Kathy and I are on an eight-day motorcycle journey through Tuscany, Italy with a group of riders. Here’s how the servant heart of one of our fellow riders convicted and inspired me. A group of us were getting our motorcycles ready for the trip. We had to become acquainted with our rental bikes—figure out the […]
“My cousin’s dad died, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know what to say,” said my friend John. “Why are you confused?” I asked. “My uncle was a big presence in our lives. He died suddenly, and I know my cousin has to be feeling lost, just lost, like I am,” […]
The other night over dinner, Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, CEO of Compassion International, told me a compelling story of how he was raised in a poor family with a mom and dad who were sold-out for Jesus. Grabbed by a Stranger “I was walking through the plaza in my small town in Mexico on a very […]
“I have to let a sales rep go today,” my new sales manager told me. “I’m sorry you have to do that. It is painful for everyone involved,” I said. “I’m not sure how to do it. Can you give me some advice? I never fired anybody,” he said. Mustard Seed Empathy “The best advice […]
I am headed to a lunch meeting for the High Tech Prayer Breakfast. I am feeling rushed and stressed. Not because of the people I am about to meet, but because of the calls I was on just before lunch. Three Stressful Calls I had three calls this morning. All entrepreneurs. All stressful. Their worlds […]
I was talking to Michael (not his real name), an entrepreneur who is interested in raising money. He is likable and capable, and people with money are recognizing him for it. He has recently been letting people know he is interested in expanding his business and will need to raise money. He is surprised by […]
“I have some great mentors I meet with on an irregular basis,” he said. I was talking to Noah (not his real name), a very successful entrepreneur who is also a seeker of advice. He has collected an impressive group of experienced businessmen. When he began listing the names of these people, I was jealous. He […]
“You’ve made a radical change in your life. I gotta know how you did it,” I said. In January 1993 I received a call from a friend who asked me to meet with his son. He felt like his son was drifting. The son didn’t do particularly well in high school, and at Auburn he achieved […]
“Whose office is that?” I asked the secretary. “That is Don Thompson’s office,” she answered. “Who is Don Thompson?” I asked. Sterling Software, led by Sterling Williams, had just completed the unfriendly takeover of Informatics General Corporation. Sterling was a $20mm public company, and they completed a leveraged buy-out of a $140mm public software company. […]
It was sometime in the middle of the night. I was asleep on my back. I turned over to my left side, and I felt this weird sensation. I felt like the room was moving. This can’t be! I thought. Spinning Rooms I opened my eyes, and the room was spinning to the left. I […]