The news has been filled with stories about institutions (e.g., universities and law firms) being forced to examine and act upon their priorities. The priorities of an organization's leaders will shape its behavior, which means understanding those priorities should itself be a priority for a faithful leader seeking to lead with faithful integrity through business a better way toward...
Does Easter give you hope for the purpose of your work, business, and investing? Easter should be a source of hope for every worker, business leader, and investor who follows Jesus because it serves as a vivid reminder of a bigger WHY and a sacred relevance for our work, business, and investing rooted in God's Restoration plan for His Kingdom....
In prior posts we have emphasized that leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing requires a continual balancing of the call to be courageous and the need to be wise in determining "HOW" to integrate faith and work, with the most faithful balance being courage tempered by wisdom. "Wait, Just Don't Delay" is about the...
Leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing requires getting across four "gaps": Sunday/Monday, Sacred/Secular, Knowing/Doing and Safety/Surrender. Unfortunately, because of business as usual pressure and faith as usual detours, many well-intentioned leaders get stuck, never "hopping" or "leaping". The first three are "wisdom" gaps, and the journey across those "gaps" starts with RENEW--renewing the faithful...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Whisper, Just Don't Hide "Whisper, Just Don't Hide" is about a faithful leader being willing to share and explain the faith that informs their leadership and inspires the bigger WHY of the organization, even if the leader has discerned that the organization's pursuit of faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing is best done at the...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Implement Human AI Although "Implement Human AI" may sound like an oxymoron, we recently learned about a type of "AI" that appears to be both humanizing and consistent with the pursuit of faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing. It doesn't involve powerful computer chips, large data centers, massive energy consumption, or the threat of robots...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Be Quiet "Be Quiet" is about a faithful leader of an organization setting aside quiet time each day to listen for God's guidance in how to faithfully steward the organization in alignment with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities. It is also about encouraging others in the organization to set aside quiet time and putting in place practices to facilitate...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Seek Moses Managers "Seek Moses Managers" is about implementing promotion, recruiting, hiring, selection, and training practices for managers that prioritize the qualities Moses used when recruiting chiefs in Exodus 18:21-24. It is about prioritizing Biblical excellence, Biblical diversity, cultural fit, and character. "Seek Moses Managers" recognizes the importance of good managers to employee engagement and flourishing, to the implementation...
Integrous Founder Paul Michalski was interviewed by Preston Poore on his P³ podcast. The episode was released on February 25, 2025, and the topic was "Rethink Your Priorities"....
INTEGRITY IDEA: Grow Gratitude "Grow Gratitude" is about implementing practices to help employees experience feelings of gratitude. It recognizes that feeling gratitude has been shown to enhance flourishing and wellness in people, which should be a priority in an organization pursuing faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing. In a world filled with negativity that promotes...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Set Some Ebenezers "Set Some Ebenezers" has nothing to do with Ebenezer Scrooge. It is about the faithful leader of an organization following the example of Samuel and creating tangible reminders of times God has helped the organization and its people. It recognizes that most people easily forget (and some people never even know or comprehend) God's interventions and...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Share the Spoils "Share the Spoils" is about prayerfully considering compensation and recognition practices that recognize the contributions of all employees to the success of the organization. It is following the example of King David when he defeated the Amalekites, following their raid of the city of Ziklag. "Share the Spoils" recognizes that senior executives, top salespeople and big...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Develop a "Daniel Plan" for Decisions "Develop a Daniel Plan for Decisions" is not about dieting. It is about putting in place practices to ensure that important decisions and responses to critical or sensitive situations are made with "prudence and discretion" by an organization's leaders, following the example of Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all of the wise men...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Plant a Tree in 2025 "Plant a Tree in 2025" is not about literally planting a tree. It is inspired by a quote frequently (and apparently inaccurately) attributed to Martin Luther. It is about a faithful leader committing to make one change or take one initiative in their organization that "adds to the beauty" of the world. One of...
Recent headlines have highlighted a number of organizations that we think have been operating "in the Twilight Zone" of business as usual--business in the way of the world. (Our reference is to a famous TZ episode in which aliens were exposed as wanting people for an entree rather than as dinner guests.) In God's design, work is a vehicle for...
Gallup recently announced that we are in the middle of what they are calling "The Great Detachment". Like the Great Resignation, we believe at the heart of the Great Detachment are organizational cultures that are dehumanizing. God made us to flourish through work, and we are less fully human when not reflecting our God-given creativity and productivity through work that...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Stop the Rot "Stop the Rot" is about putting in place practices and procedures to identify and address behavior by stakeholders that undermines the organization's Re-Imagined Values and Re-Imagined Culture. It recognizes that one toxic employee, customer or vendor can begin a corrosive effect that spreads like the rot on a bad apple in a barrel. It also recognizes...
