In 1981, when Ken Melrose was appointed CEO, Toro was on the verge of bankruptcy. He felt it was his calling from God to build a culture using the concept of servant leadership. It seemed obvious to him to look at “rank & file” employees as the real strength of the organization. Read more
A few days ago, an airline pilot who had received a Christmas card from a passenger posted the enclosed note to the image-sharing social media site Imgur. Read more
What’s the deal with actuaries? Whenever a new list of the best jobs is compiled—like the rankings by Career Cast—they are always near the top of the list. What could really be so great about interpreting statistics to determine probabilities of accidents, sickness, and death, and loss of property from theft and natural disasters? And why have I never actually met an actuary? Are their jobs so exceedingly awesome that they don’t take time to associate with non-actuaries? Read more
Over the Labor Day 2013 weekend, columnist Peggy Noonan wrote about “Work and the American Character.” Her column points to the critical connection between the spiritual value of work and the moral strength of our culture. Unfortunately, in her search for a beacon of hope that can point us back toward the dignity of work, she neglects the church in favor of less promising possibilities. Read more
Recent research published in The Atlantic indicates that folks in creative and professional jobs might benefit from a differently structured workday: “A shorter workday works particularly well for knowledge workers—people in creative or professional jobs—who can work productively for about six hours a day, compared to the eight hours manual laborers can churn out, according to Salon. Unlike machines, humans operate on a cyclical basis, which means our energy and motivation fluctuate in peaks and troughs. Cognitive workers tend to be more focused... Read more
Human beings, with our diversity of gifts, talents, and dispositions, were created to, as Adam Smith put it, “truck, barter, and exchange.” In other words, we were made to trade. But we were not created to be constantly trucking, bartering, and exchanging. That’s the central truth about humanity that the commandment concerning Sabbath rest communicates. Read more
Living Our Labor
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