Escape From Iraq
By Dave Urbanski

FINANCE

From the Ashes

Seven steps to surviving financial disaster from former Vanguard Airlines CEO Scott Dickson
By DAVE URBANSKI

Early in the morning on September 11, 2001, Scott Dickson, then CEO of Vanguard Airlines, watched from the cockpit of one of his company's jets as the clouds parted over Manhattan's skyline. Dickson made it a point to rub shoulders as often as possible with his employees during their shifts, and the pilots were no exception.

"At about 1 a.m. we were flying right next to the World Trade Center," Dickson, 52, recalls. "The Twin Towers were all lit up, and we had a spectacular vantage point from the cockpit. I remarked to one of the pilots what an incredible sight they were--little did we know that we were some of the last people to ever get that view."

Less than eight hours later, the world changed.

In a hotel room just over a mile from what's now known as Ground Zero, Dickson was preparing for investor meetings when his phone rang. It was a Vanguard shareholder who he was traveling with. "You'd better turn on the TV," the shareholder said. "A jet just crashed into one of the Twin Towers."

In a state of disbelief, Dickson tried to walk to his first meeting and was confronted with a sea of humanity. He recalls: "People were moving north from lower Manhattan by any means possible. It was very orderly, there was no fighting--just this incredible mass movement. We could see the smoke billowing above the skyline; there was this acrid smell. When I finally got back to my hotel, I started running a remote emergency center from my room."

Dickson talked to his wife and his associates at Vanguard. Their passengers and planes were safely on the ground and accounted for. Relief.

But Dickson's mind began racing as a new reality set in.

"For however long we were grounded, we'd be devastated financially," he recalls, echoing the concerns of every airline, big and small, around the country. "We had a couple of thousand passengers to re-accommodate. Local passengers could just go back home, but those in transit we were putting up in hotels. Homeless shelters provided cots. We were just running on adrenaline."

Dickson adds: "It was like a war--there was fear and angst in your gut, but we had to do what we had to do to stay alive as a company. I got back home to Dallas later that week, and as my wife and I drove to church on Sunday, I just broke down crying. It was just a huge release of emotion."

Dickson details the 10 months that followed--including what he learned after the gut-wrenching decision to shut down Vanguard and declare bankruptcy in July 2002--in his book, Never Give Up: 7 Principles for Christians Leading in Tough Times (Barbour).

"When we had to file for bankruptcy, that was a brutally tough day, a heartbreaking time," Dickson notes.

Dickson worked on and off in consulting jobs after Vanguard's shutdown--until January 2005 when he signed on as chief marketing officer for Midwest Airlines, one of Vanguard's arch rivals. Dickson says there are key lessons he has learned that Christian business leaders can apply during difficult times (see below):

1. Put fear in its place. God never intended for any of us to live in fear. When we're afraid, we need to humbly bring our fears before God. Then, He empowers us to look fear in the face and say, "No!"

2. Remember to pray. God actually wants to bless us in all things, including our business concerns. We must simply make our business concerns a part of our daily prayer lives.

3. Get God's perspective. It is essential to find times and places to get away and spend time alone with God. When we do that, we receive His special blessing.

4. Provide "front-line" leadership. Spending time on the front lines is absolutely essential for the well-being of a company during the good times and for its very survival during the difficult ones. It shows that you care not just about the company as a whole but about each person individually.

5. Communicate often and honestly. One example of bad business leadership is poor communication. Whether you use regular e-mails, office memos or personal interactions, communication is a must when it comes to leading during difficult times.

6. Persevere through everything. Most of the time, the road to blessing and success is paved with setbacks and even some short-term or temporary failures. God has promised us that if we persevere, if we refuse to give up, we will find blessing.

7. Focus on the "bigger picture." Focusing on the "bigger picture" means doing all we can to make sure we glorify God in every decision we make and action we take. And it's also making sure that we are in the place He wants us to be when He wants us to be there.

A Debt-Free Degree

Nationally, the average debt load for undergraduates has reached $18,900, according to a recent survey by lender Nellie Mae, more than doubling the $9,118 student average in 1993. These tips can help you to keep school debt to a minimum:

Stretch out your school experience. "It's not uncommon to see students take 5 to 6 years to complete an undergraduate program," says Lee University's associate director of financial aid, Marian Huffman. "It could be a combination of academic rigor as well as financial burden."

Take off-hour courses. Some schools offer tuition reduction for classes taken during off-peak hours.

Earn credits from a less expensive institution. Transferring qualified and approved credits from a community college or another less expensive institution to a more prestigious college or university can add up to big savings.

Shop for bargains. Lower tuition does not necessarily mean an inferior quality of education.

Seek school discounts. Colleges often offer discounts for employees, military personnel, siblings attending the same college, and children of ministers and missionaries.

