“I know few people who are really happy with the way things are going in America. Most think we need a fundamental change in direction. Some think the problem is with government, some think it’s immorality. I think it’s ethics – a severe dis-connect between the values we claim to believe when we’re in church on Sunday, and the amount of abuse we are willing to tolerate when those values are violated by ‘the system’ where we work during the week. It’s a spiritual problem.

We really don’t need pastors to be out in the street or in the face of all those unbelievers out there. All we really need is pastors who aren’t afraid of their congregations and who will challenge their people to “”Take Their Conscience To Work”" – and hold them strictly accountable if they don’t.

What most of us don’t understand — or refuse to believe — is that WE ARE DOING THIS TO OURSELVES. The IRS doesn’t send an agent from Utah or WashDC to harass us and steal our stuff. They have a local office, and a sheriff, and a judge, etc. etc. These local people are members of our churches, or neighbors, maybe even members of our families. The places where they work run because WE staff the offices and ‘turn the wheels.’ If all the ‘behind-the-scenes’ people, the clerks and so forth, simply REFUSE to participate in illegal activities, the whole process stops. True, it will tend to stop quicker if the judges and our elected officials stop their state-sponsored terrorism against us (is there any rational person who thinks the IRS is not a terrorist organization?), but if every Christian finally decides to just do what’s right, the system will grind to a halt.

But we don’t. We Christians continue to function and give our little daily pushes to the wheels of tyranny because we say, “”I’m not really doing anything wrong. I just _______ (open the mail, answer the phone, administer the network, take out the trash, etc.) If our duties, as menial as they might be, were not essential to the functioning of the business or office, our jobs would be eliminated. If immorality, societal decay, socialism and tyranny are being promoted in any way by the business you are in, you are contributing to it.

So I think “”Take Your Conscience To Work”" should become a rallying cry of all freedom-loving people. Let’s truly integrate our Christian principles in our life’s work and refuse to do anything that contributes to the further decay of our culture. The problem isn’t Mexicans coming over the border, or megalomaniacs in DC. The problem is that we each, in our own little ways, contribute to tyranny every day. Why? Because ‘we need the money,’ and if we don’t perform, we don’t get paid. And if we are willing to be slaves to mammon, we will get just what we deserve.

Perhaps this is why neither Jesus, nor John the Baptist, nor Paul railed against the oppressive Roman government. They each realized that the empire’s engine of oppression could only operate with local support. So instead of decrying ‘the government,’ John specifically addressed the agents through whom tyranny was exercised: “”Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”" “”Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”" (Luke 3:13-14) No railing against “”the system”" and no attempt to change policy or politics. Just do what’s right.

Jesus also dealt with the tax system when He called Matthew: “”Follow Me.”" (Mark 2:14) That was it; one less tax collector for the people to deal with. What will happen if every Christian in the government decides to truly follow Christ, instead of just paying Him lip-service on Sunday? And what would happen if, as I suggested previously, the pastors would hold their members accountable for seven-days-a-week discipleship? Jesus saw two clear and exclusive loyalties: God and Mammon. It’s gotta be one or the other; can’t be neither and can’t be both.

Paul said, “”Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hand the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.”" (Ephesians 4:28) We all know (or sure should by now!) that the mis-applied ‘income’ tax is simply theft. Those who promote it and those who benefit from it are stealing property. Again, Paul does not rail against ‘the system’ but rather simply tells Christian participants to drop out of it.

Most Christians I’ve met are too immature to understand the power of this sort of obedience, even though Jesus Himself explained it in clear terms in Matthew 16:19. Your un-Christian neighbor wants to be ‘just as good as a Christian’ (is supposed to be) but doesn’t want to get involved with church, religion, or (God forbid!) obnoxious Christian people. Still, the standard is set by the people of God. When we quit trying to tell the world how they should live (self-righteousness or holier-than-thou, both nauseating to Christ) and start living as we ought, we will raise the bar and set the standard to which the culture must rise if they want to be ‘just as good as a Christian.’

It’s really no more complicated than that. As long as we’re content to gather in our little buildings and sing our little songs and have our little Bible studies, the world and the culture will remain unchanged. As long as we continue to ROT as we pretend to be disciples and are really just compliant cowards, our culture will continue to deteriorate. Chuck Missler has pointed out that “”faith is not belief in spite of the evidence. It is obedience in spite of the consequences.”"

