Common Goals
With the words floating around and bumping into us, I swatted some away. I wondered how they moved, but I should not have wondered when it came to what the Lord could do. A big net came from the ceiling to corral the words. After a few swipes, the words were corralled, and the net was dumped on top of the Bible. The pages started flipping and the words started returning to their page. The net vanished and the words fell into place and the Bible closed. That got me thinking about the next question.
“Lord, how can we get everyone on the same page…or is that even a good idea?”
“To help get everyone on the same page it is important to first get everyone involved. In Exodus (30:13) I demanded that every Israelite was required to give a half-shekel to help support the sanctuary and the priests. That wasn’t the first-time taxes were collected and if you don’t believe me Sam look it up in Genesis 47:26. I cannot take credit for creating the IRS, but I created the communal effort for supporting institutions. I wanted to make sure everyone was involved in building my tabernacle. If some people do not have skin in the game, then they might not take their commitment seriously. Some might say they do not need to give the half-shekel because they might feel they do not support religious objectives or that they gave to another cause. My response is there is no choice. You must give regardless of what you think or feel. Before there can be a common goal…there needs to be a common understanding that everyone is involved.”
I tried to imagine the last time everyone in a group did the same thing. I also thought about the IRS and how it would be great if everyone contributed, regardless of their status or income. I had lobbied once years ago for a flat tax so everyone, regardless of income level, would pay at least some taxes and loopholes could be eliminated. It would mean that everyone had skin in the game.
“It’s very hard Sam. At the sin of the Golden Calf there were approximately 3,000 Israelites who engaged in the despicable act. When Moses asked the Israelites to come forward and put out the fire the response was great. A bad kind of great. Of all the tribes, only the tribe of Levy stepped forward (Exodus 32:26). All these people had the opportunity to advance the cause of supporting both Moses and me. This was not an obligation, but an opportunity…and the results were horrible. That is why sometimes having an obligation and making sure everyone participates is the better choice than asking for people to engage.”
Up on the screen popped up in big letters- “This is Mandatory…That Mean Everyone… Including Larry.”
“Who’s Larry?”
“Sam, every business has a Larry or Steve, or Julia, or whatever the name is who thinks the rules do not apply to them. They often represent the biggest headaches for managers.”
How did the Lord know about Larry at my office…. of course he would know.
“Larry is a character, but he grows on you. Getting back to a common goal Sam, besides making sure everyone has a stake in the common goal, the purpose of the goal is so important. In Numbers 32 the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and some from the tribe of Menashe approached Moses with a simple request. They would be willing to help the other tribes conquer the land of Israel, but they wanted to permanently remain on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Their request on their desire to be on the other side of the Jordan was expressed based on their desire to build pens for their flocks and then cities for their children. While rebuking them on the initial request Moses showed the weakness of their request. They wanted to put profits ahead of people. They wanted to make sure they had wealth and that would give them the stability to have strong cities for their children. Moses told them that if they helped the other tribes, they could build cities for their children and then pens for their flocks. The switch was critical to highlight that true wealth comes from our children and once we educate them, we can pursue other ventures. How often do organizations develop a goal, that is the wrong goal. They put profits ahead of more important goals. It turns out that the goal of staying on the eastern side of the Jordan became the primary downfall for these tribes. When enemies came from the east, they were the first tribes to lose and were dispersed. Once again Sam, the law of unintended consequences.”
I was thinking about how they could be so short sighted, but then I thought that so many people with so much information make the wrong choice on a regular basis. I wondered whether we could use all the information out there to help make better decisions and create the best possible goals.
“As I just said a little while ago Sam, I like to say the Israelites do not have a history, rather they have a memory. History is something that ends up on a bookshelf somewhere waiting to be read and hoping people will remember it. A memory in contrast is something that is alive and flourishing. That is why the Jews have been able to survive while so many great empires have crumbled. The Israelites did not just have a history, they had a memory. Even to this day Jews pray every day recalling their tradition and how they left Egypt under my direction. They also retell the story of leaving Egypt every year during Passover. You might be asking what does that have to do with running a business Sam? Well, every business should be run as if it has a memory rather than a history. So many businesses operate as if they have a treasured history. Oh, we have been around for 100 years…let’s have a party. There are companies that hire “corporate historians” to track a company’s history. That is fine and dandy but having numerous documents in storage or printing a glossy brochure is just history, not a memory. A memory is alive and does not need any special attention. It is engrained in the employees. It can be a mantra, a saying…but more importantly Sam, it must be something engrained in the soul of every employee. It is basically statement that our corporate golden age was not in the past, but in the future.”
“So Lord, when we get all the people together, and identify the right goals, we can move forward together as a dedicated team. But what are the right goals? We have talked a lot about goals and the one thing I can say is that the most important goal is being holy. Am I missing anything?”
“Being holy is a good common goal Sam. I would say though that the first common goal should be loving your neighbor. Not liking them or tolerating them… but loving them. That does not mean just people to people, but also businesses in the same region or in the same industry. Yes, you can compete and battle hard for business against each other, but that does not mean you do not need to love them. Cheating the opposition, ambushing them, undercutting them, false advertising, you name it… they are all acts one would not undertake to a loved one, right?”
I thought to myself about the quote that a rising tide raises all ships. I wondered how many organizational leaders could really love their competitors.
“Not that many Sam and that is why we are talking and why I want you on my team.”
