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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
"Exceptionally well reasoned, written, organized and presented, "Built to Beat Chaos: Biblical Principles for Leading Yourself and Others" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, church, and academic library Leadership & Management collections." - Midwest Book Review, June 2023 Apply timeless, biblical insights to overcome organizational chaos Over 47% of leaders say that chaos is pervasive in their organizations. Though disorder can feel overwhelming at times, human beings are actually designed to overcome and conquer chaos. In Built to Beat Chaos: Biblical Principles for Leading Yourself and Others, renowned teacher, coach, speaker, and best-selling author Gary Harpst delivers an insightful and practical discussion of how to transform chaos into order by relying on strategies drawn directly from the Bible. You'll learn how to find fulfillment and success by leaning into your innate ability to calm the madness and control chaos by: * Understanding the fundamental processes underlying how we put things together for a purpose * Discovering why everyone is biblically called to leadership and the dynamics of self-leadership * Applying biblical principles to transform your organization through action An invaluable roadmap for board members, executives, managers, pastors, and other organizational leaders, Built to Beat Chaos is the straightforward, practical, and biblically grounded business manual that every leader should read.
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Seitenzahl: 374
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART 1: What Effective Leaders Should Know
CHAPTER 1: Chaos Refines Us
Is My Situation Worse?
The Question that Started It All
Differing Worldviews
Seeking Answers
Science and Beyond
Birth of Our First Business
The First Chaos Was Good
From Iron Ore to Steel
Takeaways
CHAPTER 2: You Are Designed to Win
The Craftsperson and Their Chair
Human Design Requirements
The Multiplication Paradox
The Creator's Critique
Desire Precedes Thought
Thought Precedes Intention
Intention Precedes Action
Action Precedes Results
Takeaways
CHAPTER 3: All Chaos Is Not Alike
Natural Chaos
Social Chaos
The Chaos Within
Overcoming Chaos Brings New Chaos
Takeaways
CHAPTER 4: Purpose Is Your First Responsibility
Don't Get Hung Up on Terminology
God's Grand Experiment
The Creator's Critique—(continued)
Who Decides What Is Good?
Gregory Boyle, Los Angeles Gangs and Hope
One Thousand Races Pushing a Wheelchair
To Lead, You Must Follow
Takeaways
CHAPTER 5: People Don't Obey the Laws of Physics
There's a Pony in Here Somewhere
Order Matters More than Inputs
A Cell Is More Complex than New York City
Three Buckets of Coal and a Bucket of Water
Shakespeare in Every Cell
It's about Time
Wisdom Came First
The Essence of Leadership
Closing the Loop
Takeaways
CHAPTER 6: Order Is Easier to Create Than Keep
The Growth Deception
The Time Deception
The Perception Deception
The Skill Deception
Self‐leadership
Functional Leadership
Change Leadership
Process Leadership
Strategy Leadership
The Desire Deception
Weight Watchers Speaks
Takeaways
PART 2: What Effective Leaders Should Do
CHAPTER 7: Build a Habit‐reinforcing System
Why Do I Need a System?
Design Requirements
Final Caution on Your System
Takeaways
CHAPTER 8: Set Vision
1. Start with the “Why”
2. Know Your Customers
3. Quantify What You're Best At
4. Quantify “Growth” Vision
Takeaways
CHAPTER 9: Prioritize Change
1. Set Change Pace
2. Charter Vital Projects
3. Stop the Nonessential
4. Connect People to Purpose
Takeaways
CHAPTER 10: Balance Running and Changing
1. Resource External Projects
2. Plan as a Team
3. Plan One‐on‐one
4. Implement BI Strategy
CHAPTER 11: Get Results through Teamwork
1. Know and Report Progress
2. Synch One‐on‐one
3. Synch as a Team
4. Step Back and Learn
Takeaways
CHAPTER 12: Get Everyone Innovating
1. Act on Ideas
2. Manage Processes Proactively
Takeaways
CHAPTER 13: Prepare Their Team for the Future
1. Face the Facts
2. “Own” Team Development
3. Give Career Feedback
Takeaways
PART 3: What Effective Leaders Should Be
CHAPTER 14: Someone Who Cares
Four Types of Relational Bonding
The Paradox Answered
My Two‐faced Nature
Five Steps to Engagement
Harold Morgan Flies in from Tulsa
Give What's in Your Hand
Getting Real—Eight Tips for Caring
Additional Thoughts about Living Wisely
CHAPTER 15: Honest and Open
Trust
Valuing Differences
Agreed‐upon Standards
Can't Accept the Facts
Beyond Skin Deep
Saying What We Mean Is Not Enough
Getting Real—Eight Tips
Biblical Insights for Wise Living
CHAPTER 16: Someone Who Builds Oneness
The Power of One
What Does “Oneness” Look Like?