When we start taking Christ seriously and we take our Biblically-informed consciences to work: when we refuse as a matter of faith and obedience to participate in any way to the further destruction of our culture, THEN we will start having an impact.

The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be.

The author is a transition and self esteem coach living in Raleigh, North-Carolina. Strategies and resources are available here

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Tags: ethics, workplace, work, business, office

Did you ever walk into a large building and did not know which way to go? Did you ever wonder who the idiot was who forgot to put office numbers and arrows on the hallway walls? Did you think you could have done a better job of managing the building? If you have answered yes or no to any of these questions, read on.

A little common sense goes a long way and sometimes without even trying a situation hits you between the eyes. The stupidity of the situation can take your breath away and you wonder where the brains are of the people who are in charge of certain projects.

I was in a huge medical building the other day of several floors. When you walk in the main door and walk towards the hallways you expect to see a sign directing you to which offices are on the right and which are on the left.

But in this huge office building of extremely long halls this was not to be. I did not have a clue which way I was suppose to go for the correct doctor’s office. I stopped and thought where are the brains of the people who are responsible for this huge mistake. At lease I hope it was a mistake.

Most buildings you walk into however small are definitely marked on the walls for your convenience of knowing which way you need to go to reach your destination.

I am asking for all building small and large to please label your walls with simple instructions as to which room numbers go to the left and which room numbers go to the right.

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Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read any of my numerous articles on various subjects.

Copyright Linda E. Meckler 2007

Linda is the author of her first published book, “Ghost Kids Trilogy. “”Christy, 12 and her Brother Brad, 16 moves into an old house on top of a mountain and meet two Ghost Kids.

Then we have a mysterious, magical Blue Vase where Uncle Charlie the villain is trapped. He wants out of the Blue Vase and exchange he will tell Christy and Brad where Pirates’ Treasure is Hidden.

Take a walk with Christy and Brad down a dark hall hunting for Pirates” Treasure. You will think were you there right there with them.

Love, Family Values and Charity burst off the pages. Visit this site

Check out my new 4 E books Titled:

How To Appeal Medical Bills

Appeal and Collections Letters for Medical Providers

Boost Your Self Esteem and Blossom

Computers Cause Pain on my website

Check out my website

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Work environments can be very challenging, balancing the internal personnel with all the external customers and suppliers. Everyday you’re putting yourself on the line for that company’s benefit, but are you working with ethical people? When you look at companies that inflate their sales, provide information that’s inaccurate to stockholders, or cover up problems that are harming their employees, consumers or the environment; who’s responsible and who pays the price? Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Adelphia are examples, where dishonesty was the tool of greed that committed fraud.

Distorted facts are not always obvious at first, but when fraud and deception are the reflection, that mirror image will haunt you. Arrogance and manipulation dictate with double standards like, ”do as I say, not as I do.” This inconsistent behavior results in hypocrisy that causes so much underlying hostility in our society. Every time someone misrepresents the facts, the mind does a double take on what’s real and what was said. It’s similar to keeping two sets of books, the correct version and the bogus set which causes internal stress that increases with every lie told. Think about the person that is always blaming others for their issues and has numerous excuses why goals have not been accomplished. Their derogatory words are constantly shifting blame away from themselves, towards others. But when you listen closely, you hear the contradictions. Verbal clutter causes congestion by those that like to create chaos to either cover their tracks or spin you around so you lose track. When transparency is missing, so is the truth.

Do you have the ability to see through the individual facades that are speaking or do you just take words at face value? When you listen and wonder, “can I believe what they’re saying,” that gut instinct is telling you, “”some thing’s wrong.”" Words can be truthful and positive or dishonest and rude. Our mind comprehends honest information with clarity and our sense of being feels good about the interaction. When it doesn’t make sense, that’s when the conversation is filled with excuses and /or contradictions, waving that red flag of deception. The short-term gain received from dishonesty is a fraction of what they really want and they don’t hold onto it for very long, cause it was not theirs to begin with. How many times can someone lie to you before they’re not worth your time? When people fall backwards to create more lies and cover ups, that’s when logic goes out the window. It’s similar to listening to music that has annoying distortion, you don’t want to hear it, so you tune it out. When you value integrity, you have a clear sense of pride and respect. Those values echo in everything you do and relates to your success on a daily basis. Decisions are prioritized by keeping the big picture in perspective, thinking through intentions and understanding how your choices effect everyone involved. The realization is the incentive, the more things we do right the first time, the less time we spend fixing mistakes.

