Divested Faith: A Management Parable

(From my Spirituality in Management Series)

A wealthy Gentleman had a trusted estate Manager. The pair were both believers in God, and they believed God for great success in business, setting targets and praying daily for victory. They enjoyed success, and they grew together in friendship and faith. But over time, the Manager of the estate enjoyed the material benefits of success more and more. He often traveled business class on the Gentleman’s expense to exotic places, calling it business. He spent the Gentleman’s wealth on trivial and shiny things, calling it promotion. When the money ran low, he withheld wages from the employees of the Gentleman’s estate, calling it commitment. The Gentleman was respected in the community, and had righteous friends, who took notice.

One day, the Gentleman was confronted by his righteous friends and family. They asked him, “why is your wealth spent on exotic getaways and shiny things, and yet your workers starve in their homes?” But the Gentleman believed in his Manager, and protected him. He even attacked his friends and family with accusations of disloyalty and slander for their efforts.

The Gentleman trusted in the Manager more than in his own values, so he squandered his honour, calling it faith. Slowly the Manager dragged the wealth of the Gentleman from great resource to crippling debt, until one day, the Court Bailiff came to arrest the Gentleman for not paying his debt. The Bailiff dragged the Gentleman in front of the Judge.

Then the Gentleman said to the Judge, “It was not I, but my Manager who created this debt in my name.” And the Judge replied, “The Manager himself has claimed a debt. He is owed for travel and promotional expenses in addition to his wages.” And the Gentleman replied, “Who authorised this evil?” and the Judge replied, “It was you who kept the Manager over your estate after your friends and family told you that he was corrupt.”

Then the Judge faced the crowd of witnesses and proclaimed, “And among people you would find one who worships God with a shaky faith. If good befalls him, he is reassured by it; but if he is tested, he reverts to his old ways, (thereby) losing both (this) world and the next. That is a manifest loss. Instead of God, he calls upon what can neither harm him nor benefit him. That is the ultimate misguidance. He calls on one who is more likely to harm than to benefit (him). How miserable are both the protector and the companion.” (Surah 22:11-13)

The Gentleman was thrown into prison, without his principles nor his Manager to comfort him. This is the true meaning of bankruptcy. Before one full moon had passed, the Bailiff brought the Gentleman once again before the Judge. The Judge said, “You trusted your Manager more than you trusted God, and so your debt grew. But your friends and family have paid your debts and restored your honour. You are released from prison. Go in peace.” But the Gentleman replied, “There is no peace left for me, for my friends and family abandoned me, and my faith is without fruit. I am without family, friends, or faith, so what can freedom mean to me now?” The Gentleman left the court in bitterness and disbelief.

Here is the meaning of the parable:

If you place allegiance to a person over allegiance to your principles, then both you and your companion will fail. If you follow your principles, then you will have to walk away from people who do not share them, even highly positioned managers. Those people who share your principles will find you and support you. Real risk is misplaced faith, and real bankruptcy is losing faith altogether. Faith is for God, not for managers; KPIs are for managers, not for God.

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