Overview
Imagine if you had your choice of management consultants or career coaches. You could choose whomever you wanted, dead or alive, and receive their thoughts on anything you desired. Would you choose a great leader such as Julius Caesar, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Golda Meir, Martin Luther King, or maybe a great business leader such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Cornelius Vanderbilt? The options are limitless, and each one would have wonderful and transformative insights to share. After contemplating the plethora of leaders, I decided on one who doesn’t always garner much attention: the Lord. What follows is a hypothetical discourse with the Lord concerning his thoughts and views on management and leadership.
I can’t claim to know what the Lord would say or how the Lord would craft a management strategy. I can’t even determine the Lord’s gender and whether I should be calling the Lord a him or a her. While I speak to the Lord on a daily basis, he’s never responded directly–though I believe I’ve heard the Lord through the beautiful sounds of nature, the laugh of a baby, or the wise words of one his messengers (whether priest, rabbi, or imam). However, I possess a source that can provide me with guidance and insight to help articulate possible answers the Lord would give if He (or She) were asked to give an interview or serve as a consultant: The Old Testament. While some might argue that mankind wrote the Old Testament, I’m working under the assumption that most, if not all the Old Testament, (hereafter referred to as the Bible) was written by the Lord. Now the Bible is not a management book per se, but it is a great leadership, management, and business case study guide. It provides real examples, proven through archeological findings, of how ancient people worked and the challenges and successes they encountered.
While many ancient civilizations documented (through hieroglyphics, cuneiforms, or papyrus papers) their success, very few documented their failures. Not until the Greek tragedies was documentation given of what foibles their gods encountered. In contrast, the Lord was not shy to examine and acknowledge failures with the hope that His nation would not repeat the mistakes of other nations who glossed over their failures and leadership mistakes. Many great people were led astray by leaders and ideologies. The Israelites were and still are no exception. Yet to this day, the Lord still loves his chosen people, and many Jews also recognize and worship the Lord as their true leader. The Israelites are similar to many of today’s businesses, institutions and organizations. They have been led astray by managers and leaders searching for quick victories or willing to throw others under the bus for the sake of greater returns and personal benefit. These institutions are waiting for their promised “redemption” and ultimate success. Small victories are great, but true success can only come if managers and leaders follow a “righteous” path for the benefit of all stakeholders. There is no one correct path, but this book will hopefully share some insights to help make better decisions that lead to the right path for each individual and institution.
As an example, take the green-related initiatives numerous businesses are pursuing to address corporate concerns, environmental concerns, government mandates, or customer demands. While it’s relatively apparent that such initiatives are the right thing to do, some businesses are concerned that they could result in loss of profit, and wonder if it is even a business’ concern to worry about moral issues. In this, one can look to the Bible for inspiration. When the Israelites conquered Canaan, it’s noted that they did so without destroying any of their enemies’ fruit trees. They considered such an act immoral, and refused to partake in it, regardless of the strategic benefits it might have brought them. In fact, the Bible goes so far to make the destruction of fruit trees, even during war, a sin. Similarly, a business or organization can “do right” and still satisfy their stakeholders. The Lord can give us a great perspective on management and leadership success by examining the people He chose in the Bible to assume leadership positions, analyzing biblical stories, and assessing how His leaders and others responded in different situations. While these stories are thousands of years old, the lessons are very much a current topic. We can learn a great deal from these stories and their various heroes and villains. While we might not think we can match the wisdom and knowledge of Abraham, Joseph, King Solomon, or King David- we can all relate to some biblical stories such as family drama, lies, and dealing with evil people. We can learn even more if we take the perspective that the Lord strategically plans and runs the world. Asking the Lord for his insight can help us answer some of the more pressing and challenging questions associated with running a business. While the Lord did not create the world and his people as a business venture, his efforts can be akin to a non-profit service organization designed to improve the quality of life. Based on this premise, I took the liberty to propose that the Lord would approve a discourse which represented an attempt to spread his message of acting righteously and improving the quality of life for everyone.
It should be noted from the beginning that this is a work of fiction where the author is blending Biblical and modern thoughts to help convey a message. The author has taken creative liberties with his portrayal of God, and that isn’t meant to be disrespectful. It is meant to humanize the connection between God and- well humans. We can never pretend to know or really understand the Lord, but if we don’t take ourselves too seriously and open ourselves to appreciate the Lord as a friend (or drinking buddy) it might be easier to talk with the Lord and bring him into our lives. Thus, readers are asked not to take offense at how the Lord is portrayed in this book, but to appreciate the spirit that people must first accept the Lord and by humanizing their perception of the Lord, might make it easier to connect with him.