Training for the gold in any business requires consistency, determination and integrity. Words create the path our actions take and it starts with every CEO and supervisors at every level; professors, teachers and parents, setting the example that perspective should always be objective and clarity comes with verifying the information. Be the catalyst that you want your associates to be and train them on how to make appropriate decisions by keeping goals in perspective. Using our mind in a positive constructive way, sequences our brain with finding real solutions that benefit everyone involved. When you’re working with people you trust, the foundation is strong and the accomplishments will exceed expectations.

There are no degrees of honesty, you either are or you’re not. Truth stands the test of time and doesn’t need excuses. We become more in-tune with detecting when someone is bending and weaving reality by taking the time to listen. When you hear conflicting information, bring both people together in the same room. It’s amazing how often the story changes, when they’re sitting across from one another and you can hear who alters their version. Don’t give dishonesty an easy road to take because you assume. We gain a panoramic view with much clearer awareness when we take the time to verify.

Our conscience is our guide when we do the right things for the right reasons and we truly care about the people involved. Give yourself some checks and balances like “would I want my mother or brother to see what I just did on the morning news?” Try visualizing the possibilities, evaluate the situation, think about the outcome and the consequences your actions will cause before making your choice. We choose our direction by the decisions we make, it can be peaceful or problematical.

Peace of Mind comes with knowing the truth and that compliments the best qualities we see in each other. Be true to yourself, so you can see and hear the truth in others. We can’t expect more from someone else, than we do from ourselves. This consciousness holds the greatest value, when we know for sure whom we can trust. If there’s any doubt in your mind, take the time to clarify. It’s your life, your future and your company’s stock prices. The truth has a way of making us stronger and keeping us real, so our mind can focus on what’s important and we can be most effective.

Excerpt from the new book Peace of Mind coming out early 2008

Susan Elaine Wheeler’s fascination with human nature started at a very young age, always asking the question why. Why do people do the things they do? Studying the cause and effect of our personalities and environments determine our behaviors and the decisions we make. Susan’s career successes include owning her marketing company AMPS, doing National Sales, creating Professional Accounts in Hollywood and this year starting a new company, Creative Perspective Solutions. CPS working with individuals and companies that want to accelerate excellence by maximizing their potential through effective communications.

(c) 2007 Creative Perspective Solutions

Visit Susan’s website to learn more about her.

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I have a book title sitting on my end table from Vince Flynn, a Minnesota author that writes wonderful fictional books. The name of the book is Protect and Defend, I read it a year ago – but instead of putting it back on my bookshelf, or passing on to friends I keep it on my end table…I like the title, it reminds me of leadership.

Courageous leadership is about protecting and defending. Not just on a national basis – but as any leader of a team, whether the team has 3 people or 1000. A leader’s role is about protecting the culture of the work place or work team, protecting core values, defending ideas, and defending a coworker’s right to a different opinion. A key trait we see in great leaders is their courage, conviction, and curiosity. They truly care what happens and their openness to know they may not be right all the time allows a leader to keep a connection with their team that keeps the team vibrant and engaged.

Not sure if you Protect or Defend….think about this:

* When you have been in a meeting have you let someone dismiss or squash a comment from a coworker?
* Your team’s core values are clear…there is a discussion going on that really goes against what the team stands for…you walk away from the discussion..wishing you would have said something.
* The shy member of the team has spoken up…she has a good idea…but the other team members really didn’t listen….you speak up and say…team – did you hear what Sue said? She has a really good idea.

Practice elegant courage, help Sue’s voice be heard. Ask a clarifying question, so that she can share more of her idea…That is Protect and Defend.

The role of leadership isn’t based on title… use your gifts, develop your style and be an elegant leader. Elegant Courage!

Jodi Wiff, has tackled big issues, big challenges, and big opportunities. In fact, over the years, she has been involved in just about every important phase of business. Jodi helped lead an organization which was broke…financially the company was losing $300,000 permonth,and spiritually, the employees and directors were hostile with each other. Here’s what she helped create…the company was described by employees as the best place to work..Profits were $500,000 permonth and the company was one of top in 10 in capital of similar companies in U.S.

