Religious Expression at Work: Persecution, or Pushy Employees?

Last updated on: January 14, 2010 at 6:53 pm By JBW

A recent article at MSNBC.com by career-journalist Eve Tahmincioglu flatly asserts that “wearing your religion on your sleeve in a largely secular American workplace could hinder your career.” The author goes on to recount two cases of workers getting into trouble for “expressing their Christian beliefs.” One young woman working at a ski resort in Vail was told to stop playing Christian music. She complained to HR and was fired in retaliation. Now she’s filed an EEOC suit. Another guy... Read more

An Interview With “The Trusted Advisor” Author Charles H. Green

Last updated on: January 12, 2010 at 10:00 am By JBW

I recently tracked down Charles H. Green to talk about his experience connecting trust, spirituality and business. Green is author of Trust-Based Selling and co-author of The Trusted Advisor, and founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, a consulting firm centering on the theme of building trust in business relationships. He also has a great blog called Trust Matters, where he posts frequently on this subject drawing from current business events, economics and client experiences. Charlie majored in Philosophy at Columbia, and... Read more

Don’t Let the Real World Eat You Alive

Last updated on: January 10, 2010 at 5:07 pm By JBW

A couple months ago I attended a Christian Leadership seminar where some national brand-name authors were heavily promoted as the featured speakers. I don’t usually attend this type of thing, but a friend of mine had been involved on the advisory board, and I wanted to support him. It took place at a regional Bible College. About half way through, a spot on the agenda opened up for one of the event sponsors to say a few words. Up to... Read more

Here Come the Communion Wafer Wars! (And You Thought Your Business Was Cutthroat?)

Last updated on: January 7, 2010 at 6:09 pm By JBW

Churches across the land are all in a quandary upon the unfortunate onset of the H1N1 virus, which has presented some delicate logistical issues regarding the distribution of communion sacraments. The once-popular practice of passing around a loaf of whole-wheat organic artisan baked bread is no longer kosher, given the potential hand-to-hand spread of the virus (although I suppose the passing of the bread could be preceded with a healthy squirt of hand sanitizer). To solve this problem, my own... Read more

Five Problems That Are Killing the “Faith in the Workplace” Movement

Last updated on: January 4, 2010 at 8:09 pm By JBW

In recent years there have been noble attempts by many Christian authors, consultants and advisors to address an issue that any dope-head could see had an unquestionably huge market potential: that of helping Christians integrate their faith with their jobs. Think about it – all those Christian worker-bees out there, churning away in soul-less organizations while their spiritual lives wither away to dust! What a ripe market to tap in to! And really, is there any one of us who couldn’t... Read more

Five Questions to Ask About the Year Ahead

Last updated on: January 2, 2010 at 1:24 pm By JBW

I happened to have a few extra moments at work last week, since, as you know, there is absolutely nothing going on during the week between Christmas and New Years. So I decided to pull out the goals I set for myself in 2009, just for fun, to see how I did. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had made good progress on most of them, probably worth an overall B+ on a report card. It’s not like... Read more

Snow Angels

Last updated on: December 30, 2009 at 6:29 am By JBW

My end of month re-post is a story about snow and angels and grace. Get a nice cup of hot cocoa to read with this one! Happy New Year! – Brad * * * * * * A few weeks ago our family spent the weekend watching some old videos from when the kids were little. Back then I had filmed a series of “a day in the life” routines, so that I could capture my little girls on tape and always... Read more

The Spiritually Astute Business Leader’s Guide to What’s Hot in 2010

Last updated on: December 27, 2009 at 2:40 pm By JBW

It’s once again that time of the season when we shut the door on the year past and look forward to what lies ahead. As a progressive leader who is highly tuned in to spiritual matters, you are probably wondering what trends and fashions might be specifically relevant for you in 2010. “Brad,” you might ask, “How can I maintain my coveted status as spiritually “in?” Ah. Well, thankfully you have the Shrinking the Camel blog to turn to in your time... Read more

Spiritual Fruitcake

Last updated on: December 23, 2009 at 10:40 am By JBW

Like Joni Mitchell says, “It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cuttin’ down trees…” So enough with the depressing “Letters to STC” and all the boring business talk for just a minute. Instead, I’d like to give a blogging gift. This morning I was reading in the book of Galatians (yes, I am still trying to read a passage from the bible every morning, and you should be too) where the Apostle Paul was talking about the fruits of the spirit. And since... Read more

Dear STC: No One Cares If I’m Comfortable At Work

Last updated on: December 22, 2009 at 6:34 am By JBW

Dear Bradley, I feel stupid because I have to wear my winter coat every day while I’m at work no matter what the season. In the summer our building is air conditioned and it’s usually around 65 degrees at my desk when its 90 outside. Now that it is winter the building is heated to 80 degrees yet I’m still freezing because my boss opens his window even though I’ve told him over and over that the cold air bothers... Read more