Not for Wimps
To Kill Teamwork Do This
Gordian™ Problem Solving
A House Divided
Additional Wisdom about Oneness, Teamwork, and Unity
CHAPTER 17: Takes Ownership
Trait 1: Team Results Come First
Trait 2: Results
and
Behaviors Matter
Trait 3: Capability Gaps Are Closed
Trait 4: Conflict Is Expected and Managed
Trait 5: Poor Performance Is Addressed Proactively
Additional Wisdom about Taking Ownership:
CHAPTER 18: Someone Who Masters Mentoring
Changing the World
Tip 1: Check Your Motives
Tip 2: Commit to a Schedule
Tip 3: Do as I Do
Tip 4: Transfer Ownership
Tip 5: Know Work Is Holy
Additional Wisdom about Mentoring
Epilogue
Learning Resources
Gordian™ Problem Solving App
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2.1 The role of desire.
FIGURE 2.2 The role of reason.
FIGURE 2.3 The role of intention.
FIGURE 2.4 The role of action.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3.1 World population growth—Our world in data.
FIGURE 3.2 Pervasiveness of chaos.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4.1 Human architecture.
FIGURE 4.2 Fresh apple and rotten apple.
FIGURE 4.3 Monet
Water Lilies
.
FIGURE 4.4 Small bridge with weight limit sign.
FIGURE 4.5 The
Challenger
disaster.
FIGURE 4.6 Dick Hoyt with son Rick.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5.1 Atom population of the universe.
FIGURE 5.2 Animal cell structure.
FIGURE 5.3 Three buckets of water and a bucket of coal.
FIGURE 5.4 The works of Shakespeare.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6.1 Strategy execution model.
FIGURE 6.2 The execution paradox.
FIGURE 6.3 Learning loop.
FIGURE 6.4 Urgent versus important matrix.
FIGURE 6.5 Human brain.
FIGURE 6.6 Asch experiment.
FIGURE 6.7 Organization structure.
FIGURE 6.8 Change management model.
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.1 Growth of award winners versus control firm.
FIGURE 7.2 The freedom model.
FIGURE 7.3 The agility model.
FIGURE 7.4 The precision model.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8.1 Market definition.
FIGURE 8.2 Competitive analysis.
FIGURE 8.3 Growth strategy.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9.1 Closing the gap.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10.1 Running versus changing.
FIGURE 10.2 Wasted time.
FIGURE 10.3 Big rocks.
FIGURE 10.4 Inspired to work here.
FIGURE 10.5 Sales days of cash.
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13.1 Increasing employee engagement, productivity, and innovation wit...
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14.1 People engagement model—care for people.
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15.1 People engagement model—honest and open.
FIGURE 15.2 DISC axes.
FIGURE 15.3 Human architecture.
FIGURE 15.4 Thought‐said‐heard.
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16.1 People engagement—oneness.
FIGURE 16.2 Human architecture.
Chapter 17
FIGURE 17.1 People engagement model—take ownership.
Chapter 18
FIGURE 18.1 People engagement model—mentoring.
FIGURE 18.2 Mentoring process skills: sustainable leadership and effectivene...