For More Information

The key is her innovative approach to leadership. Jodi is smart, tough yet warm and developed the mantra “elegant courage” communicating courageously and honestly during good and tough times. She lead the cultural turnaround which created the outstanding financial success. Jodi elegantly and innovatively helps people get clear how they feel…trusting your gut…mustering the courage to do whats right…clarify what’s missing…decide how to get life more perfect. Jodi Wiff is a partner in Lighthouse Leadership with Mike Krutza, uniquely qualified and experienced to bring a powerful one two punch to your leadership challenges.

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Tags: leadership, ethics, business, workplace, office

“It is now well known that equitable sporting opportunities positively effect the health of the nation, improve community cohesion, can raise standards in schools and increase a nation’s medal tally. In addition, the demographic make up of the UK population will change radically in the next 10 years and sports organisations need to seek out those groups who traditionally participate less to ensure a stable participation base from which our future medallists can be drawn. Women, black and ethnic minority groups and disabled people all having the right to sporting opportunities and those with the talent and desire should be encouraged to strive for the highest levels of performance.” The Equality Standard, A Framework for Sport (2004). Sue Campbell CBE Chair, UK Sport

What is Equality?

Equality is about recognising and accepting that people are principally different and can not be treated the same in any organisation. Nonetheless, everyone deserves the same opportunity to participate and must be treated fairly and given the same chance as anyone else. These principles also apply to sport and leisure.

What is Diversity?

Diversity is about valuing individual difference. A diversity based approach in coaching ensures that coaches build positive relationships with the people they are coaching and create an environment where all can discover their potential.

For example, in wheelchair basketball the classification system is used in order to ensure players who have different physical impairments have equal opportunity to partake in the sport and therefore, are not placed at a disadvantage. This mean that players of as higher classification and compete alongside a player of a lower classification.

Recognising, acknowledging, responding to and embracing differences are essential in building successful relationships and maximising the potential and performance of the athlete being coached.

What are the benefits?
The benefits of achieving equality in your club are wide and various. Some examples include:

* Increase the number of people participating in your club/team and thus giving you access to people who can undertake supporting roles such as administration, management and volunteering
* Disability sport becomes more visible and widely accepted in to the mainstream community
* Benefit from the different skills, knowledge, and innovation and respond better to difference.
* Provide access to diverse funding streams
* You will be working within the equalities legislation including the Race Relations Act & Race Relations (Amendment) Act, Sex Discrimination Act and the Disability Discrimination Act
* Positively contribute to building a stronger cohesive community where difference is understood, accepted and celebrated
* Promotes the greater inclusion of disabled people in all communities

Religion and ethics in sport. Some basic principles:
· Sikhs may feel a religious obligation to wear a turban.
· Many Muslims may wish to practice their faith which may mean taking time out from training/matches.
· Wiccans may want to work on a Christian holiday in exchange for having one of their Sabbats off work.
· Many Jews may not wish to play/train on a Friday evening and may want to attend religious services.
· A Christian, employed on rotating shifts, might wish to have every Sunday off work.
· Focusing on beliefs and practices which are of real importance in each religious tradition, rather than making all religions conform to one model.

Author: Jaspal Dhani, Managing Director
Company: Equality Link Consultancy Ltd
Equality Link Consultancy (ELC), your partner in achieving service excellence. ELC is a leading edge company specialising in disability equality training and diversity in the work place. We provide bespoke training, consultancy and auxiliary services to ensure that your service meets its legislative requirements and deliver service excellence at all levels.

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Tags: leadership, ethics, business, workplace, office

Businesses prosper when all involved do their best. Giving employees leading-edge task related knowledge and paying them well, however, are only two elements in helping people strive for company success. Studies show that companies that look after workers holistically often emphasize the verboten word in business circles – “spirituality”. If the top 100 companies of 2009 can do it, so can your company!

Spirituality tends to be associated with religion. The image is one of gurus, nuns and friars meditating. Religious people are not necessarily spiritual. Spiritual people are not necessarily religious.

No one can deny that things exist outside the experience of our five limited senses. Spirituality is the personal relationship with this “something”. Spirituality includes developing: a sense of happiness, self-confidence, enthusiasm, ethical behaviour, honesty, self-esteem, positive attitude, aesthetics, awe, sense of wonder, togetherness, loyalty, respect, sensitivity, caring, love, understanding, forgiveness, friendship, trust, drive, reliability, empathy, and more. Do business owners not want to nurture these qualities in employees?

If a holistic – intellectual, physical and spiritual – approach is used, employees will benefit greatly because their workplace offers something that is personal and inclusive.

