What if you’re fixing the wrong problem?


​Dear Sam Reader,​

1. A quick word from Zach

As leaders, we’re often quickest at the thing that matters least: inventing new rules. In this week’s short, I want to talk about why your real leverage isn’t in better policies, but in slowing down long enough to lead from principles.

video preview

2. Something worth listening to

This conversation is a great companion to today’s topic, because it shows what happens when organizations choose clear principles and trust over dense policy manuals. If you’re feeling the pull to write one more policy to fix one more problem, this episode will push you to build a culture where people are guided by ownership and character, not just rules.

3. Something worth thinking about

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

~ Proverbs 4:26


That's it for this week.

P.S. As I plan for future issues of Dear Sam, I'd love your input. If I were to go deeper into one of the following, which would you choose? Hit reply, and let know!

  • Reclaiming time and margin
  • Increasing profits for the business
  • Learning to multiply time through delegation
  • Leading at home and at work
  • Something else?

To thriving,

Zach Wise

Find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube,
or
Book a free chat

What is "Dear Sam", anyway? This column started with a real person — a friend and client named Sam. I write each issue with him in mind, and with you in mind, too.

Prefer to not get "Dear Sam" emails? No problem! Just click here to unsubscribe.


Your email preferences
Change the emails you get from me
or
Unsubscribe from all emails

2108 North Street, Suite N., Sacramento, CA 95816

Dear Sam

Weekly encouragement and practical business wisdom for Christian business men who want to lead well, steward wisely, and build businesses that leave room for life.

Read more from Dear Sam

Hello Reader, For the man called to build Dear Sam began with a real man. A friend. A client. A businessman carrying real weight. Like a lot of men, he was trying to build something good - provide well, lead faithfully, grow the business, shoulder responsibility, and make something of the opportunity God had put in front of him. And like a lot of men, he was also living in the tension that comes with that calling. Because it is possible to gain ground in business while losing ground...

holding a person's hand while visiting in the hospital

Reader, 1. A quick word from Zach It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll build margin later. But if you don’t intentionally build a business with room for family, church, sickness, emergencies, and the unexpected, you may wake up one day inside a profitable cage of your own making. 2. Something worth listening to This week, check out the EntreLeadership episode, “The Real Reason You’ll Never Grow Your Business.” It’s a fitting companion to this topic because it gets right to the heart of building...

Hello Reader, 1. A quick word from Zach This week, I’m wrestling with a question a lot of Christian men in business quietly carry: should you try to grow your business as much as you can, or keep it intentionally small? I don’t think the deepest issue is growth or restraint by itself, but the motive underneath either choice. 2. Something worth reading Read Proverbs 14:23, Proverbs 16:8, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, and Matthew 6:19-34 in that order. Together, these passages surface the...