FIGURE 18.3 Scene from the
World’s Fastest Indian
.
Guide
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Epilogue
Built to Beat Chaos
About the Author
Index
Wiley End User License Agreement
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BUILT TO BEAT CHAOS
Biblical Wisdom for Leading Yourself and Others
GARY HARPST
Copyright © 2023 by Gary Harpst. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 750‐4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:
ISBN: 9781394158409 (cloth)
ISBN: 9781394158416 (ePub)
ISBN: 9781394158423 (ePDF)
Cover Design: PAUL McCARTHYCover Image: © GETTY IMAGES | WESTEND61
This book is dedicated to:
The Creator.
By Your will, all things exist.
Who else can answer my questions?
Acknowledgments
People Who Helped with This Book
Rhonda, my wife and life partner, who has provided much encouragement and a sounding board on endless conversations about the application of biblical truth.
My ABF class, who for many years keeps encouraging me to keep digging deeper into the Bible and its hidden gems.
Jack Ridge and Vernon Strong, partners for forty years creating the experiences related in the book.
Rick, Dave, Corey, Cory, Tyler, Adam. What can I say? Your devotion and creativity inspires me every day.
Tom Dinse, Lia Ottaviano, Cary Hill, Dr. Kathryn Fell, Dr. William Reist, Anthony Hixon, Jim Lange, Eric Buehrer, Dr. Brent Sleisman, Dr. Jay Shannon, Dr. Verneda Bachus, David Tofilon, Jamie Harpst, Jordan Harpst, and Anna Harpst. This group was amazing in the thought they devoted to reviewing the manuscript and answering my unending questions. I really cannot express my thanks deeply enough.
Dan Gonder, Eric Kurjan, the late John Crawford, and the team at Strategic Insight Partners for our client‐focused learning partnership.
Richard Narramore and the Wiley team. Richard's persistence in challenging me to write this book was the stimulus to take on this project, and the rest of the team brought it to life.
Dotty DeHart and team at DeHart Agency, Gina Adams and team at Adams Group PR, Gideon and team at PugoDesigns for helping to tell our story.
Introduction
Today's leaders face a perfect storm of chaos. The pace and scope of change has been unprecedented. More has changed in the past few years than in the last fifty combined: staff shortages and rising labor costs, changing attitudes toward work, a focus on gender equity and inclusion, emerging generational differences, rampant burnout, the explosion of technology, changing customer preferences, and supply chain disruptions. Finally, what a person must know to lead the workplace of the future feels overwhelming. And all this upheaval has led to more first‐time leaders than ever before being thrown into the fray with little or no training.
We have arrived at the point where every day I hear lament about being held hostage by this invisible force called chaos. As you read on, we are going to challenge you to rethink chaos, leadership, and their relationship.
What if chaos was not some evil force but something a benevolent God gave us for a very good reason? And what if you and every person you know was designed to transform chaos into some purpose of their own choosing? What if that was what leadership is really all about?
The central premise of this book is that your existence is not an accident, and neither is your purpose. Every human is created in the image of God and is designed to win at something—to conquer some part of the chaos around them. The biblical language used is unmistakably strong—“mastery,” “dominion,” “overcoming,” “ruling.” You were created to be a victor, not a victim.
It would be a misinterpretation of this premise to assume God's intent is for us to have an easy life. No, His intent is for us to have a meaningful life. Struggling and battling chaos is not a means to an end; it is an end unto itself. We are created to be creators, and as we battle chaos and create purposeful order, we grow in the knowledge of self and God, and experience the kind of joy we were designed for.
Bringing order out of chaos applies to building anything—raising the next generation, writing a musical composition, cooking a meal, growing food, and building a business. There are no exceptions; all work is intended to be meaningful.
Never in human history have we faced a greater need for leadership. We need individuals who and organizations that define worthwhile purposes and work together to achieve them. Built to Beat Chaos is written to encourage you on this mission.
Part 1 of this book focuses on what effective leaders should know. It identifies six key biblical truths about human design and why humans are different than the rest of creation. These differences are the keys to understanding the purpose of leadership, why it is so challenging, and why it is so important.
