Are Your "Problems" Really "Opportunities"?

When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!

— James 1:2 (Phillips)

   Throughout this book has been woven a thread which must not be overlooked. Perhaps it is a thread of opportunity... perhaps of realism... in any event, of hope. It lies in the suggestion that many of our apparent problems, including the most enervating, could be opportunities in disguise. We mentioned, for example, that sometimes we ought not do today what can be put off till tomorrow. In deliberate delay we may find an answer to the "tyranny of the urgent." These matters which have a way of pressing in relentlessly seem more important than they really are. Urgent? Perhaps. Vitally important? Probably not. Turning

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now to a brief consideration of a few of the more grievous problems faced by Christian executives, we will attempt to determine whether they may be opportunities in disguise.

FAILURE ... YOUR GREATEST FEAR OR BEST TEACHER?

   Of all the problems facing the executive, fear of failure almost always places at or near the top. The higher one rises on the ladder of responsibility, the greater seems to be the premium placed upon success, and, conversely, the greater the risk of failure. This seems logical when one considers the enlarging scope of decisions, the widening range of responsibilities. Fear of failure may play a very significant role in the insecurities sensed by an executive just promoted to a more responsible position. Confident and secure in a former position, the employee may suddenly lose the inner sense of well-being which comes only with confidence that he or she is in the right job and can handle it well. The fact that the employee performed the former duties well may lead superiors into a false sense of security about the new assignment. Completely overlooked may be the fact that this is a new job, with entirely new responsibilities, in entirely new surroundings, under entirely different circumstances, with an entirely new team of associates.

   Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that the premium placed upon success by our society gives even the person who senses the danger beforehand little chance to say "No."

   But how does the manager or administrator at the top treat failure? What is his or her attitude toward personal fears in this regard? How does he or she view the failure of subordinates?

   We know instinctively that the well-adjusted executive who is at home in  a job has a more relaxed attitude toward

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failure. Security permits this. Insecurity breeds uneasiness about the risks involved in critical decision-making. Yet the more insecure one feels about personal position and ability to carry out responsibilities, the less likely he or she is to make sound decisions.

   Thus the fear of failure must be faced head-on. It is helpful to begin by reminding ourselves that  the best managers expect to fail at many points along the way. They will tell you, "Show me a man who hasn't made a mistake and I'll show you a man who hasn't tried anything," for we don't learn anything without trying. And without trying we shall make little progress. More important than the number of mistakes we make are the types of mistakes we make. (Are they well calculated to be instructive? Are they delimited to prevent catastrophic loss?) And let us remember which of our own experiences in life have taught us the most. Our successes? Hardly. Our failures? Most assuredly!

   Then why must we fear failure when it has been our best teacher? We must expect to fail... but fail in a learning posture, determined not to repeat the mistakes, and to maximize the benefits from what is learned in the process. Many leaders expect to make mistakes steadily but also expect their right decisions to outweigh their wrong ones. Some say that if an executive is right 55 percent of the time, and it's the right 55 percent, the organization's success is assured.

   And what about your subordinates? When you delegate a job do you also delegate "the right to be wrong"? Do you tell your employees, and do you mean it, that you expect them to make mistakes? An organization that is not making mistakes is either not trying to accomplish much or is dead. What counts is what you do with your mistakes. You can become their prisoner... or use them for stepping-stones.

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   One management consultant felt so strongly about this factor in the health of organizations that he coined the phrase "Failsmanship. Another called it "Failing forward." Not to know what you believe about this will encourage insecurity in yourself and in those about you. It will stifle creativity, independent thinking and risk-taking.

   Incorporated in your philosophy of management ought to be a philosophy of failure. How you view it and how you use it can have a tremendous effect upon your own success, the success of those about you, and the ultimate achievement of your organizational objectives.

TENSION ... CAUSE FOR DESPAIR OR REQUISITE FOR PROGRESS

   Perhaps the best picture of tension at the top was captured by Auren Uris in his account concerning the executive who walked into the office and sat down at the desk across from the psychiatrist.¹

   "What seems to be the trouble?" asked the doctor.

   "It's hard to say. I feel under a constant strain. I have trouble sleeping nights. Even when I go away for vacations, I find I can't unwind enough to feel really comfortable."

   "Do I understand that you work for the XYZ company?"

   "That's right."

   "Then what you tell me is of particular interest. The company has a fine reputation; it is run by an enlightened management. I understand they have a great awareness of emotional needs of their executives; they do everything possible to make it a good place to work. Have you discussed your problems with the president?"

   "I am the president..."

   The adverse effects of tension were discussed in the chapter on "Time Robbers." Also considered was the positive view of tension as a contributive force to the

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success of organizations. Discerning managers are viewing tension as indicators of health within the organization. Individually, participants in athletic, forensic and other events have long known that tension, to a certain degree, is essential to top performance. We also recognize the familiar executive refrain, "I work best under pressure."

