October 24; How Many Favors Must The Manager Give For Each Favor Received?
What Is The Rate of Return?
MANAGEMENT BY THE BOOK:
365 Daily Bible Verse &
One-Minute Management Lessons For The Busy Faithful

Chapter Ten: Deciding 24 October

Jesus asked,

“Were not all ten cleansed?

Where are the other nine?

Luke 17:17

Rejection

“About 10 percent.” This is the answer that comes back in nearly every seminar. In sales training classes we review the ratio of referrals given out to the number received. The estimates are always revealing and disturbing.

It is 10:1.

The sales professionals will complain that for every ten leads for new business that they will forward to other sales representatives they will get one lead back. Give 10 out; get one back. “It is not fair,” my clients would say.

“You are right,” I would reply. “It is not fair, few things in life are—especially in sales and sales referrals, but we must decide to be pro-active; to be in control of the events that affect our work—even if the returns are marginal.”

“It seems that we should get more appreciation…more love…?” The class would ask with one voice.

“So it would appear,” I would say and then pause.

I would ask, “How many lepers did Jesus heal as recorded in Luke?”

Even non-Bible scholars would venture, “10?”

“Yes, and how many came back to Jesus to thank him?”

The class would sit still for a few seconds and one person would softly reply, “one.”

“Now if the Creator of the Universe—who worked the miracle of healing leprosy—can only get a 10 percent response rate, what makes you think—you mere mortal—that you could do better than Jesus?”

It is not recorded if the nine cured lepers were among the mockers at Christ’s Crucifixion, but who would be surprised if they were. The Fallen Nature of the Human Condition is like that.

And hasn’t gotten much better. But good God-fearing citizens try be generous and continue to give even if the gift is not recognized.

This is the American Way: to ‘give something back.’

***

In 1836 Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville traveled across the young America and documented the ‘why’ of why America was so successful. In part, the new USA was acting out the good that Jesus did and did not expect the thanks of the receiver — or even payment — or even a reciprocal payment. (Salvation is a gift that does not require payment.)

Tocqueville wrote, “Americans are pleased to explain almost all the actions of their lives with the aid of self-interest rightly understood,” (volume 2, part 2, chapters 8-9 Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America via Lawler, Stuck with Virtue: The American Individual and Our Biotechnological Future.

Professor Peter Augustine Lawler writes that the American people are “stuck with virtue.” Mankind might indeed be Fallen but Americans are a virtuous people (as only a self-governed people can be). We are a nation of good and do-gooders.

***

This is similar to the movie Pay It Forward, starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, without the sex scenes.

The theme of the film and Tocqueville was that Americans would give a favor and not expect or demand a return favor. The USA culture demonstrated that good works given generously would eventually return to the sender – but only indirectly. Favors would not necessarily come directly from the one who received the good deed. The movie trailer here.

But the Americans were not naïve. The European Tocqueville learned that Americans would give in “self-interest rightly understood.” Giving and getting was not a lateral, binary, two-way transaction. Giving was done in a loop where the favor would circle back to the originator from a different direction. But the favor was returned.

Whenever there was a barn raising, the owner would benefit and would eventually return the favor directly or indirectly to the person or to someone else in the community. This was done without keep records; without intrusive government.

Morton Blackwell, founder of the Leadership Institute says, “A stable movement requires a healthy, reciprocal I.O.U. flow among its participants. Don’t keep a careful tally.”

Decide to do the favor and expect nothing in return. Good will still return to you.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Luke 17:17

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