My Heroes in Business

By: Maloi Malibiran Salumbides

 

As a facilitator, broadcaster and mother, the relationship between teacher and apprenticeship is something close to my heart. I am indebted to persistent, patient and loving teachers – my parents, my teachers, my graduate school professors, my mentors at work and spiritual leaders in church. These people motivated me to improve and expand my horizons in my chosen career and business.

 

There are a lot of case studies for apprenticeship, but I find that true-to-life stories of master-apprentice relationships in the Bible are more ideal, realistic and logical. The following are five lessons I’ve learned from Richard Anderson’s book Getting Ahead, from the Bible and also from my real-world experiences.

 

 

Set a Time-Table for Your Apprentice

Moses gave Joshua a specific time-table when he would begin leading the Israeli exiles from Egypt. Moses didn’t say, “Maybe I’ll train him and make him in charge next year, or maybe, tomorrow. Or, maybe when I feel like it.” I appreciated Moses’ attitude, because he wasn’t always the type who would delegate work. But, in this instance, he gave Joshua enough time to prepare.

 

 

Why did Moses choose Joshua as his successor? Maybe, it had something to do with Joshua’s positive attitude and courage when their group was sent on an infiltration / espionage mission inside enemy territory. When Moses heard his minority report, he must have been greatly moved and impressed. From then on, Moses made sure that Joshua would be fully prepared and motivated to take on his work and responsibility.

 

 

Make Your Apprentice Feel Important

After Israel captured most of the Promised Land, priests and judges guided them. One such leader – priest was Eli. He had a boy-assistant named Samuel. One night, Eli and Samuel were sleeping. Samuel then heard someone call him. He ran to Eli who said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”

 

This went on for a couple of times until Eli realized that it was God who was calling Samuel. He told Samuel,” Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I’m ready to listen.’”

 

 

This “bedtime story” emphasizes the need to make an apprentice feel important. Although Eli was the more senior, more experienced Temple employee, he didn’t tell Samuel,” If you hear God calling you, wake me up because you’re not management. You’re just a rank-and-file employee and you don’t have the special privileges that go with my executive position.”

 

Admittedly, Eli was far from perfect as a boss. But what I like about him was his ability to see beyond this young boy’s limitation. Eli saw Samuel’s potential as a great national and spiritual leader of Israel. By emphasizing his apprentice’s authority, he re-emphasized Samuel’s responsibilities and contributed to his confidence and self-esteem.

 

 

Allow Your Apprentice to Make Greater Accomplishments

Several decades after Samuel died, Israel became a divided nation. The southern kingdom was ruled by a king and queen who were bad to the bone. But in those dark days, Elijah, a Power-Prophet from Tesbi stood up against the corrupt leadership.

 

Eventually, the pressures of standing up against a crooked monarchy got into Elijah. He was suffering from burn-out. It was time for him to avail of God’s Early Retirement Program. Elijah was instructed to find a successor that would ably fill in the responsibilities he would leave behind. God chose Elisha.

 

Elisha asked that he would accomplish twice as much as his trainer did. His request was granted. True enough, during Elisha’s term, his reputation and commitment to God was so powerful that anyone who called him a “baldy” or “skinhead” was torn to pieces by bears.

 

Elijah allowed his apprentice to accomplish greater things than him. He was willing to be overshadowed by his protégé. That for me shows his humility and dedication to their work. Both master and apprentice knew that the mission had to be accomplished – no matter who gets the credit.

 

 

Solicit a Firm Commitment from Your Apprentice

If you’re a manager, you can never go wrong when you make Jesus your model for the ultimate trainer – trainee relationship. Jesus’ life offers many pointers on apprenticeship, but the most significant of these was when He sought a firm commitment from His apprentices.

 

 

One time, someone approached Jesus and said,” Excuse me for a couple of days. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.” But Jesus refused,” First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent.”  That’s some heavy commitment stuff! When Jesus asks for a commitment, he is dead serious. And why not? He was willing to die to honor his commitment to his followers.

 

I learned through Jesus that the commitment of an apprentice / trainee must be wholehearted – a promise written on the heart and mind of the trainee. Jesus’ commitment was not just doing the task – it was finishing the task, no matter what.

 

 

Let Your Apprentice Go

After Jesus left, Paul helped establish numerous churches in the different provinces of the Roman Empire. But old age and the stress of work (which sometimes included the occasional mob beatings, imprisonment and whippings) had finally weakened the veteran tent maker. Paul had to find a successor. He looked to Timothy.

 

Paul highly regarded Timothy. Whenever there was an issue or problem in the churches like Corinth or Thessalonica, Paul would send Timothy to iron things out. Paul must have had second thoughts about leaving his work to Timothy, but he still trusted in this young man. Paul learned to let go. Once he had given his authority, he honored it and honored his apprentice by not interfering.

 

What I saw in Paul was that he allowed Timothy to make mistakes because he knew that it would be better for him to try and fail, than to be never be given a chance at all. Eventually, Rome executed Paul. But his work continues to this day. The Roman Empire is gone, but Christianity is still here.

  

 

To One Person You May Be the World

Many years ago in Austria, an aspiring artist submitted his painting to the Vienna Art Club. His painting was rejected. He tried again the following year but the veteran artists never even considered reviewing his work.

 

Because of these embarrassments, millions of people all over the world would die. If that artist had only become a full-time painter and not a politician, the world might not have experienced World War II.

 

Who was this artist? Adolph Hitler.

 

You might be thinking, “Sure, apprenticeship is great but why do we need it?” Looking back at the story, you’d think that if only someone had taken the time to train Hitler (the artist), then he might not have become a loner and became Hitler, the scourge of humanity.

 

Hitler’s sad story always reminds me as a trainer and mother that I should be persistent, patient and loving to my trainees, subordinates, students and my children. I’m just one person, but I believe I am all that it takes to either motivate or discourage a future leader.

 

Someone once said, “To the world, you may be just one person. But, to one person, you may be the world.”