Daniel: A Faithful Young ProfessionalSample

How does Daniel deal with the various dilemmas he encounters in his early career? What does he do when he is asked by his leaders to participate in a food program of the best quality at the time, but one that he does not want to participate in because it is contrary to his conviction? Daniel does not leave, he does not rebel, he does not call for his rights, he does not sue anyone, and he is not a moral know-it-all nor a whistle-blower. What does he do instead? He offers an alternative. He follows the way which is also advised by Peter: "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation", and "be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him" (1 Peter 2:12-14). Daniel looks for ways that fit his conviction and yet allow him to achieve the goals set. This requires wisdom and a way of operating in business that you likely have not learned in school. This requires a conviction, an innovative mind, and God’s help. It is not necessarily a success story, yet there are possibilities.

In many companies, the culture is "the end justifies the means". This is often used in a negative way, but it also offers opportunities. For us as Christian professionals, it is a challenge and a skill to use this motto in a positive way. Based on this creed, we can develop and introduce alternative ways of doing business. We are challenged to show there are better options.

Daniel had a clear strategy:

• He trusted God and was a man of prayer and devoted to God
• He made decisions from the heart and stuck to them
• He had clear values
• He was prepared to run risks and stick his neck out
• He asked, but did not demand
• He understood the interests of all stakeholders and those of his leaders
• He had concrete alternative proposals and plans

A similar example is the story of Chick-fil-A, an American fast-food chain that is closed on Sundays out of conviction. Yet, they make four times the profit that other, similar fast-food chains make. As another example, I know people who were ordered to lie for their boss but refused to do so and subsequently received promotion because of their reliability.

Is this always so easily applied? Does this always lead to the desired business success? Certainly not. I also know a tax expert who advised multinationals, but he ended up with ever more insoluble knots within himself. Although all his advice for tax reduction was legal, it did not feel good for him to use all the gaps in the law in order to maximize the profits of these multinationals. He was of the opinion that he could no longer do the job in an honorable way. He switched careers and became a judge.

Question for the day:
What can you learn from Daniel’s strategy?