Goal Setting

I had basically heard from the big guy that the Bible’s goal was to serve as guidebook for both people and organizations. I analogized it to Israel, Inc.

“That is the way to think big Sam…go big or go home.”

“Lord, what should I say to people about goal setting?  It is great to dream, and many people talk about stretch goals. This interview is a stretch goal for me. How could anyone even imagine interviewing you?  But so many people are afraid to undertake challenging goals. What would you say to them?”

“Sam, I hear everyone talking these days about stretch goals. That is such a joke. If a goal is not a stretch it is not a good goal. If a sales manager wants to increase sales 1% in a market, that is normally not a huge stretch nor is it a challenge. If that goal was increased to 10%, then that would create a true opportunity for everyone in the organization to grow. Think of it like the diet fads sweeping the world. If a 200-pound person has a goal to lose one pound, that is not a stretch. I would not really consider that a true goal. If they want to lose twenty pounds, now that is a stretch that will make someone stretch and work out. Whether short-term goals or long-term goals, managers need to look to the future. As mentioned in Proverbs 29:18, without a vision the people perish. They need a goal. The stretch goal might be scarry for many because it means they must work hard, but working hard should be considered a positive challenge rather than something to fear. I put mankind on earth to work hard, make tough choices, and overcome the fear that Adam and Eve had when I kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, and they did not know where to go or what to do.”

“But to answer your question Sam, the ultimate goal is to be holy. That should not be a stretch goal. That is the lowest hanging fruit possible. Do the right things and you have met a major goal. I am not asking for people to solve cancer or help the Cubs win another World Series. I am just asking people to be like me…holy.”

The Lord stopped.  He looked at me. Then he continued.

“That might not come out right to your readers Sam as people might say that is too difficult. I set the bar too high to be holy like me. Maybe you should say Sam, they should be holy like a young child who has not been corrupted. They have unconditional love and do not have hatred built into their DNA. They would play with anyone. They don’t care about age, gender, race, and so on. They only want to play, and they are holier than most priests, rabbis, imam, and other religious leaders. It is not just being unbiased; it is loving your fellow man or woman. Being holy is treating others with love and compassion. That is something sorely lacking in this age of road rage, mass shooting, rioting, looting, crime waves, and other unfortunate incidents that shows the exact opposite of holiness.”

The screens lit up with thousands of children. They were playing, laughing, smiling…just being kids.

“Another goal Sam is to hear me when I speak. I sometimes talk to people and sometimes answer people’s prayers, but if the listener is not intent on hearing me then they will miss the conversation. That is why a goal for everyone should be to listen. I am not talking about passive listening, but truly listening. Listen to others. Hear what they say with their words, but more importantly hear what they say by not saying anything, by their body language and by their attitude. Remember our nature sound exercise Sam?”

How could I forget. It was only several minutes ago, yet it seemed like an eternity. I also now had those sounds on my phone.

The Lord smiled.

“Sam, did you hear me in all those animal sounds?”

“No, I just heard a bunch of nature sounds.”

It then dawned on me…duh…. who created the animals. The Lord speaks every language in the world, so he can just as easily talk…well nature talk. It dawned on me that when nature talks, God is talking. But we really have not been paying attention. I know I was not paying attention.

“I have a great universal translate app on my iPhone Sam, but that is mainly for the current slang as I only update my global vocabulary every month and there are always new things being used. I never would have thought ‘this is dope” would mean something other than dope, but that is how I learn.”

I smiled this time.

“Sam, I can be speaking through a bird, a snail, or a person, whatever form and language I want. That is why the prophets who were able to hear me were able to really tune in. They could block out all the distractions and hear the small details. People should have as their goal the ability to really hear. If they listen well, an entire world will open to them. They might even hear me responding to their prayers.”

“God, there is a significant difference between a person trying to be holy, which I get, compared with an organization. How can an organization be holy?”

“Sam, an organization can be holy and can also listen. Any organization is just the sum of its individual parts- those parts are humans. And organizations must plan and be nimble to maneuver. Judaism is great in that they have survived by looking towards the future when obstacles arose. When sacrifices stopped after the temple’s destruction, the Israelites did not panic, but developed a substitute for sacrifices, such as prayer, good deeds, hospitality, and charity… that have substituted for sacrifices for over 2,500 years. Instead of living in the past- the key is to look towards the future. That is why some say that the Jews have no history. Instead, they have a memory.”

Up on the screen popped all these memories. They were not my memories. They were the collective memories of, well, everyone I guessed.

