Nothing New

Nothing New Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

With an unexpected hour of down time resulting from my delayed flight out of Chicago O'Hare, I wandered into the bookstore in the airport terminal. My eyes scanned the latest best-sellers targeting the business traveler. As I considered the common themes on the bookshelf (motivating others, vision casting, ethics, productivity, creating learning cultures, strategy development, etc) I reflected on how relatively unchanged those themes have been over the past dozen years or so. I wondered if there could truly be that many original thoughts on the age old issues facing business leaders today. I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 1:9..... it has all been done before and there can't possibly be anything new under the sun. My thoughts turned quickly to the Old Testament Proverbs and I soon concluded that the conventional wisdom of today's business schools and leadership gurus are in many ways just variations on the timeless truths in scripture. Allow me to paraphrase a few:
Proverbs 29:18 - The survival of any organization, in part or in whole, is dependent upon the leader's ability to cast a vision.
Proverbs 21:5 - successful execution of business strategy begins with a well crafted business plan.
Proverbs 14:23 - increased efficiency is paramount to the bottom line.
Proverbs 16:11 - honesty and integrity toward employees, customers, partners, and suppliers is non-negotiable.
Proverbs 15:22 - executive accountability is good business practice.

I'm a firm believer in life-long learning and always enjoy reading other's thoughts on leadership. But I think it is important for the Christian leader to remember that "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Can there be anything new under the sun?