One of the most infamous, insane lines from film history comes from the 1987 film, Wall Street. Gordon Gekko a creepy corporate raider proclaims: “Greed…is good. Greed is right. Greed works.”
Gekko’s audience applauded. But in the aftermath of multiple meltdowns on real life Wall Street we’ve heard a lot more condemnation than commendation of that corporate attitude.
Greed was openly taught as a philosophy in business schools in the 1980s. I’m going to ask the classic psychiatrist’s question: “How’s that working for us?” Greed didn’t work in 1929, 1987, 2008 or 2011.
What works is “Shalom.” Shalom succeeds every time.
Shalom is a Hebrew word that is often a greeting or a “goodbye.” It is usually translated “peace.” But it means SO much more, like: “tranquility; positive good in every area of life-—relational, physical, and financial.”
During a recent “Doing The Right Thing” tour, sponsored by Breakpoint, Steve Tourek of Marvin Windows, commented how his company had to make tough decisions when the economy tanked. Marvin’s leadership team considered what would happen if they laid off a lot of employees. Mortgages wouldn’t get paid. Schools, stores, and other businesses would be harmed in those communities, because “no man, or company, is an island.”
So the company decided not to lay off any employees. Instead, executives took reductions in salaries and benefits. Shareholders also took less, and so did the workers. As a result, they kept the company, they kept their customers, and they kept their communities whole. *
This happened locally at the beautiful retirement center down the road in Sebring. Copeland Oaks CEO Phil Braisted and his team were committed to wise, ethical, AND Christian corporate decisions that reflect shalom. They achieved savings by becoming self-insured in one area. Significant savings with FirstEnergy were negotiated. They spread out a reduction in labor hours across the organization. Laid off folks were moved, if possible, to unfilled positions. Even with the reduction of hours, Copeland Oaks and Crandall Medical Center will continue to have staffing levels higher than the state and local averages.
“Through this evaluation and planning process, our focus has been how we can preserve the jobs of so many dedicated employees in order to maintain superior care and service at Copeland and Crandall,” said Braisted. **
Ditto similar moves by leaders at SES, Alliance Community Hospital and many area schools.
In meaner times these decision would have been labeled “bad business.” But in leaner times we should all applaud and imitate these business leaders who put need ahead of greed, and shalom ahead of selfishness.
(* Breakpoint.org by Charles Colson, 6/8/11. **The Review, 7/7/11, p A5.)