“Sam, those are the memories of the Israelites. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Memories comprise experiences that happened in the past and continue to this day. They are everlasting experiences that remind them of the past but also serve as guidance to the future. The memories will be different for everyone. Ten people can see the same thing and have ten different memories. That doesn’t mean any are wrong or that one is better than another, it is a nuanced perspective. History they say is etched in stone, but it can be wrong or biased. Memories and experiences are living. That is why goals sometimes result in problems and should not be an end all. If a company has a goal of making money, is that appropriate when it does not explore the future implications of current actions?  Maybe a goal can be more focused on creating an enduring legacy based on compassion, love, and respect?”

I never thought of it that way. So many great civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans, cherished their past and that was such an important part of their focus. What great things they had done. They were not focused on the memories or experiences of their people. The Jewish people have survived against all odds because they had their history and past, but their religion looked to the future, a communal future as a people.

“Bingo again. You could get a great parting prize if you keep this up. The Jewish people look towards the future daily in their prayers. They look forward to future redemption, future success, and healing of those who are currently sick. That is all great, but more importantly they look towards the future as a group.”

“For example, Sam, almost all the daily prayers are in the communal tense…may the Lord heal us, redeem us, and protect us. Instead of focusing on what I want, they focus on what they need. That should be what every organization should strive for. Imagine if all the employees could be on the same page. Working towards a common goal with one voice. That is how an organization can truly become great. The people, their biggest assets, would be helping move the organization forward and identifying the major issues and concerns. These individuals will be helping the organization identify what is needed for the living organism of the organization to set appropriate goals and move forward.”

I looked at the Lord. Once again, he was right. What should I expect?  So many organizations consider themselves ‘things’ not living entities made up of more living entities all needing to work towards the same general goal. I was thinking about how so many goals I have heard over the years were so flawed. I remember my goal when I was younger to date a swimsuit model.

The Lord raised his eyebrow and said, “I recall how you eyed that Sports Illustrated issue back in 1992.”

Thank God the Lord did not say anything else. Now I truly understood that all facts are recorded. He knows it all, yet he still granted me this interview. I guess there was hope for me after all.

I veered back to the topic at hand. I thought about the swimsuit model, and what I did. Nothing. It was a dream. There are differences between dreams and a plan. Ideas are great, but what is the plan?  Imagine you have some wood boards, nails, saws, hammers, and paint. You have all the tools and supplies. What will you build?   If you just start cutting, hammering, and painting without a plan you will probably have something…. probably hideous. But if you have a plan with the right resources, you can make almost anything.

“Two for two Sam. You are on a roll. Remember when you tried to build that go cart when you were nine?”

A picture came up on the screen. Yes, that was it. That was the death trap that fell apart causing me to break my arm. What was I thinking?

“You really didn’t have a solid plan, did you?  However, last year you built that wonderful Ikea bookcase. You had a plan, equipment, and you had instructions. That really helped. Every organization needs to have a plan (or several plans), obtain the equipment/resources, and then develop instructions as to how to accomplish that plan. That would be the best goal for an organization moving forward. The exact opposite would be having an Ikea bookshelf with the wrong photo on the front and the wrong instructions, written in a language you do not understand, and missing several parts…good luck with that!”

I did not want to have any Ikea related thoughts. But I also realized that getting that stupid thing built was important for me. I did not want it to be my downfall, but also realized it was not my career. If my career involved making Ikea furniture, then I would have a different perspective. It reminded me of a quote from President Dwight D. Eisenhower who said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

The career plan angle got me thinking.

“Everyone needs a goal and their perspective on the goal is what drives them. It is like the stone cutter who only sees herself as cutting stones. Then there’s her colleagues who see what she is doing as strictly a paycheck. It is only the third stonecutter who realizes that the stone will be used to build a wonderful building. The third stonecutter was the one who internalized the goal and vision.”

Holy cow, it’s all clicking. And here I am, using biblical examples to get my point across.

The Lord was laughing and so were several birds outside the window.

“Sam, you’re definitely getting it now.”

I wondered if I was just the butt of a good joke at my own expense, but I wanted to keep moving on. Then it dawned on me, they were laughing not at me, but were laughing that I was able to put the pieces together. I cracked a smile. I was thinking with a biblical perspective.

“Sam, I love an Indian proverb that says: “If you are planning for one year, plant rice. If you are planning for ten years plant trees. If you are planning for 100 years plant people.””

I imagined a field full of people and then realized what the Lord meant.

“Sam, planning often becomes more focused on today’s issues rather than solutions to tomorrow’s opportunities. Noah did not start planning for the flood when it was starting to rain. He built my boat over 100 years. That is forward thinking. But he had to act early as the preparation for future opportunities begins today.”

Up on the screen popped up a video of Noah building the Ark. I didn’t realize how big it was. I wondered how long I would have to watch to see the animals going into the ark.

