Shrewd as
by Alan Pue
G
Serpents,
eneralizations are like weather reports—
book, Mayflower, a masterful account of the Pilgrims’
useful, but not infallible. It is generally true
founding of Plymouth colony. That the Pilgrims were good
that the sun shines in Colorado. But, in a
and godly people Philbrick makes clear; that they were
recent round of golf, I saw the predicted sunshine give
naive and fundamentally ill prepared for the task of colony
way to gray skies, nasty lightening, and rather large
making becomes equally apparent. The Pilgrims were good
raindrops.
people, well-intentioned, but always just one step away
As dangerous as it can be to generalize, however,
from catastrophe. Does that sound familiar?
there is a fair amount of evidence to suggest that we
Here is my generalization: Christian organizations
are right most of the time. In his intriguing book Blink,
often assume, consciously or unconsciously, that hard
Malcolm Gladwell explains why. He writes (2005, 11),
work and good intentions will somehow protect them
“The part of our brain that leaps to conclusions ... is
from the consequences of inadequate planning and poor
called the adaptive unconscious, ... a kind of giant
decision making. That assumed protection is not the case.
computer that quickly and quietly processes a lot
There are always repercussions when poor decisions are
of the data we need in order to keep functioning as
made, some more traumatic than others. For the Pilgrims
human beings.”
the implications were tragic—a death rate exceeding 50
In the absence of compelling evidence to the
percent; their situation so precarious that Philbrick (2006,
contrary, we are usually
119) observes, “By all rights,
That the Pilgrims were good and godly none of the Pilgrims should
safe in making on-thespot decisions. This
have emerged from the first
people Philbrick makes clear; that
generalization is true
winter alive.”
they were naive and fundamentally ill
unless there are hidden
When our Lord sent out
prepared for the task of colony making
biases or information gaps
His disciples on their first
becomes equally apparent.
that we are unaware of
mission, He gave them this
and that are likely to distort our thinking, a situation
instruction: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst
leading to poor decisions. With that said, I will offer a
of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves”
generalization of my own in the form of a brief story.
(Matthew 10:16, NASB). I think that these words by Jesus
Here goes:
are wise advice for contemporary disciples as well. Yet the
dilemmas that beset the Pilgrims still seem to plague those
The members of [Pastor] Robinson’s congregation
in church and school leadership today. For example, in the
knew each other wonderfully well, but when it
Denver Post, a recent Associated Press article by Rachel Zoll
came to the outside world they could sometimes
(August 14, 2006) revealed that between 1984 and 1989
run into trouble. They were too focused on their
own inner lives to appreciate the subtleties of
about $450 million was stolen in religious-related schemes.
character that might have alerted them to the
A later count that was completed in 2001 revealed that the
true motives of those who did not share in their
“toll had risen to $2 billion,” and according to research by
beliefs. Time and time again [during preparations
the Securities and Exchange Commission the situation has
for construction of their new facility, they]
grown to even greater proportions.
demonstrated an extraordinary talent for getting
duped.
The problem is not, however, limited to major
investment scams. I’ve seen far too many situations in
Actually, these aren’t my observations. With
which a school or a church purchased services or products
the exception of the bracketed words, this is a direct
that were overpriced or that underperformed. The loss for
quotation from Nathaniel Philbrick’s (2006, 17–18)
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2006–2007 | CSE Volume 10 Number 2 | Shrewd as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
Innocent as Doves
an individual organization might not have been millions
of dollars, but even small amounts can cause great harm
when that organization is struggling to make ends meet.
So what can you do in the twenty-first century to
better heed the words of our Lord to be shrewd as serpents?
Here are a couple of thoughts I hope you will take to heart.
the best-qualified, most experienced person possible.
Don’t first look for connections to your staff, board,
constituency, or even locale. Find the best people, pay
them well, and then hold them accountable.
Because finding the best person for a task can be a
challenge, move with caution and do your homework.
Interview the individual you are considering, in
Admit You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
person if possible. Ask the person about his or her
I learned a lot during my graduate studies in
qualifications and experience. Get that information
administration and supervision, much of it actually
in writing. Request references and then call the names
proving to be useful. But what I didn’t learn was how
provided. Contact your regional ACSI representative
to run a business; and like it or not, Christian schools
and trusted colleagues. Any reputable consultant
are businesses. Understanding educational philosophy,
or service provider should be well-known. If at any
curriculum design, instructional strategies, and teacher
time you feel uneasy with that person, continue your
supervision are essential—they just aren’t enough.
search. Don’t let yourself be pressured into a premature
Consider the following obligations faced by every
decision.
