ClearPurpose

Exciting news to share! Today marks a special milestone for me as I venture into the world of fiction writing. The journey of crafting a captivating story arc has always seemed like a daunting task, but today, I am thrilled to announce the release of my first two historical fiction children’s books.

Historical fiction presents a unique opportunity where the foundation of a compelling narrative is laid, allowing me to infuse my creativity into the intricate details. This endeavor has been a delightful side project, and I am genuinely pleased with the outcomes. Leveraging AI technology, I not only improved the quality of my writing but also brought the stories to life through full-cast audiobook adaptations.

A special shoutout to Andrew Schwilling for his remarkable artwork and to the dedicated historical researchers whose factual insights served as the backbone for my storytelling. For more details, click here

These engaging books are now accessible through various online book retailers or directly from my website.. Dive into the world of historical fiction and embark on an adventure with these (hopefully) captivating reads!

It seems like everyone is trying to figure out what role we humans will play in the future of work. The incredible advances of artificial intelligence over the past several years seem to imply that there’s almost no job that machines won’t soon be able to perform better than those of us with flesh and blood. “More Human” by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter is the latest book to cross my desk that seeks to help us understand how best to make the most of our humanity in this evolving reality.

The bookpresents a framework for combining the best strengths of technology and our humanity to be the best leaders we can be. Specifically, the authors focus on strengthening core human qualities of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom by using AI to develop and enhance the mindsets and skills underlying those qualities.

“More Human” is largely conceptual in nature and it strongly promotes the authors’ worldview. If you don’t buy in to their worldview (as I don’t), you may be tempted to reject the book outright. At the same time, the framework it presents is helpful for thinking about important human qualities that technology may never replace, and practical ways that AI can help us in nurturing and developing these qualities in our own leadership practices. The authors try hard to give the book a long shelf-life by avoiding specific technology details that will quickly be surpassed, and yet, like many, they are making unproven hypotheses about how humans can continue to play valuable roles in the workplace as technology continues to advance and perform a wide variety of tasks better than humans have been able to do it in the past. 

Some will likely find the book helpful as they work to become better leaders in the age of AI.

Read my full review here.

Farmers have been harvesting hazelnuts in the Pontic Hills region of Turkey for thousands of years and today they export more than $1 billion of the crop annually. More than half the world’s hazelnuts come from the region. Millions of people are involved in the industry and it is the backbone of the regional economy.

However, the system is broken and many of the farms are failing. Ninety-nine percent of hazelnut farms are less than 5 acres. There are 500,000 orchards in 10,000 villages. These farms are too small to fully support the families that own them, so the owners need to leave their homes to find work, only returning for harvest time. Since their farms are neglected most of the year, yields are falling and profits have dropped 30% over the past decade, creating an out-of-control spiraling problem for these families. Many are considering whether or not they can justify continuing to operate their farms.

Jeremy Welty started Full Harvest Agricultural Solutions to solve this problem. Jeremy and his team have developed a model that is saving small family farms. They evaluate candidate farms, identifying those that could be operated together more efficiently. They sign long-term leases with the owners to provide guaranteed income and often hire the owners to work their own land, providing year-round employment. They make investments in the orchards and patiently wait the years it takes to earn back a return on the investment. They are the only ones offering a turnkey solution that is saving these farms that have been in families for many generations. They bring in professional management, but also train the owners in new skills and modern techniques. Yields are tripling and quality is improving.

Read the full story here.

A popular saying suggests that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This notion is evident in society, where individuals with significant power often succumb to arrogance and intimidation to fulfill their desires. However, that’s not God’s way. The only truly absolute power is God and God is holy, the opposite of corruption.

As we grow in godliness, through the Holy Spirit’s sanctification, we aim to reflect qualities like gentleness, kindness, and graciousness in our lives. Unlike a bully who relies on intimidation due to insecurity, a godly leader exhibits gentleness rooted in confidence in God’s power, without the need for validation from others. True confidence breeds peace, secure in our responsibilities, and wanting the best for others.

