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By Barry Buzza
I'M SURE those listening to Rabbi Jesus teach on that warm January day in Judea were shocked by what he said. Some of them felt the burning pain of his arrow of truth searing their very souls. They knew he was talking about them.
Jesus told this story: "A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden.' The gardener answered, 'Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.'"
I was reading the book Winning, by Jack Welch, while on vacation last month. In his chapter 'Differentiating,' Jack -- the former CEO of General Electric -- said that he differentiates his managers and expects them to do the same with his employees. He divides them 20/70/10. The top 20 percent are his producers whom he believes should be heartily rewarded for their fruitfulness. Big salaries, promotions and gifts, such as sending the whole family to Disneyland for ten days, should be lavished on these winners.
The 70 percent, Jack wrote, are the engine that keeps the company going. These hard working, good, loyal employees must be constantly inspired, encouraged and challenged. Without that large group of workers, the business would fail.
What he says about the bottom 10 percent is what gets a lot of his listeners riled up. These are the employees like the fig tree in Jesus' story. They are just not cutting it. Although they may try hard, come in early and leave late, there's no fruit on their branches.
The owner of the garden in the rabbi's story told his manager to deal with the non-productive fig tree by cutting it down. It was using up the nutrients from the soil, taking them from the vines which were productive, and so the only reasonable course of action was to remove them.
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Over the next couple of weeks, I'll return to this principle of differentiating, but for now, let's think about three things.
1. There are differences in people. We each have a unique blend of gifts, talents and skills. It's not only okay to be different from the person next to you-it's a good thing.
2. We all need help - in discovering what our strengths and weaknesses are. It will take us between thirty to forty years on average to get to know ourselves. A good boss can be invaluable in that discovery process. By honest confrontation, communication, encouragement and appraisal, which may eventually result in promotion, demotion or being fired, an authority figure is a gift to us in our growth process.
3. Just as we add a little sugar to counteract the bitterness of lemonade, a leader must use his knowledge and authority in a setting of kindness and encouragement. I remember the first time I had to release an employee. As soon as I said the words, "I'm going to have to let you go," she broke down in tears.
That was all I didn't need - I felt so bad for her that I held her hands. "It'll be okay Sherri." I calmly counseled, "You'll look back on this experience and be thankful that it happened."
"I know," she whimpered wiping her eyes, "I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders -- I wasn't happy here at all." Then Sherri surprised me. She gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you Barry, I appreciate you."
Transplanting, or even cutting back, an unfruitful fruit tree is sometimes the most loving thing a gardener can do.
To be continued . . .
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Barry Buzza, a veteran pastor, is the president elect of the The Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. www.foursquare.ca
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July 12/2007
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