PART ONE - LAYING A PERSONAL FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

From the book Management by Proverbs

PRINCIPLE ONE - A PROVERB IDENTIFYING THE REAL CEO

In all situation of uncertainty, we usually choose to fall back on our own wisdom. This becomes all the more likely as the stakes escalate. However, it is for such moments - the times when we are most likely to depend on our instincts, the times when we are most prone to invoke the 'business-reality' rationale for compromising our faith - that Proverbs 16:3 was written:

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3)

The verse contains a basic biblical principle. All of the work that we do in life, indeed every endeavor we pursue, is ultimately to be performed for the glory of God.

In Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working fo the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Proverbs 16:3 "Your plans will succeed." Sound pretty straight forward, isn't it?

When we commit our work to the Lord, when we acknowledge Him as the real Boss to whom we ultimately report - our perspective on what we're doing and why we're doing it changes dramatically, as does our potential for success. Our 'thoughts' about the purpose are no longer shaped by our peers or the corporate culture. Instead our thoughts and plans are 'established' by God. They become divinely anchored rather than dependent upon circumstances. God's will now preoccupies us, displacing former priorities of expediency, control, promotion, power and job satisfaction. Even pay raises and job security become lesser priorities; the choice first and foremost remains God's will.

Once this new perspective is established, the ground is made fertile for us to 'succeed', not necessarily in the eyes of the world, but certainly in the eyes of God. We can succeed in our reputation, esteem, integrity, and relationships. At times, this success comes at the expense of more tangible outcomes, such as pay and promotion. Most important though, the Christian manager succeeds in the workplace as a living testimony to the truth of the Gospel.

PART ONE - LAYING A PERSONAL FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

From the book Management by Proverbs

PRINCIPLE ONE - DEVOTE YOUR WORK TO THE REAL BOSS

CASE STUDY

In 1946, Truett Cathy, a young and ambitious entrepreneur, took out a small loan to open a restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. The Dwarf Grill consisted of a mere ten counter seats and four tables, but the tireless Cathy steadily grew the business by serving up quality food and friendly service twenty-four hours a day, six days a week.

In this modest setting, Cathy experimented with faster ways to prepare chicken and creative ways to season it. By 1963, his persistence paid huge dividends as he developed the winning taste combination that would come to be known as the Chick-fil-A sandwich. Business took off and within a few short years, Cathy was pioneering inmall fast food, peddling his novel sandwich to the rave views of hungry shoppers.

As a devout Christian, Cathy had refused to operate on Sundays ever since he opened the Dwarf Grill. Although the policy occasionally created difficulty securing mall contracts, his recipe was in such demand that the malls simply could not say no. Fifteen years later, Chick-fil-A annual sales would top US$100 milion.

And then came the economic threat that would test Cathy's faith. During the deep recession of 1982, demand for Chick-fil-A sales begins to decline for the first time. To add-on, other competitive chains of fast food restaurants became the direct competitors with Chick-fil-A. Chicken prices were soaring and the company was beset with heavy debt with interest rates hovering around 21 percent for building a five-story office complex. Financial crisis, it seemed was imminent.

Here at the crossroads lay the specter of what had been non-negotiable for decades: opening on the Sabbath. Adding one day of operation - especially a day where mall traffic was so high would add at least 16 percent to current revenues. A policy change might therefore mean a difference between the mall's center court and the government's bankruptcy court.

Profitable solutions ... God's will. Often they intersect, sometimes they do not. And it is in the latter tension that the Christian manager's faith is ultimately tested in the divine crucible. Cathy's dilemma revolved around maintaining a profit while honoring God by doing what he believed was God's will. Both those in senior management and in supervisory roles often must choose whether what they learned in business school must always come first or take second when it clashes with God's guidelines.

In effect, one must weigh the promises of the corporate culture against the promises of Scripture. And it is here that top management must decide whether the organisation's direction will be charted using God's compass of a gauge of their own creation.

Book of Proverbs on Management

From the book on Management by Proverbs

OVERVIEW ON BOOK OF PROVERBS

Proverbs is a philosophical book that seeks to answer question on 'How should we live?'. Primarily it contains the sayings of King Solomon, Israel's third and wisest king and majority of its contents are traditionally dated to the 10th century B.C.

The book of Proverbs speaks to every life issue of consequence, and, not surprisingly, it affords us an impressive amount of guidance in business matters. Borrowing from the work of Roy B. Zuck, the contents below summarizes those themes with the most patent application to management.

PROVERBS THEMES APPLICABLE TO MANAGEMENT

Advice to Leaders

Be honest, humble, just, reliable, self-controlled and sober

Money

Avoid get-rich-quick schemes, unfair pricing, charging exorbitant interest rates, and bribery; recognise consequences of gaining money dishonestly, money's ability to motivate people to work; share money liberally with the poor.

Proper use of words

Use words to impart wisdom, encourage, protect and nurture.

Improper use of words

Avoid lying, slander, gossip, false witnessing, mocking, perverse talk, boasting, flattery, or quarreling.

Virtues

Show courage, diligence, humility, generosity, honestly, integrity, kindness (to poor, to needy, to animals), love, patience, self-control, reliability, sobriety, teachability, and truthfulness.

Vices

Don't acquire money dishonestly, be angry or lose temper, bribe, be drunken, envious, greedy, hypocritical, unjust, jealous, lazy, oppress the poor or be proud.

Work and family

Be faithful to spouse; show priority of spouse and children over work.

When we apply Proverb's principles for human relationships to the workplace, they offer guidance for

1. Building a competitive workforce
2. Cultivating a culture of commitment
3. Evaluating and rewarding performance
4. Minimizing strife

SUMMARY

The goal in Management by Proverbs is to spotlight those principles of human relations found in this practical Book of Proverbs and show how managers and organisations can tailor those proverbs to their particular needs.