“Sam, you would have to watch for another 80 years…but I will fast forward.”

I was able to see them. Yes, the animals were all going in pairs.

“Can I take a picture of this to show my kids?”

“Sure Sam… but you know kids today, they will think that it was photoshopped.”

I took a picture anyway.

The Lord continued. “Moses also planned for the future of his charge. What was the first thing he talked about when the Israelites left Egypt…it wasn’t freedom, conquest, or punishing others. No, his focus was on education (Exodus 13:1). He demanded that the Israelites teach their children about what I did for the Israelites coming out of Egypt. He demanded that the future survival of the Israelites would be through education. To this day the People of the Book focus on education as the cornerstone of their survival. People can destroy a city or country, but it is much more difficult to destroy an ideology engrained through education. That is why organizational leaders need to constantly educate their employees and stakeholders because that will be the bond that will last and stand the test of time.”

“So, education should be an integral part of the long-range process?”

“Oh yeah, Sam. So many Biblical greats took the route of slow and steady wins the race. They planned based on what they could do now to see how that can impact the future. One cannot plan for deciding how to handle technological issues for a technology that has yet to be invented. But leaders can plan now to embrace a nimble response to future technological issues in the short term to prepare for the main possible challenges down the road. As management guru Peter Drucker wrote: “Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions. It deals with the future of present decisions.”

What a concept. That seemed to connect what the Lord previously said about people worrying about issues that never materialized and then planning for the present with the goal that such plans and efforts will pay off in the future. It would be akin to me agreeing to be the Lord’s next messenger. I would not know what would lie ahead of me and how often I would be called to speak for the Lord. But if I said yes, I would be able to help a lot of people now and hopefully turn the world in a better direction.

The Lord smiled. He gave me thumbs up. I knew he was trying to do the soft sell, but he was clearly rooting for me to accept the job.

I returned to the interview.

“God, what is your goal for people, the average Joe or Sally?”

“I wanted my people to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. That does not just reference Israelites, but everyone should strive for holiness and to reach out to me. That is the narrative of the Bible and why I spent so much time on laying out rules and regulations to help people become the best priests possible and the holiest nation possible. If that goal was achieved, we would be in a much kinder, gentler, world. Imagine how so many transactions would be accomplished without mixed motives. I had to include so many rules related to honest weights because people will act inappropriately. Those fences I build around the Bible are there to protect people- my guidebook, and to serve as the officials rules so when someone might think they could exploit a potential loophole, they will realize that was not a healthy thought and a violation of my charge.”

“I get it, you want people to do the right things, to be holy, but that is so hard.”

“I agree, for example, Sara was a great matriarch. She had to put up with a lot of stuff. I mean she gave birth at age 90 and is the mother of my nation. One would think that is super holy. However, she was human and suffered from the shame and indignation of not having children which in those days was the ultimate humiliation for a woman. She gave her maid Hagar to her husband with the hope that Hagar could have a child and become Sara’s surrogate. Once Hagar became pregnant, Sara tormented her (Genesis 16:4-5). That wasn’t Sara’s goal, she had a goal to stay relevant and ensure the future of the Israelites. But when reality happened, she caved to her fear and apprehension. Thus, even a holy person can fall…but she got back up…and fell…and got back up. The goal is to keep getting up whenever you get down.”

“It must have been difficult to be Hagar and at the end of such torment.”

“Oh yeah, but she was rewarded. She is the only woman in the Bible who I said a great nation would come from her. My relationship with Hagar was very special. She was able to talk with me and share her pain, that is why I saved her and her son in the desert as an example of how I hear the anguish of the downtrodden.”

“That is the ultimate definition of divine protection. I guess when people torment others, they do not know the result might be on the one being tormented. For example, when Pharaoh tormented Moses and the Israelites that really backfired.  Speaking about Moses, what was Moses’ goal, Lord?  I mean he had not yet received your rulebook.”

“What was my goal for Moses?  I wanted Moses to take my people out of Egypt. He wanted to lead them to the Promised Land. We had different goals and that can lead to conflict. He set a higher goal than what I had envisioned. Thus, even the highest-level manager can be pursuing the wrong goal. That did not mean that he did not achieve the goal I set for him. He did a great job of getting the Israelites out of Egypt. He faced a lot of obstacles, but persevered. It reminds me a of a great quote from Booker T. Washington who said:

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed.”’

I had to respond with one of my own quotes to try and level the playing field in our quote throw down. Author Marvin Philips said, “The difference between try and triumph is that little umph.”

“I love it Sam.”

All this talk about goals and whether people achieve them brought me back to my goal of getting as much out of the interview as possible. I was thinking about Moses and the tough position he was in. I would not want to be tasked with all that responsibility.