Bags of gold: The responsibility conundrum – 1

IF you are very familiar with the Holy Bible, you will know the story of the unfaithful steward. It is told by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25 of the Bible. A similar account is narrated in Luke 19. For the next few weeks, we will be examining a few pertinent life management lessons from this story which I have found to be very relevant like many stories told by Jesus Christ, a master storyteller who was wont to weave several object lessons into each of the stories that He told. Because we will be on the subject for some time, I want to take the liberty, for the sake of those who may never have read the story before and for the convenience of those who may have read or heard the story but may not have paid significant attention to it beyond an ordinary servant’s unfaithfulness and indiscretion, to quote the story as it was told in the New International Version of the Holy Bible.

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This story has in it hidden nuggets that undergird success in life as well as meaningful, sustainable enterprise.

The first principle we will be considering is that everyone is given something. The measure or quantum may differ, but everyone has something that he has been given to trade with in the marketplace of life. God is not a cheat, neither is He a respecter of persons. Having said that, it is important to underscore the fact that resources were given by the Master to the servants, not on the basis of age, height or longevity of service but on the basis of confirmed capacity. If life gives you any opportunity that you have not adequately developed capacity for, you will never be able to maximise the inherent possibilities.

Recently, in a conversation that I had with a young man who is one of my protégés, he said that getting ahead in life and especially in Nigeria demands that you know someone who can get your foot in the door. As far as he knew, that was all you needed to “make it.” Unfortunately, there are far too many people who are locked in the myth of the illusory hands-up that paralyses initiative because, like the man by the pool of Bethesda in the Bible, they “have no man” to help them. I had to educate him. While it may be true that you need someone to make certain connections for you or to get your foot into some doors, it will take your own capacity, responsibility and resourcefulness not just to enter the room but to create space for you therein. A man can get you a job or recommend you to certain lofty platforms. However, what you do or how long you stay on those platforms will have to do with your capacity to deliver specific and relevant value on a consistent and sustainable basis! Connections may open doors, but meaningful value contribution keeps them open.

Employers employ and remunerate based on perceived capacity and expected value delivery, not because they run a charity organisation that just wants to provide employment. Promotions – except in the civil service – are given according to contribution and demonstrated capacity. Therefore, a newbie in an organisation can earn more than someone who has been in that organisation for a long time if he can demonstrate a capacity higher than those he met there.

Let your demonstrated capacity and contribution, not longevity, be the basis of your feeling entitled to an enhanced status or promotion. Even if your current employer does not appreciate your value, someone who does will run into you someday, see what you can do, or in a casual conversation, discovers that you are the solution that he has been seeking. Pronto! Your big break comes and you are hired out of obscurity. Rather than rue what you do not have or what you have not been given, build considerable value around what you have been given.

Banks literally chase successful entrepreneurs with funds that the entrepreneurs may not need. Why? Demonstrated capacity. Meanwhile, smaller organisations that believe that they need capital injection to boost their businesses write long, windy proposals and get nothing because they don’t have a performance track record!

Don’t ask for a loan or grant of N5 million to start a business when you have never demonstrated capacity to manage N50,000. When life gives you resources beyond your capacity for resourcefulness, you will definitely waste it. It’s a given!

Build your value capital before you ask for the financial capital!… continued.

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

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