortunately, the king ignored the prophet’s advice which was the opposite from the other prophets and the king was killed.

When I work with clients and their businesses, I try to point out different options with the pluses and minuses of each choice. For example, one client wanted to hire a family member.  I asked the question, “If you needed to fire that person, how would it impact family relationships?” The client admitted it would be serious and make for a very difficult Thanksgiving dinner. My advice was not to hire the person because the consequences of the arrangement not working out would far exceed the temporary pleasure of hiring a family member. Despite my advice, the client hired the family member.  Six months later, my client had to terminate the relative.  It took several years to heal the relationship.