Read more about how gentleness interacts with other God-honoring character traits and how we can use gentleness to glorify God in our businesses here.

Gentleness, far from indicating weakness, actually showcases real strength and security.

Throughout my lifetime space travel has been a grand dream and a slowly unfolding reality. One of my earliest memories is of the Apollo 11 crew taking the first steps on the surface of the moon. While advances along man’s journey into space are captured as snapshots in my memory (e.g. the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronauts capturing jello floating mid-air in the weightlessness of the International Space Station, the SpaceX rocket vertically landing for re-use after delivering its payload into space), I’ve missed the big picture. Space to Grow by Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau tells the fascinating big story of the commercial space industry, and along the way teaches us important business lessons applicable to almost any industry.

I’m fascinated by the big story here. I guess I had never really paid close attention to the fundamental shift that has happened in how our country approaches space flight. The authors tell this story well by telling several little stories, each with its own heroes, challenges, and conflicts. The authors use an intellectual framework to explain how the integration of all of these little stories into the big story makes sense economically, considering the relationship between governments and markets in space. “The three steps of the framework, and thus the three parts of the book, are: (1) establish the market through decentralization, (2) refine the market through addressing market failures, and (3) temper the market through alignment with social objectives.” In telling the stories within this framework, the authors introduce readers to a number of important economic concepts and principles.

Space to Grow is a fun and informative read. It compellingly tells many stories that combine into a fascinating big story of the emergence of a commercial space economy. Along the way, the authors teach us basic economic concepts that might benefit any business in any industry. Overall a recommended read for any business leader, especially those of us that have always been fascinated by space and the stories of how the future will change us.

Read my full review here.

The words “you don’t trust me” or “I don’t trust you”, even if left unspoken, are destructive to any relationship.

Faithfulness has both *to* and *in* aspects

We tend to focus on being faithful *to* the trust others have placed in us, and that’s important. Our faithfulness shows up in our being consistent, reliable, able to be trusted, and dependable. We should strive to be this kind of faithful to those around us. We should follow through on our commitments, whether explicitly given or simply reasonably expected. Others should be able to count on us and trust us. When we betray the trust of another, our relationship with them crumbles.

But if we dissect the word faithfulness into its three parts we find that the word means the quality or state (ness) of being full of faith — completely trusting *in* another. This is hard. When we aren’t seeing progress or evidence towards commitments made, we tend to be skeptical and are tempted to think the worst of the other person — and often for good reason. Other people have failed us, and if we’re honest, we are just as imperfect, forgetful, and unreliable as they are.

It’s the same in business, and our faithfulness can help us build trusted relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, investors, the community at large, and even competitors. We do this by living up to our commitments. But healthy relationships also require us to trust our employees, suppliers, and customers. We need to listen well, trusting their input, and be responsive to their needs. When they make mistakes, we need to show them grace (while being discerning to ensure they aren’t abusing our faith in them) to strengthen the trust in our relationship.

As Christians, when we consider how to live out faithfulness as a Fruit of the Spirit, we can think about our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with others. The meaning of the word doesn’t change, but the practical application of it does. Click the link below to see what I mean.

Admittedly, faithfulness can be hard, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. The good news is that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning that, as Christians, the Holy Spirit is working it more and more into our lives and our character. As we mature in our faith, we grow in our faithfulness.

Read the full article here.

I eagerly anticipated reading “The Insider’s Guide to Innovation @ Microsoft”. Microsoft is one of the most valuable companies on the planet and has built that value by helping people and businesses leverage technology in innovative ways. As part of the celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary, Dean Carignan and JoAnn Garbin, two innovators inside the company have produced this collection of seven diverse case studies and four innovation patterns that emerged from those case studies.

