What is Your Moral Imperative?

Excerpt from "The Future of Management" by Gary Hame, Ranked #1 Influential Business Thinker--Wall Street Journal  Initiative, creativity, and passion are gifts....They cannot be commanded. If you are a CEO, you won't get these gifts by exhorting people to work harder, or by ordering them to love their customers and kill their competitors. You'll only elicit these capabilities when you ask...What kind of purpose would merit the best of everyone who works here? What lofty cause would inspire folks to give generously of their talents....It takes more than breathless exhortation, it takes a moral Imperative.

 
In 2003 I spent 10 days teaching current pastors and aspiring students at The Evangelical College of Theology in Sierra Leon, the poorest country on earth. On the final day, as I finished teaching, one seasoned pastor and one student approached me together to express their gratitude for “transform[ing] their lives.”

Seeing that I was a bit uncomfortable with that statement, they proceeded to explain further, saying that I had "washed away their prejudice toward business people.” They told me that a wave of surprise had raced through the college when the students learned that an American businessman was coming to teach.

"You see, we have become to despise business people," they clarified.

Anyone who has seen the movie Blood Diamond might understand how even the local pastors could become full of contempt for business people as they experienced a very trying ten years of civil war. In fact, in such a circumstance, it is easy to see how exploited populations might view business people as the creators of their despair.

However, such a trying economic climate also deeply affects ministry. After 5 more trips to West Africa, it is became evident to me that in poor, developing countries, the pastor often becomes the community leader and spokesman for its people, so he feels responsible for teaching social justice. Thus, the pastor’s positional influence becomes so great that many of the unemployed view the pastorate as a means of escaping poverty and gaining power. Because of this, the motivation to become a pastor expands, but the quality of the pastor declines.

From Africa to North America

It’s easy to think of these issues as African issues—as interesting, but in no way relevant to us in North America. However, that’s not the case. Consider for a moment what would happen if our economy continued to decline. What would be the resulting attitude toward business leaders like many of us? What would be the resulting motives of additional temptations of the aspiring pastor or ministry leader?

If our economy does continue to decline, could what I experienced in Africa eventually happen here? Could our economy decline to the point that our Christian business owners are despised? Oh, I hope not! But what can we do? I do believe that the respect and influence of business leaders could decline proportionally to the increase in unemployment. Similarly, I believe the respect and influence of ministry leaders would increase during these conditions. I think this could happen simply for this reason: as the distance between the rich and poor increases, and as more people find themselves in an unemployed and helpless condition, their view of those who remain financially content will diminish, whether or not the financially sound deserve this reputation.

If you don't know what kind of kingdom vision to have, start with a moral imperative. Begin by inserting the DNA of "helping the helpless" into your company and life vision.

Kingdom Vision & Your Moral Imperative

And it is here, my friends, that the author and speaker Gary Hamill consciously or unconsciously articulated the solution: we as Christian business people must have a vision that is kingdom minded so that if and when economic decline occurs, we won't be despised for our success. And if our economy would recover from this decline, I believe we would be even better off.

If you don't know what kind of kingdom vision to have, start with a moral imperative. Begin by inserting the DNA of "helping the helpless" into your company and life vision. You will enjoy the benefits of obedience while your character will point those who watch you to the gospel.