Christian school leader: marketing, financial management,
To do the above well, you need to become an
facility management, resource development, land
educated consumer. Build your reference library
acquisition and development,
and read widely. You
Understanding educational philosophy, must know the right
facility design, construction
curriculum design, instructional
management, and recruitment,
questions to ask, and
retention, and development
you need to understand
strategies, and teacher supervision are
of staff. Let’s be honest. No
enough to recognize
essential—they just aren’t enough.
one is wired or equipped to
when you are receiving
think well about all those critical components of running
sound responses. In her article in the Denver Post,
a school. Yet if you don’t make wise decisions in all those
Rachel Zoll quotes Patricia Struck of the Wisconsin
areas, you put your school at risk. What, then, should an
Department of Financial Institutions: “The scammers
administrator do?
are getting smarter, and the investors don’t ask enough
First, consider staffing for those tasks. When hiring
questions.”
personnel, remember this formula: character + knowledge
Always seek wise counsel. Don’t be afraid of
(content and experience) + skill + talent (the right gift set)
admitting your limitations. And don’t let limited
= strength. Leave out any part of that formula and you will
resources deter you from gaining the insight of
be disappointed.
someone more experienced and equipped than you. If
Adding additional staff, however, is not always a
you find the right person, the impact will far outweigh
viable solution. Sometimes it makes more sense financially
the cost.
and organizationally to outsource. For example, unless
you have a degree and many years of experience in land
Avoid the Painful Experience of “You Always
development, you should outsource that responsibility
Get What You Pay For”
to someone else when you are considering the purchase
According to Nathaniel Philbrick (2006, 59), “No
and development of property. When you outsource, find
one in England knew more about America than [John]
Shrewd as Serpents, Innocent as Doves | CSE Volume 10 Number 2 | 2006–2007
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Smith.” Yet the Pilgrims chose Miles Standish to serve
as military advisor instead. Why? Well, the answer
should come as no surprise. It was that, as Philbrick
notes, they “perceived Standish as a cheaper and more
tractable alternative to Smith.” The price they paid
for that decision was severe—not because Standish
lacked courage or wisdom, but because he lacked the
necessary knowledge and experience. “As Smith later
wrote, much of the suffering that lay ahead for the
Pilgrims could easily have been avoided if they had
seen fit to pay for his services or, at the very least,
consult his map.”
Don’t let limited resources deter you
from gaining the insight of someone
more experienced and equipped
than you.
I’ve often remarked that Christian school
administrators can turn a dime into a dollar better
than almost anyone. I mean that as a compliment.
Most administrators manage their budgets well. There
are times, however, when saving money in the short
term can have serious consequences.
Years ago the company that manufactured Fram
oil filters aired an effective commercial. The marketing
tagline was simple but powerful: pay me now, or
pay me later. The pay-me-now price was relatively
modest—the cost of an oil change and a filter. The
pay-me-later figure was significantly higher because
it entailed a complete engine overhaul. That same
principle applies whether you are maintaining your
car, building a new facility, upgrading your software,
hiring a consultant, or simply replacing a copier.
Let’s look at marketing as an illustration. There
are truly no inexpensive ways to produce quality
marketing materials and then launch a well-conceived,
coordinated marketing strategy that will produce
the desired results. In an age of special-effect-laden
blockbusters, a bargain-priced video will seem
amateurish by comparison. If you are not careful,
you could unintentionally end up reinforcing the
powerful, prevailing perception that Christian
schools leaders, though well-meaning, are not very
professional, capable people.
There is another point that I think is equally
important. I have a close friend who owns a large,
successful construction firm. He is a strong believer
who has frequently worked with ministries but is
often frustrated by the experience. He is perplexed by
requests, even demands, that he reduce the cost of his
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services, and he is mystified by the fact that those making
decisions are often unwilling to listen to sound advice that
might cost a bit more in the present but, in the end, would
save the ministry significant financial resources.
He is actually an extremely generous man who often
gives significant gifts to ministries. When able, he will offer
to discount the price of his services, but that must be his
choice. I can guarantee you, however, that he is unlikely to
give to any ministry that tries to nickel-and-dime him in
the bid process. And please hear me on this: he is not the
exception. I’ve yet to talk to anyone who does business with
ministries who hasn’t expressed similar sentiments.
When you purchase goods or services, you will best
serve the long-term interests of your school if you buy
quality at a fair price from reputable sources. There is
certainly nothing wrong with a good negotiation process.
But never expect businesses to deliver for less than it costs
them to operate. Believe me, you will benefit in the long
run, both from a quality product and from the goodwill
that you generate when you treat vendors in a way that is
honorable.
Conclusion
There are no shortcuts to excellence. Hard work and
good intentions are necessary but not enough. If the
Pilgrims had better understood our Lord’s admonition
to be “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves,” their
experiences in the New World might have been a bit less
traumatic. The same could be said of many churches and
schools. Perhaps it is time to heed Solomon’s observation
that “a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the
simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3, NKJV).
References
Gladwell, Malcolm. 2005. Blink: The power of thinking without
thinking. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Philbrick, Nathaniel. 2006. Mayflower: A story of courage,
community, and war. New York: Viking.
Alan Pue, EdD, has served Christian schools for 35 years.
He has been a teacher, a headmaster, and a college vice
president. He currently is the president of the Barnabas
Group (TBG) located in Littleton, Colorado. TBG
specializes in providing assistance in strategic planning,
problem solving, and organizational development to
Christian schools, churches, and colleges.
2006–2007 | CSE Volume 10 Number 2 | Shrewd as Serpents, Innocent as Doves