Part 2 focuses on what effective leaders should do. Seven specific recommendations for building a habit‐forming system encourages leaders to follow processes necessary to master chaos by aligning people around purpose. History reveals the stark reality that organizations are not good at sustaining success over the long term. This part of the book moves beyond concept to application and presents us with tough choices that test our will.
Part 3 focuses on what leaders should be. Effective leadership comes from deep within us and has to facilitate behaviors that allow people to work together toward shared purpose. Just as there are laws of physics that govern the universe, there are laws that govern human interaction. These behaviors are essential to making the best practices in Part 2 come to life and engage people at the heart and mind level.
In Chapter 1, I share some of my 40‐year battle with chaos and faith, which has served as the refining fire for distilling these principles.
Onward to Part 1.
PART 1What Effective Leaders Should Know
Part 1 sets the foundational truths upon which the actions of Part 2 and the character traits of Part 3 depend. They are:
Chaos Refines Us
You Are Designed to Win
All Chaos Is Not Alike
Purpose Is Your First Responsibility
People Don't Obey the Laws of Physics
Order Is Easier to Create Than Keep
By the time you complete Part 1, you will have new insights into your purpose and why leadership is the most rewarding and challenging calling for each of us.
CHAPTER 1Chaos Refines Us
I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
Isaiah 48:10
Is My Situation Worse?
Is chaos today worse than ever? We are all tempted to think so, but I believe this is the wrong question since every generation faces its own unique chaos. The common characteristic of chaos is that it is ever present for all generations, but its characteristics are unique to the time in which it unfolds.
I doubt those who lived through the plague that killed half the population of Europe or those whose homeland has been bombed into oblivion in a war would say our time is worse.
A better question is, what are you facing now, and how will you overcome it? One health care client I work with has the normal challenges of a highly demanding industry. But because of COVID, they have been stretched to the limit of human endurance in their ability to meet people's needs. They struggle with their own sickness, exhaustion, and discouragement. For them, overcoming this particular chaos is the only question that matters at this moment.
The good news is that we have been created for a purpose, and even chaos exists for a purpose. And these two purposes are interrelated.
For those earlier in your career, this connection is not as easy to see. With the benefit of decades in the business world, I am going to share the parts of my journey that helped me see my purpose and the role of chaos in it.
Let's start with a question I asked myself 40 years ago that kicked off the lifelong adventure that has led to this book.
The Question that Started It All
For as long as I can remember, my life has been a quest to identify and solve problems. Before college, this drive manifested itself in organizing and building things. Born before the microcomputer era, my brother and I were always taking apart go‐kart engines and rebuilding them. We grew up on a farm, and there was never any shortage of opportunities for exploration.
In college, I gravitated toward business systems analysis—gathering information and defining solutions. In graduate school, I focused on change management. At the time, I was employed by the university as a systems analyst in the business office.
Like any first‐time employee, there was a lot I needed to learn just to do my job. But from a career development perspective, observing how work got done around me was more interesting than my work. How decisions were made, how organizations were structured, people's behavior, the impact of technologies—it was an analyst's dream, a fertile learning environment. The only downside was that I didn't have enough time to digest it all.
After a few years, one human behavior question became central to my observations. The initial version of the question was, “Why do people, including me, say one thing but do another?”
Why do people, including me, say one thing but do another?
Why did I constantly say to myself I wanted one thing but did something else? It seemed like I had a split personality, and I really didn't like it.
For example, people who were vocal about being overwhelmed with too many projects would continue to take on more. Individuals who recognized they talked too much in meetings would keep talking. Or those who would lose their temper couldn't seem to stop, although declaring loudly they wanted to.
Think about your own New Year's resolutions, and you get the picture.
None of these examples are a big deal. But it was the pervasiveness of this pattern that got my attention. I realized I had the same behavior. Why did I constantly say to myself I wanted one thing but did something else? It seemed like I had a split personality, and I didn't like it.