Bottom line, “The Insider’s Guide to Innovation @ Microsoft” is an interesting study of what innovation looks like at Microsoft today. As with any large company, different parts of the business operate somewhat differently, but the authors have done a good job of finding the commonalities from which lessons can be learned. While the book may not be the most productive book on innovation for a small and young startup, I do believe there are valuable lessons that leaders at large and mature companies could learn from reading it. I recommend the book for those readers.

My full review is here.

When someone says “he is a good man”, I think they typically mean that that man can be counted on to do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. He has high moral character. He demonstrates strong ethical principles and integrity. He also shows compassion, is reliable and honest, and considers the well-being of others. He lives up to his commitments and treats people with respect and understanding.

Just as we, as individuals, want to be seen as “good,” businesses increasingly want to be seen as “good.” 

Harvard Business Review collected “15 Eye-Opening Corporate Social Responsibility Statistics”. Here are a few of the highlights:

• “Seventy-seven percent of consumers are motivated to purchase from companies committed to making the world a better place, while 73 percent of investors state that efforts to improve the environment and society contribute to their investment decisions.”
• “Twenty-five percent of consumers and 22 percent of investors cite a ‘zero tolerance’ policy toward companies that embrace questionable practices on the ethical front.”
• “A majority of American consumers (55 percent) believe it’s important for companies to take a stand on key social, environmental, and political issues.”
• “Creating value for the customer, positively impacting society, and inspiring innovation and positive change are the three top reasons impacting an organization’s purpose.”
• “Nearly 70 percent of employees say they wouldn’t work for a company without a strong purpose.”
• “Fifty-eight percent of organizations that currently have a strong and clear sense of purpose experienced 10 percent or more growth during the last three years.”

In the U.S., a new classification of business called a Benefit Corporation has emerged. Businesses that file as a Benefit Corporation are still “for profit” but profit is not their only goal. They seek to make a positive impact on society by addressing social, economic, and/or environmental needs. They must issue an annual Benefit Report defining, reporting, and assessing their social and environmental performance. 

But as Christians, is that what we mean when we seek to demonstrate “goodness” in our business?

Read my answer here.

“HBR Guide to Generative AI for Managers” by Elisa Farri and Gabriele Rosani (HBR Press, 2025) is a practical and helpful guide for managers. It not only teaches them how to use Gen AI in general, but identifies specific tasks that are at the heart of a manager’s job that can be enhanced with Gen AI, and even provides sample prompts for achieving those gains. 

The book identifies thirty-five specific types of managerial tasks that can be enhanced with Generative AI, describes how to do so, and gives specific examples of prompts for doing so. The authors identify two different approaches to using Generative AI: co-pilot (assigning tasks to AI) and co-thinker (collaborating with AI). The thirty-five tasks are evenly split between these two approaches and are further broken down into four types of managerial activities: managing yourself, managing teams, managing business, and managing change. The book covers such a broad array of activities that almost any manager can relate to some subset of the tasks. If you are open to experimenting with Generative AI, then this is a great guide to getting started in a way very relevant to business leaders.

The HBR Guide to Gen AI is structured to work well both as an instruction manual and as a reference guide. It can be read linearly to learn how to use Gen AI in practical ways. It is also easy to quickly find instructions for using Gen AI for specific types of tasks. The book is clearly written and well organized, further enhancing its practical value.

I strongly recommend the HBR Guide to Gen AI for managers open to leveraging new technologies to do their jobs better, easier, and faster.

Read my full review here.

Our kindness in our business shows up in how we treat others especially our employees, customers, and suppliers. We are compassionate towards their needs, bearing with their weaknesses and mistakes, and seeking their good, even at our own expense. By doing so, we reflect the character of God and bring Him glory.

We all know people who have been kind to us, and these are the types of people we generally like to be around. We cheer for them and like to see them succeed.

Opposites of kindness include cruelty, meanness, heartlessness, maliciousness and pettiness. Each of these words brings forth images that help us better appreciate what it means to be kind. 

People like to work for kind bosses. Customers like to frequent businesses where they are met with kindness. Many more are happy to see a kind business succeed than to see a cruel or heartless one prosper.

Read the full article here.