Over the last five years, we have been laying out and expanding on a model for moving toward what we call Integriosity®--leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing. It is time to pause, take a breath and look back over the last 250 posts as we did after 100 and 200. We hope this is...
You could call this post the third in a "Safety/Surrender" series. It is about encouraging faithful leaders to trust God enough to answer the call of stewardship, and embrace fully the potential, of the Creation Mandate by crossing the Safety/Surrender Gap. We believe it is a call to lead with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing,...
A faithful leader seeking to lead an organization with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing must remember "DDD"--"Don't Do a Demas." You might be asking, "Who is Demas?" The better question is "What's 'doing a Demas'?" The best question is "How do I avoid 'doing a Demas'?" Demas was a Biblical character who didn't finish well. ...
In prior posts, we have talked about three "gaps" a faithful leader must cross in the journey toward leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing. These are "wisdom" or "knowledge" gaps. There is a fourth, and it is arguably the most important of all. We call it the Safety/Surrender Gap, and it is a "heart"...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Strengthen Your Cord "Strengthen Your Cord" is about joining groups or organizations that gather faithful leaders to support each other in pursuit of faith/work integration, in navigating faith/work integration in an increasingly secular culture or in protecting the religious freedom to pursue faithful integrity through business a better way through Biblical flourishing. It provides a source of counsel from...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Seek Horizontal Counsel "Seek Horizontal Counsel" is about a faithful leader actively seeking counsel from faithful advisors as well as from the people they lead. It is rooted in humility and requires a leader to understand who they are in relation to others and to recognize that that they do not have all the answers. "Seek Horizontal Counsel" affirms...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Seek Vertical Counsel COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Prayer COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Very Covert STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees, Customers/Clients, Owners, Suppliers/Vendors, Community, Kingdom "Seek Vertical Counsel" is about a faithful leader praying, either privately or with a small group of other leaders in the organization, for wisdom and guidance in every decision. It...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Cultivate Customer Kindness COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Practices COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Highly Covert STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees, Customers/Clients, Community "Cultivate Customer Kindness" is about implementing practices that create opportunities for customers to engage in acts of "kindness" toward employees and the community. It recognizes that "kindness" is an expression of the "first-order beliefs" God...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Choose the Better "T" of Trust (vs Track) COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Practices COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Highly Covert STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees In a world that has shifted to increased remote and hybrid work, "Choose the Better 'T' of Trust (vs Track)" is about cultivating an organizational culture in which employees can be trusted...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Prioritize Employees COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Practices COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Highly Covert STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees "Prioritize Employees" is about recognizing the importance of caring for employees for the right reasons. It is grounded in Imago Dei, the Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor, both in its application and its results. ...
INTEGRITY IDEA: Recognize "AvoDay" (not Labor Day) COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Practices COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Overt STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees "Recognize AvoDay (Not Labor Day)" is about using the U.S. national holiday of Labor Day as an opportunity to speak life into work by referencing the work-affirming word "Avodah" rather than the work-devaluing word "Labor". It...
Integrous Founder Paul Michalski recently joined the inaugural Advisory Board of Cities Project Global ("CPG"). CPG is a non-profit organization committed to helping leaders identify their unique position in God’s story and fully integrate their faith and work lives, enabling them to impact their communities and cities on a systemic level....
Integrous Founder Paul Michalski recently joined the Board of Scripture@Work, Inc. ("S@W") to serve as its new Chairman. S@W is a non-profit organization committed to serving workplace communities by facilitating Biblical learning that encourages marketplace transformation....
A life of faith is a life of choices. For a faithful leader, one of those choices is the "O" that drives their leadership. There are two options--obedience or outcome. It is a choice between the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. It is one or the other--business as usual or business a better way. It is...
It is impossible to talk honestly about the WHAT, WHY and HOW of business in alignment with Biblical beliefs, values and priorities without addressing how profit fits in. Profit is NOT bad, and the creation by business of economic prosperity is good. Profit in a business is necessary for good stewardship of the business, which means it is necessary for...
Does Easter shape the WHY of your work, business and investing? Easter is important for every worker, business leader and investor who follows Jesus because it serves as a vivid reminder of a bigger WHY and a sacred relevance for our work, business and investing rooted in God's Restoration plan for His Kingdom. Believing that Easter is the beginning of...