I didn't realize it at the time, but this kind of human behavior underlies one type of chaos that we will discuss in Chapter 3 called “the chaos within.”
After a while, my question broadened from contradictory behavior to a more general question: “Why do humans behave the way they do?” Who knew that trying to answer this question would turn into a lifelong pursuit?
Before exploring how I got the answer to my question, a heads‐up regarding worldviews.
Differing Worldviews
If you are unsure or even wary of a biblical view of leadership, please consider this. The people I learn the most from are those who think differently from me.
If you are unsure or even wary of a biblical view of leadership, please consider this. The people I learn the most from are those who think differently than I do.
I particularly admire people who know what they believe and act on those beliefs. I don't tell other people what to believe; I simply share what I have learned, hoping it will help people in their pursuit of truth.
Most of us can rally around the pursuit of truth. If we are relentless, we will eventually find it.
Most of us can rally around the pursuit of truth. If we are relentless, we will eventually find it. I enjoy being in the presence of truth seekers!
I hope, regardless of your worldview, that you find in me someone who has devoted a lifetime trying to understand what I believe and act accordingly. It is a journey of trial and error. If that sounds interesting, read on!
Back to the question of human behavior.
Seeking Answers
As I sought answers, I started doing research. I read books on psychology, neuroscience, self‐help disciplines, business autobiographies, philosophy, world religions, organizational development—you name it, I read it.
In my reading, I learned that C.S. Lewis noticed this same human behavior issue decades before I did and framed the issue more eloquently. He observed:
First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Second, that they do not in fact behave that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in.
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis Signature Classics), p. 8. HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
I was struck by Lewis's opinion that these observations (and the answer to the questions they implied) were the foundation of all clear thinking about everything. A pretty big premise that only fed my pursuit.
As a last resort, I turned to the Bible and found explanations that resonated. I grew up in a community where people went to church on Sunday, and though our family attended every week, active faith was not part of our family life. We didn't talk about God, biblical truth, or how to apply it. My parents had a quiet faith but were of the Great Depression generation and were pretty quiet about deeper meaning topics. I had read the Bible in high school, but it seemed fragmented and hard to understand.
This time I was reading with a specific question in mind and saw insights on our purpose, design, and behavior that differed from all the other sources I was reading.
But in this grand “experiment,” a conflict between our desires and reason emerged.
The biblical premise is that God created us to be stewards of the earth and do so in relation to Him and each other. And our design was optimized for that purpose. But in this grand “experiment,” a conflict between our desires and reason emerged and created misalignments within ourselves, with each other, and with God. These misalignments are the root of our unpredictable behaviors.
This explanation fits with what I had been observing about myself and others. I had what the Bible calls a “metanoia” experience—a deep spiritual change in heart and mind about who I am and why I am here. From that point forward, the biblical framework became increasingly infused into every aspect of my life.
Science and Beyond
You can think of the Bible as a user's manual explaining why we are here and how we are designed and providing wisdom for life. The Bible states that creation itself reveals the truth about God, so I am a huge fan of scientific discovery, as you will see in later chapters.
But I also recognize there are limits to science. Science can't contribute beyond what can be detected or measured with instruments. For example, science can't answer what happened before the beginning or what love is. The Bible reveals what science cannot: the eternal spiritual dimension of life and the unseen and immeasurable relationship with God and the meaning of life.
This book integrates business and biblical principles for leading yourself and others. And it explores the role of human desire in everything we do and how to manage it. But this book cannot change your desires. I can share principles and insights, but the desire to believe them or apply them comes from within you.
As we will explore later, human desire is the only thing in the universe that is not subject to the laws of physics. At its deepest level, changing human desire is a spiritual topic best explored in a one‐on‐one interaction with a trusted spiritual advisor. I advocate an advisor who guides you into the teaching and person of Jesus, but only you can decide to explore that path. (Trust me, there is much good news in that journey should you start. You can visit my website at www.garyharpst.com for more resources.)
