There’s a small zoo in my hometown that boasts a lion as one of the main attractions. But if you pay close attention, there’s something terribly wrong. This lion doesn’t roar. Instead, he lay silent with his face pressed against the dirt of the earth. I imagine the lion initially welcomed the attention as the main attraction. He was well fed and he roared on occasion to keep his admirers entertained. But in time, the chains of captivity robbed him […]
As an eighteen-year-old high school student, I was given the task of completing a senior project. It seemed like an insurmountable goal to culminate thirteen years of education and my personal ideals into a thesis paper, related product, and oral presentation. I titled my project “Faith in Business”, an attempt to highlight the idea that these concepts were not oil and water. Contrary to popular belief, faith and business were not only intertwined, they were mutually beneficial. Those who judged my efforts introduced common criticisms, making it clear that America had […]
I stand on the fence of the generation gap between Generation X and Generation Y—commonly referred to as The Millennials. Interestingly enough, that gives me a unique perspective to see both sides of the cultural issues that each generation faces. I recently sat down to lunch with a younger millennial. I originally met this young man through a church mentoring program a few years ago. From day one, I’ve known that he was destined for great things. My intuition wasn’t […]
Dear Mr. Schulman and PayPal, My name is Matt Ham and I am a loyal PayPal customer. In 2015, I completed nearly $20,000 in transactions using your company’s services. However, I was concerned when I recently read that you were canceling a $3.6M expansion initiative that would bring 400 jobs to my home state of North Carolina based on your disagreement with a recent bill passed by our legislature. You’re quoted as having said, “The new law perpetuates discrimination and it […]
A man once approached me after a speaking engagement and asked, “So how long have you been a pastor?” “Oh, I’m not a pastor,” I quickly replied. I even threw in a chuckle as an attempt to further dismiss the absurdity of his suggestion. “You’re not?” He paused and tilted his head ever-so-slightly, locking his eyes with mine. “No, I’m not.” I repeated assertively. “Well,” he said with a smile, “keep listening.” That conversation has replayed in my mind like a broken […]
I remember a movie when I was growing up called, Nobody’s Fool. Although I haven’t seen it, I think it stars the guy whose picture is on the salad dressing bottle in the grocery store. That’s Paul Newman, right? I always confuse him with Robert Redford for some reason. Anyway, I thought about that title this week as my thumb was busy perusing my Twitter feed. I don’t have many followers on Twitter. Perhaps it’s because I don’t play the game […]
The Story of the Anti-CEO There was once a CEO of a thriving, 100 million-dollar business. What began as a dream in a garage had grown into a national organization with more than a thousand employees. According to every economic, social, and professional metric, the CEO and the company were successful. As the business grew, the CEO found out that one of his employees had a daughter who was battling cancer. Upon learning the devastating news, he insisted that his […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