Create a college savings plan in advance. Some states offer 529 college savings programs, which allow tax-free deductions to create a college savings that can be used at any college in the United States, or prepaid tuition plans, where residents buy a contract or bonds at a fixed price, based on the rates of college tuition today.

Buy textbooks overseas. Just like prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada, English-language college textbooks from other countries are cheaper than their American counterparts.

Get a REAL Job!

Author Dan Miller tells you how to take advantage of changing work models--and succeed in ANY economy.

In Dan Miller's book 48 Days to the Work You Love, the popular business author cites a U.S. Department of Labor statistic stating that 50 percent of the jobs in the next six years have yet to be created. It's that kind of rapid change that has men everywhere stressed out over their professional futures.

But Miller, president of The Business Source, based in Franklin, Tenn., takes a more optimistic approach and sees the fluid job market as ripe with opportunity. Here are a few of Miller's nuggets of wisdom on how you can be prepared for this new dynamic workplace:

Security, predictability, rewarded loyalty and guaranteed retirement benefits are elements of a workplace that no longer exists. Today's "security" is assured only by having a clear understanding of transferable "areas of competence." Seeing yourself as self-employed or recognizing you will need to move from organization to organization is a healthy approach to work life.

Work is not a curse from God. It is our greatest gift for fulfillment, accomplishment, peace, ministry and financial rewards. Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden to "work it and take care of it" before the fall (Gen. 2:15, NIV). Solomon said enjoying our work is a "gift of God" (Eccl. 3:13). We set an example for others as we are "working for the Lord" (Col. 3:23). We will have work assignments in heaven (see Is. 65:22).

Passion, determination, talent, self-discipline and faith are the five solid predictors of success in any work environment. With these, you can succeed in any economy. Without these, you will likely fail in the best or worst of times. Enthusiasm and a smile may do more to open new opportunities than adding a Ph.D. to your résumé.

Ability alone is a poor indicator of success or even proper work placement. Everyone has multiple abilities. Fulfilling work must blend your skills and abilities, personality tendencies and values, dreams and passions.

The major difference between successful and unsuccessful job hunters is not skill, education, age or ability, but the way they go about their job search. Using the newspaper and Internet job listings is a poor approach and can easily give the impression that no one is hiring. Identifying target companies and contacting them with a three-step approach will lead directly to the 87 percent of jobs never advertised.

New work models are appearing. By 2007 only 50 percent of the American workforce will be "employees." The rest will be contract workers, consultants, contingency workers, temps, entrepreneurs, telecommuters, electronic immigrants and freelance experts. Recognizing the changing work models will allow you to see new and creative options for every situation. NM

SPORTS

Prime-Time Faith

Christian sports broadcasters are making a difference in a world that often promotes values contrary to the Bible.

It's hard to say when things changed, but sometime around the Howard Cosell era, sports broadcasters emerged from behind the microphone and into the hearts of sports fans as full-fledged celebrities.

So it shouldn't be a big surprise to learn that sports broadcasters are now facing many of the same temptations as the athletes that they cover. Spencer Tillman has experienced those challenges from multiple angles. As a CBS college-football analyst and former star athlete with the Oklahoma Sooners and Houston Oilers, he is fully aware of the pitfalls of fame.

"Temptation is always going to be out there because people are drawn to some sense of celebrity," Tillman says. "The key is to start off knowing that is the case. When you understand the nature of the business and the nature of people, then you can guard against those things."

For Ernie Johnson, it took some hard lessons as an unsaved journalist before he finally found Christ in 1997. As the popular studio host for Turner Broadcasting's NBA coverage, he too can easily pinpoint the primary culprit that aims to tear down the character of Christian sports broadcasters.

"There are a lot of land mines out there in broadcasting, chiefly to me the recognition and praise and criticism that comes your way," Johnson says. "I really struggled for a long time, and still do from time to time, with pride and arrogance and concern over what viewers and critics think of me. I remind myself that if anybody's going to get any glory out of this thing it's God."

According to TBS college-football announcer Ron Thulin, he first advises new talent to be vigilant while on the road through personal prayer, and devotion time and accountability.

"Traveling affords you many opportunities to fall," Thulin says. "There's a lot of downtime. You're in hotel rooms alone. Females do recognize you. They do come up and want to talk. ... When you're on the road, you have to really be aware that the devil is going to attack you."

Former ESPN and FOX broadcaster Eric Clemons (currently serving as the sports anchor at FOX affiliate WVUE in New Orleans) says Christian reporters need to take a stand for what they believe in, even if it costs them personally.

"There are certain political games that are played that defy truth," Clemons says. "If a higher up at a network tells me something and it opposes my truth, then I'm going to let him know that. ... I truly believe that's why I haven't been a long-standing person at that [national] level."