Human desire is the only thing in the universe that is not subject to the laws of physics.
Returning to the story, about three years after asking my key question, an interesting choice emerged in a Bible study.
Birth of Our First Business
When I was twenty‐nine, I attended a Bible study with two friends. Jack Ridge had been a family friend for over fifteen years and was ten years older than I was. He was a mentor to me on my faith journey. Vernon Strong was a new friend who had just started work at Marathon Oil, where I was already employed.
We met in the winter and enjoyed the fire in Jack's family room. In our study, we had been discussing the idea that if what the Bible said was true, then it should affect what we do 24/7, not just one hour a week while we sat in church.
Jack expressed to Vern and me that one way to exercise your faith to the max was to run your own business. That idea was a new thought to me and was the genesis of our adventure of integrating business and faith.
The three of us started an accounting software business for small and midsized organizations and committed ourselves to operate it by biblical principles. People often ask us what that means—how it affects what we do. The biggest difference for the three of us was how we made decisions and responded to difficulties. Read on for examples.
Decision‐making
At 29 years old, I was the CEO of the new company and had zero experience in this kind of role. I was immediately thrust into situations that felt over my head: markets, products, hiring, managing, etc. Early on, these stretch challenges caused me to remember the why behind the business and that I was not alone in facing these challenges.
I remember one particular day when I went home so discouraged because of a technical problem that I believed we could not go forward. I walked in the door, sat down, and opened up my Bible, and the first words I saw were, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32). That verse became an anchor to my faith as we faced “insurmountable” problems over and over.
This example illustrates one way to integrate faith into business life. When you feel you can't go forward, you draw strength and truth from God, not your emotions.
As CEO, I made routine executive leadership decisions, but we always followed the same model for major strategic questions. The three of us would gather for a day, analyze the questions, and review scripture for principles related to the decision. If we weren't on the same page, we would wait. Never in the history of our partnership have we had a split decision or an argument.
Because our faith and desire to please God were more important than the business itself, we could keep perspective in our decisions and not overreact to fear or pressure. After forty years, this relationship continues as it started.
I am not saying this approach is for everyone. It only works if all the owners are of the same mind and share something more important than the business itself. We realize, from what others have told us, that our situation is unusual and never take it for granted.
Over the next twenty years, we had many opportunities to test our decision‐making and faith as we experienced the trials of owning a business. We tasted the chaos of rapid growth. We ran out of cash five times and had a major PR win that grew the business 250% in ninety days. That PR win deserves more explanation.
Our product was headlined in a PC Magazine article. (At the time, PC Magazine, before the Internet, was the go‐to source for making buying decisions.) That great success broke every process we had. We had to install seventy phone lines to handle call volume. But of course, we didn't have people who knew how to answer questions, so most people were put on hold. We took the most knowledgeable people and made them support managers, which took them off the phones. We made lots of mistakes and were deep in chaos. It took us 18 months to recover from this great PR “win.”
We made lots of mistakes and were deep in chaos. It took us 18 months to recover from this great PR “win.”
That event set up strong growth for the next few years but was just a step in the ongoing journey of overcoming chaos.
“I Will Hate You Until the Day I Die”
Five years later, we had to lay off half our workforce because of my strategy decisions. These people were like family. I still remember the day of having to walk into the meeting room, explain the situation, and tell half of the group that they had to find new jobs. Two aspects of this are challenging. One is the impact it has on all these families, and the other is the weight of knowing that your decisions led to this. It was painful to face these dual truths and keep moving forward.
This occurred at the same time our family was on vacation. My commitment to my family at home and my family at work came to a head. I was on the phone late at night trying to keep things on track at the office and playing with my kids during the day.
You've likely experienced how it feels to be stretched in many directions. Rhonda, my wife, gave me her full support in this balancing act, trying to accommodate my schedule and be encouraging in her attitude instead of resentful. Our faith was stronger than our problems, which is a key to sanity when battling chaos.
