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“Therefore keep watch . . .”  – Matthew 24:42 

Several years ago I participated in a weekend leadership retreat where one of the featured speakers was a high-level executive who attributed much of his leadership success to his previous career where he had served twenty years as an undercover detective for the Los Angeles Police Department.  What I remember most vividly was his emphasis on being aware at all times of one’s surroundings.  “Awareness of one’s surroundings is critical for a cop,” he said, “not only observing what physically exists around you but also analyzing the potential of what might occur.  An example might be a group of children playing soccer in a park which creates the potential of the ball rolling into the street, thus the danger of a child chasing after it.”  Having had such experience and training as a cop, he explained, had been crucial for him in his effectiveness as a corporate leader by making him more aware of others, not only their environment and surroundings, but also their feelings and emotions as they relate to the potential of things that might occur.

What that executive described aligns with what Daniel Goleman introduces in his highly acclaimed 1998 Harvard Business Review article, “What Makes a Leader?”, the concept of “emotional intelligence”.  According to Goleman emotional intelligence “refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others.”  Thus, according to the article, when emotional intelligence – the awareness of one’s own feelings and those of others – is consciously applied in leadership situations it can be a highly effective tool in guiding one’s decisions and actions.

I don’t know much about undercover police work except the fictional version I see on television.  But I do know something about raising children which is similar in that we must remain vigilantly aware of our children’s surroundings, as well as their feelings and emotions, and carefully analyze the potential for what might occur in order to guard them from danger as well as form their minds and values.  Goleman’s writings on emotional intelligence has precipitated a great deal of research in that area, most of which has supported that the most of effective leaders are those who measure high in emotional intelligence, much like the former cop turned executive.  Jesus warned us of this as well.  “Therefore keep watch,” he said, “because you do not know what day your Lord will come,”  paying attention to the potential of what might occur.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”  – Matthew 7:12 

When you were a teenager did your parents ever go out of town leaving you in charge of the homestead?  Or maybe you had a friend who was left home alone and invited you over.  Were you or your friends ever tempted to take advantage of the situation by engaging in a little un-chaperoned party time?  After all, it wasn’t often you had the chance to have the run of the place.  (Remember Tom Cruise in the 1983 movie “Risky Business”?)  Was I ever tempted by such a situation you might wonder?  I think I’ll take the fifth amendment rather than answer that one.  How about you?

When David became king he too was faced with the responsibility as well as the temptations that go along with having the run of the place.  Sure enough, the first thing you know he saw Bathsheba and had her brought to him, which was absolutely within his power and authority.  But, not only was she not his wife, she happened to be the wife of one of his most trusted and devoted military officers.  Well, as we all know, after a failed attempt to cover up the indiscretion he went a step further by arranging for Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to be killed in battle so that no one would ever know – thus, piling one indiscretion on top of another.  The fact was, though, that as king, David had the authority to do whatever he chose to do, but that did not mean that he should have.

In my previous career as manager of a Wall Street bond trading operation, one of my most challenging responsibilities was that of assuring that customers were treated fairly. Thankfully most of our financial professionals had high ethical standards, so fair treatment was seldom in question.  But there were always a handful who would push the envelope to pad their commissions. Most were clever enough to remain technically within the boundaries of securities laws and internal policies, making it very difficult to dispute.  The appeal then became, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Fortunately, Jesus provided an even better argument against those tempted to commit indiscretions or unethical behaviors, including those that push the envelope a bit.  It is what we have come to know as the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”  It is a litmus test we can apply to EVERYTHING we say or do, before we say or do it.  I’m sure King David wished he had thought about that!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

• Colossians 3:23 

Work is something we all do, whether we are employed, self-employed, unemployed, or retired.  Most of us spend a good portion of our lives working for money to sustain ourselves and our families.  But even when not earning money we still put in full days at something, cleaning house, doing laundry, yard work, preparing meals, caring for children or the elderly, doing volunteer work – even searching for a job during a time of unemployment, that too is work.  Since the creation, God has given us work to do, and most of us, I suspect, accept that work as our lot in life.  The challenge is in finding work that is fulling for us, something that goes beyond simply earning money to put food on the table; rather work that satisfies our desire to make the best use of our God-given gifts and talents.  How is it some people find that fulfillment and others do not?

