After Samson the last chapters of the book off Judges
mentions that there was no king in Israel and everyone did as they pleased.
That situation has been repeated often in the succeeding centuries. Many revolutions
have degenerated into petty quarrels among the ‘victors’. The crux being that
there is no longer any central authority, or even objective and squabbling becomes the 'normal' relationship. The Israelites had
been absorbed with claiming the land they had been promised but when that was
done, they lost direction. There are many lessons in the story, personal,
relationship wise and for business.
In personal life, it highlights the need for a long term
goal, many fail college and university because their goal has been achieved.
The idea that they are at college or whatever to learn how to be a doctor, for
example, is dampened by the realisation of their short term goal; those who
succeed see it only as a stepping stone.
Relationships break down for similar reasons. Great sex,
intellectual compatibility, even being a good doubles partner at tennis or golf
become ‘normal’ and descend into boredom after a while and it is those who want
to share their life experience that make real partners.
In the business sphere, without firm direction the sales
manager argues with the production manager, who argues with IR, who argues with
PR and energy that should be directed to success is dissipated in internal
wrangling.
What is needed is a plan for what happens next; the understanding
that the realisation of one goal will open the door to another challenge. Someone
who wants to be a foreman for being a foreman rather than to learn how to be a
manager, for example, will become bored and useless, unless their life objective
lies elsewhere. There is no point in getting into a relationship where the sex
is great but the partner is thick as a brick, that’s obvious, but so is a
partner who doesn’t share long term goals. Before a business has maximised it's market
it must have plans to change direction or be sold.
It is distressing to see how many ignore the lessons of
Judges for no better reason than that they are in the Bible. They are not only
for the religious but contain the wisdom handed down from antiquity.
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