Getting Out of Balance
Posted inExecutive Insights

Getting Out of Balance

One way the forces who oppose God can neutralize us as Christian business owners is by getting us off-balance.[1] For example, you become overly focused on following God’s laws at the expense of loving others, or you become too cavalier in following his laws and nearly all sin becomes acceptable. You become overly focused on truth and justice, or you become too careless in guarding truth and...
July 5, 2024Posted inExecutive InsightsTags:
Protecting Another’s Reputation
Posted inExecutive Insights Theology and Business

Protecting Another’s Reputation

Reputational damage is type of division that is long-lasting, quiet, and ambient yet difficult to repair. People say things about each other in a church or business setting that may appear benign but in reality can be highly damaging to others. Managing Your Reputation I have seen the visceral, adverse effects a Christian business owner experiences when their reputation is wrongly damaged. As Christian business owners, we...
July 5, 2024Posted inExecutive Insights, Theology and BusinessTags:
A Primer on Risk
Posted inExecutive Insights Governance, Risk, Compliance Theology and Business

A Primer on Risk

The definition of risk varies from source to source. Steinberg (2011:75) defines risk as “uncertainty surrounding a potential event. It is the possibility that something will happen—that is, an event will occur—with a negative outcome.” Lupton (2013:3) describes risk as “deviation from the norm, misfortune, and frightening events. This concept assumes human responsibility and that ‘something can be done’ to prevent misfortune.”  Stern and Fineberg (1996:214) define...
December 2, 2023Posted inExecutive Insights, Governance, Risk, Compliance, Theology and BusinessTags: , ,
Posted inExecutive Insights

Christian Business Reference Architecture Explained

A reference architecture is a document or set of documents an interested party can refer to as a blueprint for developing a new entity based on the architecture (Muller, 2020:4). An ‘architecture’ is “…the fundamental organisation of a system embodied in its components, their relationships to each other and to the environment and the principles guiding its design and evolution” (Hilliard, 2000:10). Reference architectures can be used...
November 15, 2023Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: ,
The Center of a Biblical Worldview of Christian Business Ownership
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights Theology and Business

The Center of a Biblical Worldview of Christian Business Ownership

What is the center of a biblical worldview of business ownership? How should a Chrisitian business owner view the owner's role as a steward before God? This is how I define this center, in one sentence: Christian business owners live with an eternal perspective derived from their covenantal relationship with God and is lived out through biblical stewardship. There are several questions that can always be asked...
November 1, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive Insights, Theology and BusinessTags: ,
Common Types of Ethical Decisions Christian Business Owners Face
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Common Types of Ethical Decisions Christian Business Owners Face

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners. Schwartz (2017:234-235) suggests there are different ethical situations that a business owner may face: Moral temptation: the owner can benefit or avoid loss. Moral temptations require moral willpower. Stand up for ethics: the owner will suffer if the correct ethical decision is made. Standing up for ethics requires moral courage....
October 30, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: ,
What Should Christian Business Owners Value?
Posted inEthics Executive Insights Theology and Business

What Should Christian Business Owners Value?

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners. What values does the Bible prescribe for a Christian business owner to adopt and bake into his business? Happily, comparisons in the Bible teach us what to value. These values are presented as valuing one thing over another. The following table outlines that which all Christians - including Christian business...
October 21, 2023Posted inEthics, Executive Insights, Theology and BusinessTags: ,
Posted inChristian Stewardship Executive Insights

Should Corporations Tithe? Not Necessarily.

Some strongly believe that a business owned by a Christian has its responsibility to tithe in addition to the owner’s tithing. Since the corporation is considered a separate legal entity, some believe it has a spiritual responsibility to tithe. In addition, it is not uncommon for ministries with whom this researcher has been associated to tithe 10 per cent of their donations to other Christian organisations. It...
October 19, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Executive InsightsTags:
Taking Too Much Compensation as the Owner of a Business
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Taking Too Much Compensation as the Owner of a Business

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.  Description of the Problem: Most business owners take cash out of the business as compensation without any link to the business’s success (Mikaloniené, 2020:919). Cash is often taken because the inherent power structure of a closely held business allows the owner to set a compensation level without justification to another...
October 19, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: ,
Business Formation and Christian Theology: Partnerships
Posted inChristian Stewardship Executive Insights Theology and Business

