When Making an Ask Be Direct

Years ago, Kathy and I had lunch with our 94-year-old friend, Cliff. That day, we learned that Cliff’s destroyer was sunk by a kamikaze pilot during World War II. Although many of the crew died, Cliff pulled himself onto a nearby raft.    As Cliff tried to help his friend and barber into the raft, two ... The post The Torment of War appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

A recent Lifeway Research survey of American Protestant church goers revealed respondents’ expectations for financial blessings. More than three-quarters (76%) said they agree or strongly agree that God wants them to prosper financially.  Our work generates income, but we need to check ourselves if we have made money the focus of our work output. There’s ... The post Being Blessed appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

John, an employee in South Africa, had been late to work multiple times. Michael, John’s boss, warned him, but days later John was significantly late again.  Michael was prepared to fire John, but instead asked John why he continued to be late for work. Michael suddenly had a different perspective when he learned that John ... The post A Compassionate Boss appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Cornell professor, Vanessa Bohns, researched 15,000 requests for help to determine how to improve the odds of obtaining a “yes” to our requests. Bohns discovered that those who asked for help received help twice as often as they initially expected.  In a Wall Street Journal article, Bohns concluded that her results should give us more ... The post Asking Confidently appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Vanessa Bohns, a Cornell professor, discovered that most people believe the means of communicating a request makes little difference. But, according to the Wall Street Journal, Vanessa discovered that face-to-face requests fared dramatically better than email.   Her research found that strangers were 34 times more likely to say yes to a face-to-face request than to an ... The post Asking In Person appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, Cornell professor, Vanessa Bohns, discovered that people making requests tended to think that indirect requests will work just as well as direct ones.   Bohns' research discovered that when we ask for help, we often soften the ask by hinting to what we need rather than being clear and ... The post When Making an Ask Be Direct appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Politics are a passionate pursuit for many in our country, especially when the ideological divide is as vast as it has been recently. There will likely be some dishonest voting and manipulation done on both sides of the political aisle this year.  Although we may not be able to prevent immoral activities of others, we ... The post Election Integrity appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Men of action like Moses or Joshua often represent Biblical leadership. But the prophet Ezekiel demonstrated another important leadership trait.  Ezekiel was angry that God asked him to leave his home to go prophesize to the exiles of Israel. There was no guarantee they would listen to God’s word.  But with God’s hand on him, ... The post Deep Connecting appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

One of my favorite undergraduate university classes was Introduction to Astronomy, taught by Dr. James Van Allen. Van Allen was by then a world-famous astronomer, featured on the cover of Time magazine, and for whom the earth’s Van Allen radiation belts are named. Yet this learned man loved to teach undergraduates to share his passion ... The post Weak on Purpose appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

The 2026 release of the Trust Index by the Barna research organization added the category of “Christian Business” for the first time. Respondents gave Christian Business a score of 56 on the 100-point trust scale, one point below Christian Churches.   However, “Local Business” rated nine points higher than “Christian Business.” In other words, being local ... The post Trusted Business appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.