While you were paying attention to Time naming Taylor Swift their "Person of the Year", you might have missed Merriam-Webster's naming their "Word of the Year 2023"--Authentic. "Authenticity", both at a leadership and organizational level, is a key aspect of leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing. An organization pursuing faithful integrity through business a...
Over the last four years, we have been laying out and expanding on a model for moving toward what we call Integriosity®--leading with faithful integrity through business a better way and toward Biblical flourishing. It is time to pause, take a breath and look back over the last 200 posts as we did after 100. We hope this is a...
The Faith Driven Entrepreneur blog featured an article by Integrous Founder Paul Michalski. The title of the article is "Succession or Secession: The Unique Test of Faith-Driven Stewardship"...
Integrous "helps faithful leaders lead with faithful integrity toward Biblical flourishing". Our belief is that the bigger WHY of an organization aligned with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities should be to maximize flourishing (rather than profit) by Humanizing People, Beautifying the World and Glorifying God, properly positioning profit as a necessary means to that end. When we talk about flourishing,...
The first step on the ancient path from the "as usuals" of business as usual, work as usual, and faith as usual to "a better way" is RENEW, and the first step of RENEW is reordering disordered priorities to "Keep First Things First". The last of the four first principles embedded in the word Integriosity is Humility, and it is the key to understanding the...
Don’t worry--this is not about the U.S. Southern border, Eastern European borders or Middle Eastern borders. It is about the border between the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God. Kingdom border protection is trickier than geographic border protection because a faithful leader resides in both kingdoms and the border exists in the heart of the leader and...
ESSENCE: The first step on the ancient path from the "as usuals" of business as usual, work as usual, and faith as usual to "a better way" is RENEW, and the first step of RENEW is reordering disordered priorities to "Keep First Things First". When "all the Law and the Prophets" depend on the commandments to love God and love your...
The first step on the ancient path from the "as usuals" of business as usual, work as usual, and faith as usual to "a better way" is RENEW, and the first step of RENEW is reordering disordered priorities to "Keep First Things First". If a faithful leader or an organization is committed to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew...
The first step on the ancient path from the "as usuals" of business as usual, work as usual, and faith as usual to "a better way" is RENEW, and the first step of RENEW is reordering disordered priorities to "Keep First Things First". The Bible says unequivocally that "Righteousness" is one of the "First Things" we are meant to...
The first step on the ancient path from the "as usuals" of business as usual, work as usual, and faith as usual to "a better way" is RENEW. It is the start of a four-step process called Integriosity® to help a faithful leader navigate the journey on the ancient path toward leading faithfully with faithful integrity through business a better way. Each step...
You are probably wondering "What is an RYR?" "RYR" stands for a "Rich Young Ruler". Don't stop reading just because you are not "rich" or not "young" or not a "ruler"--being an RYR is not about status or circumstances. It is about your heart as reflected in your primary identity. "Are you an RYR?" is a question every faithful leader must...
Integrous Founder Paul Michalski was a guest speaker at the biennial conference of the Kingdom International Legal Network (KILN). The 2023 KILN Conference was organized in partnership with the Kenya Christian Lawyers Fellowship (KCLF) and drew lawyers from across the globe, including Australia, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Fiji, Nigeria, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and...
Side Roads are detours that substitute a lesser "good" for the "best" of transformational heart-change in an organization--transformation of its WHY. They are detours off the ancient path of faithful integrity through business a better way in alignment with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities. Side Roads are not inherently bad--in fact, they are better than doing nothing at all. Well-intentioned...
Many well-intentioned, faithful leaders never find the right path to faithful integrity through business a better way, or stumble off it, because of good-intentioned "faith" messages or approaches that send them in the wrong direction--"bad theology" or, at least, poor communication of good theology which create stumbling blocks that substitute the "good" for the "best". We have identified five common...
Faithful leaders seeking to lead with faithful integrity can get detoured from the ancient path toward business a better way. The world--and our culture--does not want a faithful leader on the ancient path. But the world and our culture are not the only stumbling blocks that can lead a faithful leader with the best of intentions to "miss...
Words are important and powerful, and some words can inspire. In 2011, the simple phrase "All In" inspired the N.Y. Giants to turn around a dismal season and win the Super Bowl. This past weekend the world was introduced to a new inspirational phrase likely to go viral--"Play Big". It is the phrase that carried Wyndham Clark to...
Words are important and powerful, and the culture of the world is filled with words that blind us to God’s purpose for work and business. In particular, the concept of "retirement" from "work" is built on a deception about the very nature of "work" and why we were created. Not only does "retirement" rob a person of their God-given purpose...