One who found such fulfillment was Eric Liddell whose amazing story is depicted in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.  Liddell, born with a God-given gift and passion for running, eventually went on to win a gold medal in the 400 meter in the 1924 Olympics.  But Eric Liddell’s fulfillment was not in winning the gold medal, nor the honor of competing in the Olympics.  His greatest fulfillment was best described in perhaps the most memorable line from the movie: “When I run,” he said, “I feel God’s pleasure.”

Easy for him to say, we might argue, he had a special talent for being swift on his feet.  Sure, he worked and trained hard to become an Olympic athlete, but few of us, no matter how hard we work could ever compete at that level.  Few are born with such special God-given gifts as his, whether they be athletic abilities, musical or artistic talents, scientific genius, business acumen, or scholarly intellect, notwithstanding that people born with such talents must also work hard to develop them.

But what about us ordinary folks with modest talent, what is the secret to finding fulfillment in our work?  First, we should take care to not mistake success, fame, or fortune with fulfillment.  Instead, we should ask ourselves, “in my work, whatever it is, where do I feel God’s pleasure?”  Then take to heart the sage advice from the Apostle Paul, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  – Proverbs 27:17 

The recent headline articles about the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on our culture has reminded me of something I had written several years ago, a quote from Joe Grano, the former CEO of the Wall Street investment firm where I worked for many years.  It was the late 1980’s, just when the internet was gaining traction in revolutionizing all sorts of commerce, creating fear among those in almost every industry that the new electronic age would render many human endeavors obsolete, and the financial services industry being at the leading edge of that fear was in desperate need of some common sense to calm those fears.

Thus, Mr. Grano’s message could not have been more timely when he reminded us all that, “people will always be in need of the advice and counsel of a fellow human being.”  In other words, the internet with its vast wealth of information, and now AI and its ability to assimilate that information much faster than the human brain into logical narrative, still cannot replace the value and impact of human relationships.  As one college professor noted in a recent article, “. . . though [AI] is a master of established, objective facts, it won’t ever be visionary . . . It’s clunky when it comes to subjective observations and nuances . . .”

Looking back, it is amazing how prophetic Mr. Grano’s message was all those years ago; for as much as the internet has become a fast and reliable source of information, and as AI becomes increasingly proficient assimilating that information into logical usage – prove me wrong on this – it is still lacking in one critical component contained only through a relationship with another human being, a heart – companionship, trust, compassion, love.

“It is not so much their subjects that the great teachers teach,” Frederick Buechner once observed about his most influential teachers, “as it is themselves . . . it is they themselves who left the deeper mark.”  While AI may be able to impart the same knowledge of the teacher, arguably even more, it cannot replace the impact of the teacher’s humanity.  As Mr. Grano said, “People will always be in need of the advice and counsel of a fellow human being.”  For, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

“. . . seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Matthew 6:33 

We once had this rising star in our company, Will I will call him, who everyone had their eye on as someone who was going places.  Will was young, smart, and handsome with a magnetic personality, and the promotions were coming faster than they could print new business cards for him, moving his young family from one city to the next before they had time to unpack their boxes.  Being a bit older and more stable in my position at that point, I was aware of the hazards that come with such rapid rise of a young ambitious and capable person like Will.

Sure enough, my greatest fears for Will began to unfold one evening in a Las Vegas casino.  There was a company conference we were attending, and one evening as inevitably happens in Vegas a group migrated to a nearby casino.  Will stepped up to one of the game tables, and with his colleagues cheering him on, began placing bets that were way beyond his means, showing off to put it bluntly.  Although there was not much I could do to stop him, I do recall standing off in the shadows wanting to scream, “No Will, don’t do it!”  It paid off for him, though you might say, because soon after Will was offered still another promotion.  But then the wheels started to come off in his personal life as he became separated from his wife and children and eventually divorced.

Will’s downfall in his personal life can neither be blamed on his rapid rise in the ranks nor his long work hours or dedication to his job and company.  He simply got his priorities mixed up, something any of us can be vulnerable to.  Except by the grace of God, in fact, it could easily have been me.  That old joke we have all heard, “no one ever confessed on his deathbed that he wished he had spent more time at the office,” is really no joke at all but a wise proverb; or as Jesus tells it to us straight up, “seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  In other words, first get your priorities straight, number one being seeking God’s kingdom.

It has been many years since I last had contact with Will, but I pray he is doing well and has gotten his priorities straight.  He was such a smart, capable guy with tremendous potential.