Morning Briefings

Scary Halloween for retailers: Operators of local outlets are spooked by a drop in sales this season; theft has been more prevalent this year.

– Lou Ponsi
Orange County Register

Now is a great time to start a company. Why? Because great people are available to join you, VCs are loaded with cash, and office space is available cheap. Everything is cheap and readily available in a recession. Expectations are lower during bad times so it is a good time to be in development mode, building a product, getting an audience, and starting a tiny revenue stream. Customers are willing to try new things to save money in bad times. If you can save them money, they are happy to deal with a startup. Go for it!

– Don Dodge
The Next Big Thing

To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives–the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections–that requires hard spiritual work.

– Henri J.M. Nouwen
Bread for the Journey

The speaker of Australia’s Parliament has called for a public debate about whether the country’s lawmakers should end the practice of starting each session with the Lord’s Prayer. Dumping the prayer is unlikely to end anytime soon, though, as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said Sunday they wanted to keep the prayer.

– AP, October 27, 2008

Life is a series of tests. There are different trials for different seasons.

– Bob Buford
Stuck in Halftime

Those who live in close proximity to their basic values are apt to agonize over choices that other people, drifting over the surface of their lives, might never even see as problems. Sound values raise tough choices; and tough choices are never easy.

– Rushworth M. Kidder
How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living

Leaders are tempted to be ‘lone rangers.’ Why do leaders need to consider having partners? According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.

– TouchPoints for Leaders

In the workplace, employees will spend roughly half their waking hours working and living in the environment you create as the leader. There is a lot at stake and people are counting on you. The role of the leader is a very high calling.

– James C. Hunter
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

I would like to challenge you to begin reflecting upon the awesome responsibility you signed up for when you chose to be the leader. That’s right, each of you voluntarily signed up to be mom, dad, boss, coach, whatever. Nobody forced you into any of these roles and you are free to leave at any time.

– James C. Hunter
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

All spiritual growth is fraught with mystery. No matter how hard we try, we cannot push and shove our way into union with the Holy One.

– Joyce Rupp
Prayer