A couple weeks ago I read an interview in the New York Times with comedian Will Ferrell. The journalist asked him about his move from big screen film to a temporary stint as the main character in the TV series, “The Office.” Despite a decade-long run of mega-blockbuster hits (five of his action-comedies have raked in over $100 million each at the US box office), Mr. Ferrell confessed that he still felt uncertain about his career trajectory. Well, gee, you’re... Read more
When I started this crazy sidebar of writing many moons ago, one of the first pieces that pushed its way through my subconscious haze was an essay that wrangled with the question of whether it was spiritually legit for Christians to make money. Or, I should say, to want to make money. I argued that it was okay. (Really, what did you expect?) Thus the “Shrinking the Camel” blog was born. But making money is only one piece of the work-faith-life... Read more
“Good to Great” author Jim Collins tells a story of the former CEO of Gillette, Coleman Mockler, a shy and humble man who fought off corporate raiders during the 80’s, keeping Gilette independent and prosperous. Even during the company’s darkest and most intense times of the takeover crisis, and despite the increasing global nature of the business, Collins notes that Mockler rarely worked evenings or weekends. Instead, he spent that time with his family, never missed church, and was actively... Read more
As spiritual beings, we are each on a quest to find a greater purpose and meaning in our lives. The journey is never-ending. It’s not like you wake up one day consummate with an epiphany, or a bolt of lightning, or a ray of sunshine that reveals all the ultimate truths of the universe. We are discovering things a little bit at a time as we face a new set of challenges, relationships, and opportunities with each new day. This is just... Read more
Here is a repost for you (again). This is one of my favorite true stories ever. Sorry I am being so lazy on the new material, but I am quite caught up in other activities. But you don’t really mind, do you? No, I didn’t think so. Have a happy and blessed Holy Week and Easter. Last week I took a train into New York City to attend a “Deal Making Conference.” Thousands of men and women in their finest hand tailored suits... Read more
A friend of mine, Mark, was recently telling me of his harrowing experiences with his Board of Directors each month. I wouldn’t have expected him to be the type that gets flustered or easily intimidated, since he is pretty powerful in his own right. As a serial entrepreneur in the telecommunications industry, he had already built and sold a company or two, not to mention the boatload of bucks I knew he had scored along the way. But Mark’s latest... Read more
Hey, guess what? You don’t have to feel so guilty any more for feeling guilty! A research study by Francis Flynn from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business revealed that those who are more prone to guilt received higher performance ratings from their bosses. Related studies showed that these guilt-ridden people were seen as stronger leaders by their peers. Well. That explains a lot. I know this feeling all too well. Whenever I try to relax and take it easy, there’s always that... Read more
My management team got together the other day to review our progress on a major corporate initiative. About a year ago we had laid out a huge, exciting new vision, and we’ve been working ever since to implement on it. Well, struggling, actually, would be a better word. Aside from its complexity, there have been all sorts of things getting in our way – cultural resistance, system issues, and unlearning the way we used to do things, to name a few. After an hour of complaining about how... Read more
Like most healthy adults, I feel guilty sometimes. Not just for the bad things I do, but also for the list of things I could do, or should do but I don’t. Most of which I am not even aware of until my wife points them out to me. We’re all just guilty. Some say that we are guilty even from the womb – we are born with an innate desire to rebel. Those of us who are parents can... Read more
Right before I left for my Caribbean cruise earlier this month, I grabbed some magazines piled high on my office desk and stuffed them into my briefcase. I figured with all that potential free time at sea, I could get caught up on reading about the latest Big Ideas in business. I then proceeded directly to my awesome vacation and promptly ignored that heavy briefcase. Which was the appropriate thing to do, of course. However, by day five of my empty-headed junket, I was... Read more
Shrinking the Camel
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In