Business Formation and Christian Theology: Partnerships

A three-part Bible and Business series on what the Bible says about the legal formation of a business. This post on partnerships will be abnormally long when compared to Sole Proprietors or Corporation. The reason for this is simple: many partnerships do not work well and seem to be the structure in which many ownership problems prevail. The harmony and trust the partners have at the beginning...
October 17, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Executive Insights, Theology and BusinessTags:
Business Formation and Christian Theology: Sole Proprietor
Posted inChristian Stewardship Executive Insights Theology and Business

Business Formation and Christian Theology: Sole Proprietor

A three-part Bible and Business series on what the Bible says about the legal formation of a business. A sole proprietor is an individual who is engaged in business activities. A sole proprietor does not register a business entity with government authorities. A sole proprietorship is the easiest business type to form because there is no legal structure. However, under current American law, a sole proprietor can...
October 10, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Executive Insights, Theology and Business
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Hearing the Voice of God in Ethical Decision Making

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.  Ethical decision-making is not merely an intellectual exercise for the Christian business owner. It is also a dynamic spiritual activity. Coupled with filtering the situation’s details through the two great commands (love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself) as the starting...
October 7, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , ,
Overworking Your Staff to Save on Payroll Expenses
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Overworking Your Staff to Save on Payroll Expenses

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.  In this scenario, an owner expects the employees to work sixty, seventy, or even eighty hours each week without additional compensation, such as bonuses or stock options, for working longer hours. Description of the Problem: Some owners naturally work sixty or seventy hours weekly. They enjoy their work, and they...
October 7, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , , , , ,
Right-sizing a company to save it from bankruptcy
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Right-sizing a company to save it from bankruptcy

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners. Nearly every company will need to be right-sized[1] at some point in its lifecycle. No business ever has sustained growth. There are always downturns which owners face. Description of the Problem: Owners get caught in a downward spiral when they believe revenue growth is the answer to a sustained deficit....
October 6, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , ,
Manipulating Accounting Entries to Save on Taxes
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Manipulating Accounting Entries to Save on Taxes

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.  This ethical situation is created when the owner commingles business and personal expenses. As a result, expenses that would normally be personal expenses, such as leasing an automobile, become business expenses that reduce taxable income because the owner owns a business through which the owner can create tax write-offs. Description...
October 3, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , ,
Tolerating Boorish Behavior Because of the Benefits an Employee Brings to the Company.
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Tolerating Boorish Behavior Because of the Benefits an Employee Brings to the Company.

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.  Description of the problem: Some organisations, including Christian ministries, make conscious tradeoff decisions to accept a level of egocentricity, arrogance, callousness, or insensitivity in key employees because of the talents, skills, and positive outcomes these employees bring to the organization. Their destructive tendencies can be mistaken as leadership qualities: “Taking...
October 2, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , ,
Generating fake online reviews for the owner’s products or service
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Generating fake online reviews for the owner’s products or service

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners. Word-of-mouth advertising has always been considered the best kind of advertising because it costs nothing and is one of the most trusted forms of marketing (Tan, 2015:Online). Description of the problem: In this scenario, the owner hires a firm to write positive but fake reviews of the owner’s products or...
October 1, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: , , ,
The Starting Point for Christian Ethics
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights Theology and Business

The Starting Point for Christian Ethics

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners. Ethics in Business Making correct ethical decisions matters for two reasons. First, when one allows small compromises to encroach into one’s ethics, those compromises will become larger and larger until there are significant moral or legal violations. Second, making correct ethical decisions is tantamount to following God’s commands. Foundation for...
September 29, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive Insights, Theology and BusinessTags:
Compromising Product Quality
Posted inChristian Stewardship Ethics Executive Insights

Compromising Product Quality

This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian Ethics for Christian Business Owners. Product quality refers both to the manufacturing of the product as well as to the marketing of the product. If the marketing suggests that the product is an average quality product, then the consumer can expect an average quality in the manufacturing of the product. But when there is a...
September 29, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Ethics, Executive InsightsTags: ,
New Book: Working for a Difficult Boss: Lessons from the Life of Daniel
Posted inChristian Stewardship Executive Insights Leadership Theology and Business

New Book: Working for a Difficult Boss: Lessons from the Life of Daniel

In the United States, roughly 158 million people go to work daily. Well over half (70%) report working for a bad boss. At some point, 50% will quit their jobs because of a boss who lacks the skills and ability to manage people well. In addition, according to Barna Research, 25% of American adults are practicing Christians. This means that (roughly) 40 million Christians go to work...
May 6, 2023Posted inChristian Stewardship, Executive Insights, Leadership, Theology and BusinessTags:
A Story About an Innovative Solution
Posted inExecutive Insights