   What few managers have discerned is that there are forms of tension which can be a great help individually and organizationally if they are identified and harnessed as constructive forces. Tension not harnessed can easily degenerate into conflict which is much less easily managed, and can turn from a potentially constructive force to one of destruction.

   As Christians we are not promised freedom from trial and tribulation. We are, however, admonished to welcome them as being sent to test our faith. As Dr. Donald F. Tweedie observes, "Christ alone, the Alpha and Omega, can truly transcend the temporal order and provide the remedy for the guilt of the past and the reassurance for the anxiety of the future."²

DIFFERENCES... PRELUDE TO CONFLICT OR DYNAMIC GROWTH?

   Conflict resolution is rapidly assuming a major role in management conferences. While much in the field remains to be discovered, it is possible to suggest certain conclusions at this time.

   Conflict generally appears to result from differences, which had they been identified and dealt with opportunely, would have much more easily resolved. At the conflict level, required solutions tend to be more drastic, such as termination of the offending person at worst and severe loss of face at best. While the merits of the case and the individual circumstances must determine

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the approach, speed and directness of approach are almost universally recommended. Getting the facts on the table in a careful and fair way is essential. Where gross inequity exists in the relative merits of the opposing sides, the focus of attention on the real facts sometimes tends to resolve the conflict since the solution tends to suggest itself.

   But this is remedial action, not preventive. Much better would be the management of differences before they degenerate into conflict. A positive approach to differences was demonstrated by McGeorge Bundy shortly after he left the White House to assume his position as president of the Ford Foundation. In an appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he was asked about the impact of the DeGaulle visit to Moscow on the Atlantic Alliance and NATO. Bundy responded.

This is a good time for a careful review of the Atlantic society, but it is not a good time for any hasty judgment that the time has come to put an end to NATO, or even to General DeGaulle. It is certainly not a time for Americans to choose up sides in a sham battle over false issues. What unites the Atlantic Alliance is still much greater than what divides it.³

Suppose that, at their inception, all differences were first viewed in the light of how they compared with similarities and the factors of cohesion known to exist in a given situation!

   Suppose, too, that differences were encouraged as a sign of the vital and dynamic health of an organization. Creative thought almost inevitably leads to differences. We want and need creative thinking. Hence we ought to encourage the type of differences that spring from such independent thinking. In such an environment, the executive of a Christian organization might well approach a known difference between two key department heads in a most constructive way. Suppose that instead of asking one

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employee about the truth of a statement concerning the ideas of the other, and doing this in the presence of both — an approach in which defensiveness would be the almost certain result — the executive first thanked them for generating and defending their opposing views. Then suppose that after explaining why differences of opinions are highly valuable as signs of a dynamic and vital organization, the executive complimented the employees on the independence of thought proven by their views. Finally, suppose that the executive asked them to help select from each position, as they carefully reviewed them, the portions which would best advance the interests of the organization as a whole toward its objectives.

   Will Erickson, in management seminar material entitled "Understanding Differences Among People" and "Handling People's Problems," suggests several steps in a constructive approach to such situations.⁴ First he identifies the performance gap which exists between what a person can do, dependent upon physical capabilities, and what a person will do, dependent upon attitude, motivation and emotional maturity. The narrowing of this performance gap is a prime objective of the manager. To do this it is essential to take a serious approach to the handling of people's problems and dissatisfactions. While we wish to eliminate as much friction as possible, Erickson reminds us that as long as people are people, we will have some dissatisfactions.

   Most problems of employees reduce themselves at some point to a matter of communication. Once a problem is known to exist, Erickson recommends fast action to identify it and its causes. Listening is important. The problem should be summarized in the person's own words to insure his or her agreement with your version of the problem. Check essential details, obtain additional facts,

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and establish the authenticity. Where relevant, other people's observations should be reviewed along with the personnel record of the person involved and the written policies. When you reach the decision, aim discussion toward encouraging the employee to draw his or her own conclusion regarding the total situation. If disciplinary action is necessary, it should be taken immediately. If the organization is in error, this should be admitted and corrective action assured. Avoid buck-passing and, if the problem is not settled to his or her satisfaction, advise the employee of any course available.

   The subject of "The Christian in an Age of Conflict" occupied the attention of Paul and Mary Bechtel, former Christian Life book editors.⁵ In a favorable review of William Pinson's How to Deal with Controversial Issues,⁶ the central conviction cited was that Christians can deal with conflict constructively and redemptively. "The character of the Christian as set forth in the New Testament," observes Pinson, "is ideal for dealing with controversial issues." The Christian life, add the reviewers, cultivates love, kindness, unselfishness, humility, courage, wisdom, lack of prejudice — all strong assets with which to confront conflict. Yet most local churches shun controversy by ignoring, repressing, or glossing over it. The author's work is recommended as a manual of principles to controversial issues. Many conflicts of opinion grow in bitterness and find no resolution because the groundwork for discussion has never been properly charted.

