Morning Briefings

A bad day at work is better than a good day in hell.

– Bumpersticker

Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit’- -you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.

– James 4:13
The New American Bible

Vengeance is a passion to get even. It is a hot desire to give back as much pain as someone gave you. The problem with vengeance is that it never gets what it wants; it never evens the score.

– Philip Yancey
What’s So Amazing About Grace?

Dacor’s Company Value: To honor God in all that we do by respecting others, by doing good work, by helping others, by forgiving others, by giving thanks and by celebrating our lives.

– 
Dacor website

Then the rainstorm came over me; and I felt my spirit break. I had lost all of my belief, you see, and realized my mistake.

– Seal
Love’s Divine, Seal IV

Above all we need, particularly as children, the reassuring presence of a visible community, an intimate group that enfolds us with understanding and love.

– Lewis Mumford
How We Behave at the Feast

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.

– Helen Keller

Most people know how to resolve conflicts between right and wrong, however, right versus right choices are best understood as defining moments. There are small ones that come up weekly, bigger ones every few months and some that really are classic defining moments that come up every couple of years–and you’ve got to get these right.

– Joseph Badaracco
Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right (podcast)

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

– Proverbs 16:3

Rather than think of ethics as the benchmark against which behavior is measured, for many people ethics has come to be equated with something that inflicts pain on a company or some hefty sacrifice.

– Jeffrey L. Seglin
The Good, the Bad and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart

Good ideas come with a heavy burden. Which is why so few people have them. So few people can handle it.

– Hugh MacLeod
How to be Creative

Great moral responsibility is inherent in the existence of corporations. They are properly subjected to constant criticism and reform.

– Scott B. Rae and Kenman L. Wong
Beyond Integrity: A Judeo-Christian Approach to Business Ethics

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.

– Mother Teresa

The following core values are at the heart of everything iBank does: outstanding customer service; integrity in our activities; nothing is impossible with God; kindness in our relationships; and excellence in everything.

– iBank website

Ethical behavior defines who you really are. If you believe in God, isn’t doing the right thing, honesty, accountability, transparency, humility and consistency all supposed to be our behavioral standard every day because He sees all?

– Mike Paul
The Reputation Doctor

Dealing with change ultimately makes you confront one thing: Dishonesty. And dishonesty- -intellectual dishonesty, decision making dishonesty, not-willing-to-face-the-music dishonesty–is the greatest enemy that a company can have. We disguise it as waiting to get more information or looking for more input.

– Seth Godin
Small is the New Big

Heaven truly is the vacation that never ends. And don’t bother packing–not even your toothbrush–because this is one resort that is really all-inclusive.

– Anthony DeStefano
Travel Guide to Heaven

One of the reasons for focusing on appearances is that it’s just easier. Ethical problems are by nature hard.

– Peter Morgan and Glenn Reynolds
The Appearance of Impropriety

Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.

– Natasha Bedingfield
Unwritten

Ancient Jewish wisdom insists that approval by our friends is an important aid to a person’s business success.

– Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Thou Shall Prosper

The truth is that no one really knows if he (she) is an entrepreneur until he becomes one–and sometimes not even then. There really is only one question you should ask yourself before starting any new venture: Do I want to make meaning?

– Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the Start

There is hope in your future.

– Jeremiah 31:1
King James Version

Let no leader discount the value of personal loyalty or forget the importance of cultivating personal trust and affection, for when needed, it is the most precious thing in the world.

– Richard D. Phillips
The Heart of an Executive