A Story About an Innovative Solution

I got this story from a friend of mine who owns a couple of businesses. It is a great example of an innovative solution to a (seemingly) difficult problem. Just by looking at the problem differently, an obvious solution presented itself. Here is the story. A farmer died leaving his 17 horses to his 3 sons. When his sons opened up the will it read: My eldest...
March 17, 2023Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: , ,
Don’t Get Caught Up in all the Anger
Posted inCurrent Events Executive Insights

Don’t Get Caught Up in all the Anger

I recently published my latest book, titled Biblical Wisdom for Business Leaders: Thirty Sayings from Proverbs. In that book, I gave a devotional on Proverbs 22.24-25, which reads: Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared. This proverb reminds us that angry ways can be learned. And after learning them,...
June 27, 2022Posted inCurrent Events, Executive InsightsTags: ,
Predictions on the COVID-19 Situation
Posted inExecutive Insights

Predictions on the COVID-19 Situation

As remasking to protect against COVID-19 is being recommended by the CDC, I thought this might be a good time to share some thoughts for Christian business owners to consider. First, it is just a matter of time before nearly all employers, associations, non-profits and so forth require their employees to be COVID vaccinated. Protecting employees, customers, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders will become an expected standard...
August 4, 2021Posted inExecutive Insights
How Much Should We Pay our Pastor?
Posted inExecutive Insights

How Much Should We Pay our Pastor?

I am indebted to Julie Roys at the Roys Report for her work in exposing ministers who are clearly overpaid and living on the backs of their congregants. You can learn more here, here (scroll to "Ed Young Sells Miami Home"), here and here, and this isn't an exhaustive list. Ministers who live lavish lifestyles at their parishioners expense is nothing new, but it creates an impression...
May 6, 2021Posted inExecutive InsightsTags:
Cultivating a Risk Intelligent Culture
Posted inExecutive Insights

Cultivating a Risk Intelligent Culture

I was talking with a colleague recently about common threads in businesses that need to be turned around. One we briefly discussed pertained to risk and agency cost—the ability of a key employee, owner or partner to engage in activities that are personally beneficial but hurt the organization. Such benefits can range from what they buy with company dollars and time, to what they do, or avoid...
April 6, 2021Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: ,
Posted inExecutive Insights

CEO Inbox Observations

Three times now, I've been asked to be the CEO of a company in which I have inherited the former CEO's email inbox. Three times now I've had to manage both my own email inbox and another's at the same time. In two of the three cases, the CEOs were underperforming. Their email inboxes have given me insight into as to why. Attention Management Attention Management is...
March 6, 2021Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: ,
Have no Fear of Sudden Disaster
Posted inExecutive Insights

Have no Fear of Sudden Disaster

Proverbs 3.25-26 (NIV) says this: Have no fear of sudden disaster, or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared One of the main reasons we purchase insurance is to share the risks our businesses face with others in a similar situation.  Insurance companies coalesce those risks into a risk pool with many...
January 2, 2021Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: , , ,
Business Owner’s Need for Reflection
Posted inExecutive Insights

Business Owner’s Need for Reflection

Business owners and leaders should take time away from their business to reflect, pray and gain perspective. Times of reflection allow us to disconnect from the cares and schedules of this world and focus on something that is important to learn about, to understand and to eventually reach a place where we can make quality decisions or enter into rich experiences that will elude us otherwise. Reflection...
January 1, 2021Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: ,
Emotional Reluctance Can Kill Your Business
Posted inExecutive Insights

Emotional Reluctance Can Kill Your Business

Business Owners need to understand themselves well enough to know where they have emotional reluctance for difficult decisions. Difficult decisions are, well, difficult.  But when there is an emotional attachment to a person, process or a historical element as part of the decision, then emotional reluctance can postpone that difficult decision, which can injure your business and/or employee relations both in the near-term and long-term. For example,...
December 31, 2020Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: ,
How our Tax System Works
Posted inExecutive Insights

How our Tax System Works

I found this post on the Wall Street Journal site in response to the House Bill Health Care Reform story. Rather instructive, I might add. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: The first four men (the poorest)...
December 18, 2020Posted inExecutive InsightsTags: , ,