I don't wish the layoff experience on anyone, but out of it were forged some of my deepest leadership convictions. First, I realized I do not have the role of God in anyone's life. He is the provider for people and not me. This belief helped me process the risk vs. reward of being in business.
Truly, this layoff was painful in the impact it had on people. It sobered me and made me resolve to learn from my mistakes. But it did not destroy me. The faith of the founders and the belief that God is in control, not us, allowed us to go forward.
We realized we couldn't have it both ways. If we wanted the upside of building a business and providing employment, we had to take the downside risk of making mistakes. These kinds of trials by fire force digging deeper about what you believe, which in turn guides your decisions.
My second faith lesson was the realization that I cannot control how other people react. Again, I am not God. I make mistakes. Some people react with bitterness, and some see the bigger picture of God at work.
A couple of years after the layoffs, I received two letters that I keep in my “perspectives” file in my office. One person thanked me for the opportunity to work with us and how the layoffs led her to do something she had always dreamed of: becoming a nurse. She saw God's hand in the whole process.
The other letter was from someone who wanted me to know they would “hate me until the day they died.” The chaos that the layoff caused in their life was still controlling them.
I was helped by understanding who I am, who God is, and knowing the difference. This truth allows me to set the right expectations for myself and others.
After the layoffs, our direction changed radically.
Another Lesson: Embrace Constraints
At this point, we had lost a lot of great talent, but what needed to be done was clear. The technology world was rapidly shifting from character‐based applications to graphical user interface applications, which in the business world meant Microsoft Windows.
We needed to build a next‐generation Windows product and had very few resources to do it. We formed a small team of six people and gave them what seemed like an impossible task: build a new product and have it done in two years.
We had competitors a year ahead of us and large development teams of 100 people reportedly working toward this same objective. But we did not give in to the fear that could have paralyzed us.
This project resulted in one of my life's most powerful lessons: the value of facing and accepting constraints. Because this team had such “ridiculous” constraints, few resources, and a tight schedule, they had to be creative. They realized they could never build an app that quickly from scratch, so they focused on finding existing components and assembling a system out of prebuilt pieces.
This project resulted in one of my life's most powerful lessons: the value of facing and accepting constraints
The result was stunning to us and our competitors. We launched our new product ahead of almost all of our competitors, which set us on an amazing growth path and led to more decisions, learning, and new kinds of chaos.
Go Public or Sell
Over the next few years, we grew 600% and expanded our partner network to over a thousand, with fifty thousand clients in twenty countries. This high‐growth ecosystem became a laboratory for seeing how growth affected the thousands of organizations we interacted with.
And the growth brought us to another big decision.
After twenty years, we were the only privately held company among our major competitors in the US. The rest were publicly traded and had access to more capital to grow their businesses. We were at a crossroads of needing to either merge with a public company or become publicly traded ourselves.
We reached out to two competitors to see if there was interest in a merger. We decided not to reach out to Great Plains, our closest competitor in the US, which turned out to be ironic as you will learn.
We found strong interest and went through due diligence with a European company that wanted to build market share in the US. In this process, if the parties get close enough to a deal, they agree in good faith not to enter negotiations with anyone else until a formal term sheet is signed or the negotiation ends.
The term sheet is important because until you have it in writing, everything is subject to change. Most deals that get to the term sheet stage eventually close.
There was one particular week in this process that proved pivotal. It felt chaotic to me. On Monday, our European suiter promised to provide the term sheet on the upcoming Thursday.
On Tuesday, Doug Burgum, CEO of Great Plains, heard the rumors and called to ask if we would consider them in this process. I told him it was too late, but I would let him know if anything changed.
On Thursday, the term sheet did not arrive. I called to find out why and was told that they would not deliver it until the following Monday. This was a major break in trust.
We discussed it and I contacted Doug Burgum to open up the process to Great Plains. I explained it was probably too late for them to catch up, but if they wanted to be considered, we would need a term sheet by Monday, just four days away.
