Can the Bible Serve as a Management Text?

The phone rang. It wasn’t a regular ringing sound. The ring tone was Guns ‘n Roses’ Paradise City. I never would have thought of the Lord as a hard rocker. He smiled at me.

“Sam, I have to take this call.”

The Lord whipped out an Apple Phone and talked with someone for a minute. I tried not to pay attention. But it was hard. I know how tough it was for me to get this interview, so it must be someone special to have the Lord’s number. The Lord finished the call and put away the phone.

“Sorry Sam. I thought I had it on vibrate mode. I should talk to Steve Jobs to make sure I am using it correctly.”

“God, I have several questions regarding the Bible and whether people can really learn anything from it as it applies to management. I know you will say they can, but if our readers want to know if they should read the Bible or a different management text, such as something from management gurus Tom Peters or Ken Blanchard, what should I tell them?”

“Tell them to read as much as possible. I mean the more they read the better they will be able to appreciate different thoughts. But let me caution you…. not everything you read in these books is accurate. So many books explore the latest fad or management theory designed to make management easy. Just like all the self-help books out there. Some might help, but many readers hope to find a simple solution like those who want to lose weight and think a magic pill will immediately help them.”

It made me think of how so many workplaces use motivational posters to… well, motivate their troops. I wondered how useful they are. I especially liked the surfer poster with a caption reading “persistence.”  I wish I had the power to put the poster on the Lord’s screen so he would know what I was talking about.

“Sam, I love that cat hanging on a wire poster reading, ’Hang in there.’”

Up on the screen popped up both my poster and the Lord’s poster.

“But being a manager focuses on solving real hard issues and often there are no easy answers. For example, Moses was not able to motivate his people with a slogan or poster. He needed to constantly deal with battles, both internal and external. That is what a good manager needs to be able to do-balance various sides for each issue and make tough decisions that some will not agree with. That is why the Bible is such a good teaching tool. All the stories present an opportunity to learn from the success and failures of various leaders and managers. Whether looking at stories such as the Tower of Babel where the people tried to accomplish a unifying, but bad goal, or leaders such as King David and Solomon who are famous today, but also violated my rules and incurred my wrath. I have thrown in ideas and concepts throughout the Bible to show that the context is critical and there are so many facets to an issue that an easy solution is often the wrong solution.”

“Can you give me an example Lord?”

“Sam, do you know where the ideas surrounding democracy came from?”

I answered, “Thomas Jefferson.”

“Where did he get it from?”

“I don’t have a clue. It has been almost 20 years since I took my high school government class–30 years since social studies. I have no clue.”

“It’s the Bible.”

I looked at the Lord. I remembered many stories from the Bible, but nothing about democracy. I had a puzzled look on my face. I guess it was obvious that I was questioning the Lord.

“Sam, anyone can find evidence of the democrat system in both Deuteronomy and Isaiah. In Deuteronomy (17-18) I specifically mention the different roles of the king, priests, and the prophets. This is power sharing at the highest level. Each level had its roles and responsibilities. In Isaiah (33:22), I was more explicit—I had the prophet write “For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king.” Sam, doesn’t that sound like your American democratic system? I just want people to know that if you really look carefully, you can find so many great concepts in the Bible. The concepts aren’t always simple, they can be complex, but those complex examples can provide the greatest insight that can change countries.”

I remembered the story of Jethro and how he gave Moses the idea of having multiple levels of judges. That was a real example in the Bible of how someone provided meaningful managerial advice that benefited numerous people- both the leader and the led. However, I had never though that such an idea could be the foundation of democracy and how different levels allow for checks and balances. Checks and balances allow for protecting the weak from the strong.

“Sam, that is why there are so many great shepherds in the Bible. I wanted to use shepherd rather than farmers or tradespeople because a shepherd looks out for the entire flock, not just the best of the flock. That is the true basis of leadership and when it works well it is so wonderful to see.

The Lord continued. “Democracies, like great management, requires the will of many to overcome possible personal abuse.  The problem is what often starts as a great idea ends up falling apart due to some individuals feeling they are more entitled than others or start abusing the power others have vested in them. That is why when the majority is right, you follow them. If the Rabbis collectively agree to interpret the law in one way, then that interpretation becomes the law for other Jews to follow. I don’t feel bad. If the majority is right…then that is the rule. The key is that the decision is made by the community for the benefit of the community and to sanctify lives. If the majority acts in a bad or inappropriate manner, then no leader should follow such a majority. I specifically warn about this in Exodus 23:2. The shepherd who knows best should be followed even if the flock wants to go in a different direction.”

