Blog

Marks of a Great Leader

By Robert J. Tamasy I seem to be an information packrat. I collect articles, columns and various notes, and hang onto them for years for future reference, not knowing when or how I might use them. Recently I came across a column from 2005 that appeared in the respected business journal, Forbes. Entitled “Five Marks of a Great Leader,” it was written by Paul Johnson, a British historian and author. He asked, “What makes a real leader? How can we recognize one?” Johnson offered the view that among the qualities great leaders possess, they must include:
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Leadership

What is The Value of Customer Service?

By Robert J. Tamasy Recently I was among nearly 500 people affected when a local medical facility decided to close a specialized care center that had served our area for 15 years. The patients, many of whom had been going to the center for years (10, in my case), were understandably disappointed and upset. “Irate” was a better description for some of them.
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Customer service

The Power of Admitting, ‘I Don’t Know’

By Jim Mathis I was at a business seminar where the instructor advised attendees to never say, “I don’t know.” She said a better response is, “That is a good question,” or “Let me find out for you.” That sounds reasonable until we realize it denies the obvious – that we really don’t know everything, and sometimes it is not possible to find suitable answers to all our questions.
Category:  Monday Manna

Five Steps to Success, Modeled by Nehemiah

by Rick Boxx Some people view the Bible strictly as a religious book, failing to see its relevance for every day. However, it can serve as a very practical, common sense guide for any aspect of life – including the business and professional world. No better example could be cited than the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. A trusted adviser to Persian king Artaxerxes in the 5th century B.C., he dreamed of rebuilding Jerusalem, reduced to mostly rubble for more than 140 years. The account of Nehemiah shows five key steps he took that paved the way for restoring the city:
Category:  Monday Manna

‘You Are Now Entering the Mission Field’

By Robert J. Tamasy When you hear the term “mission field,” what comes to mind? Typically we think of a distant land, with people living in an alien culture, speaking an unfamiliar, even strange language. Have you ever thought about the mission field that exists right outside your office or cubicle, or the people you will encounter during your next sales call?
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Mission Field, Marketplace Ambassadors, Missionaries

The Need For A Personal ‘Margin Call’

By Rudolfs Dainis Smits The word “margin” has many meanings and applications. Even for the workplace. The Merriam-Webster dictionary, for example, says it can mean, a bare minimum below which or an extreme limit beyond which something becomes impossible or is no longer desirable. It can mean the difference between profit and loss. If equity in your account – value of securities minus what you owe the brokerage) – falls below the maintenance margin, the brokerage can issue a “margin call.” This forces the investor to either liquidate his/her position in the stock, or add more cash to the account.
Category:  Monday Manna

Empowering Employees to Thrive

By Robert J. Tamasy Max De Pree, an American businessman and writer, has written several thought-provoking books drawing from his experiences and observations in the workplace. One statement I have found especially interesting is: “Leaders owe people space, space in the sense of freedom. Freedom in the sense of enabling our gifts to be exercised. We need to give each other space to grow, to be ourselves.”
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Leadership

Money And Happiness – Not Necessarily Related

By Jim Mathis In addition to my regular business restoring old photographs and making executive portraits, I am also a tax professional for a national tax preparation services company. I have done about 1,000 tax returns in the past several years and earned the designation “Enrolled Agent – Master Tax Advisor.”
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Money, Happiness

Overcoming Toxic Anger

By Rick Boxx Years ago, my boss at the time appointed me to chair a taskforce to address a major problem in our company. For me, this became a political landmine, a classic no-win situation. My boss was likely hoping I would protect him from the possible fallout of the taskforce’s decision, but I did not.
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  anger

Working Through Vocational Transition

By Jim Langley Several of my friends have been dealing with new directions in their work life. These are not individuals just starting their careers, but mature workers who have given much to their respective companies for a good part of their lives. Some received substantial severance packages appropriate for their time of service, but even “golden handshakes” cannot take away the uncertainty of what lies ahead. None of these men is ready to leave the workforce to stay at home and live an unproductive life. Yet, until they find a new place to utilize their vocational skills and gifts, I imagine at times they will feel somewhat lost and will not know which way to turn. This happens when we become comfortable in our careers and fail to give thought to what God has planned for that next stage of our lives.
Category:  Monday Manna
Tags:  Work, Transition