We sent them basic due diligence information, and they got us a term sheet on Saturday—48 hours later! We were impressed with Doug's leadership and ability to move this quickly. And based on past interactions, we knew they were a high‐integrity, people‐centered organization.
Following our usual decision process of prayer, I signed the term sheet, and we set a closing date for a few weeks later. Again, it may not be obvious, but our faith guided us in this decision.
But wait, there is more chaos to come.
Timing Is Everything
For tax reasons, the transaction was structured as 80% stock and 20% cash, and the cash had to be no more than 20% of the value of the deal. Since the term sheet specifies a price several weeks ahead of closing, no one knows what the stock price will be at closing. So the price is expressed in terms of a fixed amount of cash and a certain number of shares.
We signed the term sheet in March 2000, right at the peak price of the NASDAQ index when Great Plains stock was trading in the 50s. A couple of days before the closing date, Great Plains stock dropped suddenly by over 40% for what we believed were short‐term reasons.
This dramatically lowered the price of the deal and created a sudden question of whether to go forward. But Jack, Vern, and I were confident in our decision process and believed Great Plains was the right partner and that this was a temporary pricing issue.
We proceeded with the closing. Not everyone internally agreed with us. But our prayerful decision process anchored our confidence to proceed.
It turns out this sudden drop was quite beneficial to Solomon employees and shareholders. Because the number of deal shares had to be adjusted to ensure the cash portion stayed below 20%, we got more shares at a lower price. As Warren Buffet is fond of saying, “Buy good stocks when they are on sale.” Also, all our employee stock options were converted to Great Plains stock at a lower strike price, which meant much higher value when prices returned to normal.
Under Doug Burgum's leadership, the combined company was in good hands. Doug Burgum had a strong relationship with Microsoft, and the combination of our two companies made Great Plains an acquisition opportunity for Microsoft. Within six months, there was a term sheet with Microsoft. And Great Plains stock rebounded in anticipation of the sale to Microsoft.
The net effect financially was that Solomon shareholders had a much better economic result than we would have had if there had not been a sudden drop in price at closing. This is another leadership principle: seek to do the right thing for the right reasons, work with people you trust, pray a lot, and move forward.
Doug joined Microsoft to lead this business unit until his departure several years later. He has since become governor of North Dakota. I decided I didn't want to be a part of that large of an organization and started thinking about what was next. Being a compulsive organizer, I started interfering in my wife's domain at home, and within two weeks, she clarified I needed to find something else to do.
In 2001, I started a company to research how to help organizations manage the chaos associated with growth. After twenty years at Solomon Software and working with hundreds of organizations, this felt like what I was created for. I was now thinking full time about the answer to the questions that started this journey twenty‐five years earlier. It has been and still is an adventure!
It didn't mean trying to coerce people to believe what we did. It meant being truthful, prayerful about decisions, and thinking deeply about why we were doing what we were doing.
What I learned about applying biblical principles in my first twenty years as a CEO may not seem that significant to someone who didn't experience it. It didn't mean trying to coerce people to believe what we did. It did mean being truthful, prayerful about decisions, and thinking deeply about why we were doing what we were doing. It meant staying the course even when the going got tough, and it meant routine things such as paying the bills on time. Sometimes it even meant having to fire someone who was not a fit for the job. Keeping someone in a position they are not good at is the same as lying to them. They will never find their place in life if you don't constructively encourage them to move out of the wrong job to find the right one.
Keeping someone in a position they are not good at is the same as lying to them.
As I moved into this next phase of my career, I could reflect on the chaos we experienced in our first twenty years and saw what God had to say about chaos in the Bible.
The First Chaos Was Good
Chaos has been around for a long time. And it is not always a bad thing. The first two sentences of the Bible state: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:1–2).
Said another way, God’s first act was to create some chaos.
For reasons not stated, God first created the matter that became the earth in a chaotic state. Said another way, God’s first act was to create some chaos. He then transformed that chaos into the earth as we know it. The transformation occurred in the following stages:
Creation of light in contrast to darkness;
Separating the water above (clouds) from the water below (oceans);