   One authority on the subject of conflict describes its relation to power:

It follows that the more prevalent conflict in an organization becomes, the more keenly will the need for power be felt and the more ardently will it be sought. This is true because power

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is by definition the ability to induce change in the behavior of others, and, the more disagreement and conflict which exist between the wishes of each actor and the behavior of others, the greater is the motivation of each to find ways of changing the others. Out of the need to induce such changes, each member of the organization becomes a seeker of power and, if the search is successful, a wielder of power.⁷

   Perhaps the desirability of disagreement or differences of opinion within organizations, within limits, was best summarized by Sydney J. Harris, well-known syndicated columnist, who observed:

The commonest way to cheat an employer is not by stealing his money or loafing on the job, but by refusing to disagree when you feel he is wrong. If he is paying you for your brains, you have an obligation to dissent from decisions you think wrong.⁸

   Differences of opinion may indeed be a prelude to conflict or, with discerning management, become a primary ingredient in the growth of a vital, dynamic organization.

LONELINESS... TO BE PITIED OR SOUGHT AFTER?

   As every top manager knows, the chief executive of an organization holds "the loneliest job in the world." If the rise to the top has been through the ranks of this same organization, the gradual erosion of fraternal ties may have been painfully evident and may leave the executive even more sensitive to the isolation at the top. We have no one with whom to share our gravest problems, say many such top executives. Some seek out others with similar responsibilities so that they can exchange ideas and share problems and solutions. Christian management seminars have sprung up from this single primary motivation. When the

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executive identified by Auren Uris earlier in this chapter was asked if he had discussed his problems with the president, his response, "I am the president," spoke graphically of this world of solitude.

   But wait, what could be better for the harried, overburdened executive? The manager described at the outset in the Preface must have yearned for escape from the stacked desk, from the crushing pressure of crises, from the tyranny of time. Ah, for just an hour of peace and solitude, the manager must have sighed, recognizing a need for reflection and contemplation. Thus the loneliness that one executive finds oppressive becomes the oasis of another.

   The price of leadership is high. Among its most exacting tolls is the position described by authors in the field as that of the "isolate." Yet, viewed in its most constructive light, this penalty or price of leadership can also be its most redeeming feature. If the chief executive should be spending from one-third to one-half of the time planning ahead, how better can this be done than by taking advantage of the relative isolation at the top? The most successful executives go to great lengths to set aside and preserve such time, safeguarded from interruption and the demands of the routine. Louis Evans, Jr., has described the tremendous value of a day of solitude, away from phones, associates and family, in helping him to prepare his weekly sermon. Thus once again a serious problem is seen at second glance as a great opportunity.

PROBLEMS ... END OF LEADERSHIP OR THE BEGINNING

   The list of such problems could be extended to demonstrate that within each lie the seeds of opportunities awaiting nurture and development by the discerning manager. Are we saying then that much of the managerial

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environment consists in how we view it? Are we saying that situations which some consider to be oppressive handicaps appear to others to be exciting opportunities? Are we saying that, upon reflection, you may find yourself surrounded with resources for improving your managerial performance? So it would seem.

Two men looked out the selfsame bars
One saw mud ... the other, stars.

   When problems pile up around leaders and solutions seem unavailable, it is logical that they begin to question their leadership. "Perhaps," they may say, "it is time for new leadership. After all, shouldn't a leader have answers?"

   In the age of the "generalist" the answer to this question appears to be negative. As the job of the executive becomes more complex, it is less possible to be technically competent in all fields (computerization and motivation of personnel, to name but two of many.) Thus for the administrator it becomes far more important to know the right questions than to worry about the right answers. Of course the manager must recognize answers when they appear. But to be able to ask intelligent, discerning questions may be the critical managerial skill at this point. These questions, as described by an associate who heads an international Christian organization, should elicit critical information concerning objectives, opportunities, resources, and, finally, the strategy for applying maximum resources to the greatest opportunities for the ultimate achievement of objectives.

   Thus with James, in his greetings to the twelve dispersed tribes, we may say:

When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them

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as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance (James 1:2-3, Phillips).

What better way for life, as Tournier suggests, to become an exciting adventure!

Chapter Sixteen  ||  Table of Contents

REFERENCES:

1. Uris, Auren, The Efficient Executive, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1957.

2. Tweedie, Donald F., "Faith and Your Feelings: Anxiety," Eternity, December, 1964.

3. Associated Press Dispatch, Chicago Sun-Times, June 1966.

4. Will Erickson Associates, formerly of Blue Island, Illinois.

5. Bechtel, Paul, and Mary Bechtel, "The Christian in an Age of Conflict," Christian Life, April, 1966.

6. Pinson, William M., How to Deal with Controversial Issues, Broadman.

7. Kahn, Robert L., Power and Conflict in Organizations, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan.

8. Harris, Sydney J., in the Chicago Daily News, Management Review, American Management Association, April, 1966.

Chapter Sixteen  ||  Table of Contents