I do many group retreats each year. The alienation and disconnection from the earth and others is often very noticeable. People are alone in the crowd. “Me, myself and I” are the most important people there. Some entertain themselves to death and fill their lives with noise to escape issues. Some show a jitteriness and restlessness that is evidence of lacking and detachment. Meaning and purpose in life or work have been lost.

In the business world, there are all of the above along with stress, tension, pressure to sell, produce and meet quotas. Why don’t employers recognize these as causes of many problems? Looking after people more can get the same or better results than whips or constant surveillance. Add value to people. They will add value to their work.

Attention to the spiritual needs of employees reduces illness and absenteeism, makes work more satisfying, improves motivation and encourages general wellness in the workplace. Try it. It works!

Check the Fortune 500 Best Companies list for ideas on how to really look after employees.

For a custom-designed spiritual, secular retreat or workshop, please get in touch. Try it. It just might make the difference you are looking for.

by Otto Schmidt, Education Consultant, Accent on Skills Consulting, Toronto, visit this web

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Tags: ethics, workplace, work, business, office

Insert punch line here: ________.

Okay, now that’s out of the way…

They have something else in common. Confidentiality. A priest can’t rat you out to your neighbors if you confess to being the one who egged their houses on Halloween. A doctor can’t tell everyone at the cocktail party about the nasty infection you have from doing ________ and failing to ________. Your lawyer can’t call the DA’s office and advise them of some potential weaknesses in your testimony a few days before the trial starts.

Maybe “can’t” is a little strong. The law does carve out a few exceptions in very specific situations and more than one member of “Team Secret” has improperly spilled the beans, but none of those people are supposed to be sharing the details of your interactions.

You should have at least as much faith in your ghostwriter to keep things hush-hush. Anyone ghostwriting or doing writing on a “work for hire” basis should be just as tight-lipped as a priest, doctor or lawyer.

I was inspired to address this topic after noticing another writer mentioning where some of his/her work was appearing online, even though the materials were ghostwritten and (intentionally) didn’t have a byline. Although the comments weren’t the kind of thing that would be likely to crush a project and didn’t necessarily represent a reason for the buyer to be annoyed with the writer, they did get me thinking about how writers should approach confidentiality concerns.

Personally, as a writer I know how to keep a secret. Here’s what that means to my clients:

* You can discuss your projects and plans, even before we reach an agreement, without worrying about having them shared with competitors and others. I will make sure that understanding is part of our written record of communication or will gladly sign a non-disclosure agreement or any other document assuring you that your secrets are safe.

* You don’t have to worry about me turning down an assignment, doing it for myself, and reaping the rewards.

* You own the writing upon payment and that means more than reaping the financial rewards. It also means I won’t be telling the rest of the world what I wrote and for whom.

* The work won’t end up as one of my portfolio samples without your expressed consent. If you do agree to let me use part of the work to hawk my wares, it will be provided to others in the form of a PDF file, not as another readily-accessible web page. I won’t tell others where it appears, etc. It will also be given only to prospective clients who expressly agree to maintain an appropriate level of discretion.

There are a lot of things to consider when one outsources a key component of their online business to a writer. Confidentiality concerns might not be the first thing on the list that come to mind, but they can be important.

If you are buying “work for hire,” deal with someone who can keep a secret.

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Tags: office, ethics, behaviour, conduct, issue

Do you ever notice the unfortunate lack of hard work ethic? Do you see this problem at your own job? You are a hard worker and you know it, but those around you are not. It is good to see your hard work ethic, now can you honestly say that you are the norm?

You see throughout my career as a human worker I have worked around the mining industry, oil industry, auto industry, trucking industry, rail industry and manufacturing industry and I have not seen what I believe to be the hard work ethic to the level I find appropriate for being in it to win it for the team or company. Oh I see people showing up on time, doing their work and making the motions. Yet I also see them often doing it at slow pace and even coaxing new workers and low-men on the totem pole to “slow down you are making us look bad” or “why are you in such a hurry, if we finish early, they’ll just give us more work to do!”

And by my name I guess you can see where I am coming from if you do a search on the father of modern management and figured out that “Friedrich ‘Winslow’ Taylor” is in our family tree. I have always been under the belief that showing up and punching in is not the only requirement. Work hard and put in your fair share to keep your company healthy and productive. Think on this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; WorldThinkTank. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: office, ethics, training, public, professionals