The sheep and shepherd analogy was growing on me. So many people think sheep are dumb. However, sometimes the sheep have an instinct where they might sense a predator and they might collectively be calling on the shepherd to act. The best shepherd will know that call of the majority and will act accordingly. The poor shepherd will ignore this “vote” of the majority at their own peril. That is why a great shepherd, like a great leader, needs to care for all those under their charge.

The Lord obviously liked my analysis and gave me the thumbs up sign. Not a single thumbs up, but a double thumbs up similar to what the actor Henry Winkler did with his Fonzie character in the television series Happy Days.

“I also like the thought of farmers as well, Sam. A farmer who waits for a cloudless sky to plant their crops is considered a fool in Proverbs. There is never a perfect time, just the best time under the circumstances. Imagine if Noah had waited until there were storm clouds before building the ark…he would not have survived. He heard me and acted rather than forming a focus group and debated the concept ad nausea.  Shepherds and farmers both need to have the right knowledge and skill to know what to do, how to listen to those in their charge, and then be people of action.”

I could see the connection starting to come to play. Farmers, shepherds, and parents all can be leaders like businesspeople. If they focus on protecting the weak and listen to the larger voice of the ones they supervise, they can be so much more efficient.

“While we are on the topic of farmers Sam, what would you rather have, a packet of seeds or a bouquet of flowers?”

God did not wait for me to answer.

“A bouquet has instant appeal and gratification. You know the flowers will not last, but you can enjoy them while they last. In contrast there’s always a risk that the seeds might not germinate or that it will take a lot of effort to get the seeds to a point where they become flowers and can be picked. Along that road there will be issues from insects, water, weeds, soil, the sun, and numerous other concerns. If all these concerns do not materialize, then the result might be numerous flower bouquets.  The same applies for managers as there can be numerous seeds in a workplace along with some beautiful flowers that were cut a while ago. The old flowers might be wilting or even might start smelling. A manager might spend most of their time with these flowers trying to make them last a little longer. In contrast, other managers might focus exclusively on the seeds and try to plant their own seeds to create their ideal crop. The best managers combine a nurturing of both seeds and the existing flowers.”

Up on the screen popped up flowers-millions of flowers. Since my wife loves flowers, I knew what was involved in growing them. She had the skill to do it. That was not part of my skill set. However, I could appreciate beauty and being surrounded by all these flowers was amazing. To add a special twist, the Lord added a menagerie of beautiful smells, which I assumed were a variety of flowers. It would have made a great room air freshener. While looking at all the flowers I saw the Lord waving his hand toward his nose and inhaling deeply.

“That smell Sam is the smell of the Garden of Eden. Few people have smelt it over the years, but my messengers are some of the lucky ones who get to smell it on a regular basis.”

I am no dummy. This was the Lord making a hard sell. A real hard sell. The Lord smiled with the knowledge he was busted, but also that it did not hurt his effort to show me some of the benefits associated with being his messenger.

The Lord continued. “Sam, the difference though between the farmer and the shepherd is that the seeds and flowers cannot rebel. Sheep can rebel. In fact, there was a study undertaken in England where they fit GPS monitors on a flock of sheep. What they found is that every sheep tried to avoid the herding dog by moving towards the center. The researchers called it the shellfish-herd theory which is that every entity in a flock is looking to put a weaker member of the flock between themselves and a predator. One could see that same mentality in numerous organizations. The organizations who thrive, similar to the leaders who thrive, put the weakest in the center and surround them to provide protection.”

I could not see myself as a shepherd, but I went to a “dude ranch” years ago and thought I had done a great job. The Lord laughed and pointed to a screen where in color was a picture of me falling off a horse at the dude ranch. I blushed. There was nothing I could hide from the Lord. With my best cowboy drawl, I asked a question harking back to our discussion concerning the Bible. “So, the Bible is a management text?”

“Not directly, Sam. Many of the greatest minds out there are people who study the Bible. It served for so many years as one of the primary educational texts. I am so disappointed that more people are not reading my book. It is not because of my ego. It is because I think it is a wonderful book with numerous helpful examples. There are very few black and white examples- rather lots of gray areas and that is what managers encounter. If the Bible can be a useful tool in learning how to act in life, it should be just as useful for managers. Think of the Bible as the ultimate consultant.”

The first thoughts racing from my mind were the accounting commercials about asking Marcom. I know the consulting business is very large and established. I had never thought how old the profession was and that it had the Bible as its manual. I did not think it was as old as…well the oldest profession, but I thought it was a more recent invention. I was sure The Lord was going to prove me wrong.