EXCERT from The Christian Executive © 1998 by Ronald Rainson:
Three years after K. Jehoiakim was named CEO of the Judah Corporation, a corporate raider named K. Nebuchadnezzar came calling. He was famous for his swift and unfriendly takeovers.
The CEO of Babylon, Inc. was ruthless with his acquisitions, but he was no fool. He had C. Ashpenaz, VP Human Resources, look over the officers of Judah Corp. and pick out some with style and aptitude and, unlike a weaker leader, he wanted officers who were educated and well informed. Ashpenaz selected four contenders and, as was Nebuchadnezzar's custom, they were moved to Babylon, Inc. headquarters for indoctrination into what was known as the Babylonian Way - the way Babylon, Inc. conducted their business.
The young Judah Vice Presidents were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Ashpenaz gave them new titles. They were now Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and if they played their cards right and went along with the Bablyonian Way, they'd be VP's again in no time. This was a pretty tempting offer since most of their friends had lost their careers (permanently).
Now Daniel was a man of faith and perseverance. When Ashpenaz explained the Babylonian Way to him, he asked Ashpenaz if he could continue to do things the way he did at Judah. He told the head of HR, that if he is allowed to do it his way (the way his faith dictated) he would produce more than anyone else in the company.
Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. (NIV)
Just as Nebuchadnezzar killed many of Judah's nobles to secure, his leadership position, the new firm will fire (put to the torch) large numbers of your collogues to demonstrate to the security analysts back in Babylon (my apologies to New York) that he is stronger than those he supplanted and the new company will be much more efficiently run than it was before.
Babylon, Inc. stock goes back up. Well, you're staying and that at least shows they think you're bright but now you've been asked to adopt the new firm's ways which may include certain things unacceptable to you. Those new procedures could be modestly self destructive, like being encouraged (and if you don't you're in trouble because the boss does) to inflate your expense account. They might be very destructive, like being asked to procure for clients and senior staff or being asked to give bribes.
Bribes can be rationalized and are an easy pitfall. What constitutes a bribe; a dinner, golf balls, golf clubs? Some will also reason that giving a bribe is not as bad as taking one - falsely believing that causing someone else to sin is not as bad as sinning yourself. I suspect that it is worse to cause someone to sin than to sin yourself. Daniel says that those who lead others to righteousness will be rewarded. I think that those who lead others away from righteousness will get theirs too.
Daniel and his friends were asked to study the new firm's ways for three years. They were told that it was an honor and if they didn't, they would be fired (killed) and times were tough. You're glad to still have a job let alone a Vice Presidency at a major firm. But you cannot allow yourself to learn and/or practice bribery or pandering or blackmail.
Like Daniel, you may need to ask for permission to try to perform without accepting all the new firm's practices (their particular brand of nourishment). You might be better off just to show them that you and the business can succeed without their devices.
Few firms in the United States will come right out and say they use inappropriate practices. Very likely, your avoidance and sacrifice will not be honored by your new associates. You will be perceived to not be a team player, that blanket curse that is used so often to justify corporate executions, but remember - In ten days Daniel was doing better than anyone else and at the end of the third year of training, Daniel went before the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman decided that Daniel and his friends were the best VP's he had, ten times better than the others were. Daniel was asked to stay on at Corporate and thus begins a brilliant career.
Bribes can be rationalized and are an easy pitfall. What constitutes a bribe; a dinner, golf balls, golf clubs? Some will also reason that giving a bribe is not as bad as taking one - falsely believing that causing someone else to sin is not as bad as sinning yourself. I suspect that it is worse to cause someone to sin than to sin yourself. Daniel says that those who lead others to righteousness will be rewarded. I think that those who lead others away from righteousness will get theirs too.
Daniel and his friends were asked to study the new firm's ways for three years. They were told that it was an honor and if they didn't, they would be fired (killed) and times were tough. You're glad to still have a job let alone a Vice Presidency at a major firm. But you cannot allow yourself to learn and/or practice bribery or pandering or blackmail.
Like Daniel, you may need to ask for permission to try to perform without accepting all the new firm's practices (their particular brand of nourishment). You might be better off just to show them that you and the business can succeed without their devices.
Few firms in the United States will come right out and say they use inappropriate practices. Very likely, your avoidance and sacrifice will not be honored by your new associates. You will be perceived to not be a team player, that blanket curse that is used so often to justify corporate executions, but remember - In ten days Daniel was doing better than anyone else and at the end of the third year of training, Daniel went before the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman decided that Daniel and his friends were the best VP's he had, ten times better than the others were. Daniel was asked to stay on at Corporate and thus begins a brilliant career.
© 1999 Ronald Rainson
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.