Christian sports broadcasters are also faced with an onslaught of negative stories that are constantly filling up the airwaves.

"The one thing that really bugs me is how fatherhood is celebrated when the athlete isn't married," Johnson says. "I'm not going to get on my soapbox and debate the point. That's not why I'm there. ... But you will not hear me joining the backslapping and high-fiving for an out-of-wedlock birth. That's not the message I want to send."

Golf Channel reporter Brian Anderson says that it's a natural tendency to dig out the dirt, but feels it is his responsibility as a Christian to dig even deeper for the positives.

"The problem is that we want to know too much about the athletes, especially the troubled ones," Anderson says. "Positive, encouraging, newsworthy stories do exist."

Along with the opportunity to reach into millions of households is the opportunity to be an influence on the many people that work behind the scenes, the people who rarely receive due credit.

"I think I have a responsibility to reflect God," Thulin says. "It's so easy to get caught up in the game. You've got so many things hitting you at once. You have meetings for 14 hours and tapes to watch. But you forget there are 40 other people making me look good. I've always made it a point to treat those people with respect. ... I try to make sure they know that they can come to me when they're going through a tough time. They know that I care."

Planting Seeds on Putting Greens

How a Florida-based organization teaches kids about God ... through golf.

If you ever attend a clinic organized by Growing Kids Through Golf, it won't take long to spot Mark Eberle, the program's founder. He's usually the one watching the interaction between young golfers and their professional counterparts with a wide, endless smile across his face.

It was 15 years ago in Van Wert, Ohio, when Eberle first conceived the idea of using golf as a way to minister to kids. Now based in Orlando, Fla., the once would-be professional golfer recalls how his heart was turned toward outreach.

"As my golf career developed by playing the mini tours and then teaching, I was gradually drawn away from my (Christian) foundation," Eberle explains. "It was a personal encounter with God that refocused my life 20 years ago. It was such a powerful experience I walked away from golf to seek what God wanted for my life."

A two-month trip to the Amazon opened Eberle's eyes to what God had in store for his future. Initially, that vision was encompassed through his organization known as the Christian Golfer's Association (CGA). The first youth clinic consisted of just six pupils. Since then, the ministry has expanded to include a six-level program that involves kids ages 7 to 17.

Growing Kids Through Golf helps local churches start their own golf-related outreaches but focuses much of its attention on Tour Heroes Clinics that take place at different PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour stops around the country. These one-day events allow local kids and parents to interact with tour players who give golf demonstrations and share their testimonies. Eberle has been blessed to work with a number of professional golfers including Lee Janzen and David Gossett (PGA), and Tracy Hanson (LPGA) and Jim Thorpe (Champions Tour).

"The goal of the program is to impact the lives of young people," Eberle says. "Our focus is to connect kids to their local church where they can be cared for, nurtured and loved. And to give the kids who are already active in their local church leadership skills along with a sense of ownership in their church no matter how young they are."

How to Hook Your Kids on Golf

1. Let them call the shots. Learning the correct grip may be fundamental, but to a fertile, inquisitive mind, the grip can be drudgery. Let them explore the game on their own at the outset.

2. Do more "playing" than teaching. The lesson should not last longer than 30 minutes. Furthermore, the 30 minutes should be broken down into 10 minutes of actual teaching and 20 minutes of playing.

3. Share the joy. Enthusiasm and excitement, felt and expressed without restraint, increases the child's desire to please, learn and excel (a 1-minute puppet show with the headcovers doesn't hurt either).

4. Communicate on their level. Don't stand when you talk; kneel down and look the child in the eye. Rather than say "wide arc," say "big circle." Instead of challenging them to make a "descending blow," ask them to "thump the ground." Children must comprehend an idea before they can execute it.

5. Tee it up in more ways than one. To establish an early pattern of success, tee the ball on every shot with every club. Be ready to help at every turn.

6. Visual is better than verbal. Don't explain the point, show it.

7. Safety first, last and always. Keep the child in your line of sight at all times. Kids don't drive the cart. They don't sit alone on the passenger side. They sit right next to you or on your lap.

8. There is no such thing as criticism. In a child's simplistic world, events are classified as either "fun" or "not fun." Criticism is not fun. If they hit a good shot, you say, "Good shot." If they hit a bad shot, you say, "Good swing."

9. Think of creative ways to teach technique. Little kids don't have the strength, balance or mass to swing the club like an adult. A little creativity will help overcome these issues.

10. Make a big deal out of the short game. Never walk past the practice green with a child. Walk on it, then use it. Heighten the child's curiosity about this vital part of the game, and then let the child pursue it.
Source: Golf Digest