Persecuted

The Greek for persecuted is διώκω or dioko, which means to be pursued, to seek after eagerly, and to seek out to punish. Many of the related Hebrew words have the same mixed implication.

The eighth strategic insight from Jesus is: Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; or congratulations to those who are aggressively pursued for being their true self.

The competitive advantage created by consistent application of the strategic insights of Jesus will attract attention. The best in the industry will want to work at such a firm. Alliances with other companies will be offered. Customers will challenge the organization’s commitments with high demand. Competitors will actively seek to undercut you. You will be pursued.

The most common religious meaning of dioko is to be unjustly and cruelly pursued. This is certainly the focus of this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. In a business context, however, the other meanings are realistic – and welcome – outcomes. Being pursued by customers and investors is the sort of outcome a sustained competitive advantage should produce.

But on the way to such success – and coincident with a sustained competitive advantage – are periods when the enterprise, and especially its leaders, feel like the bulls-eye of a thousand arrows. The martyrdom of St. Sebastian – one of the premier warrior saints – comes to mind.

The arrows fly in from three directions: the skeptical, the fearful, and the betrayed. Like St. Sebastian you should survive the skeptics and the afraid, but watch out for the betrayed… their arrows are deadly.

Consistent application of the strategic insights of Jesus is so unusual that many customers, partners, and employees will initially respond with skepticism. Short-term and narrowly self-interested behavior is now so common that a different approach will create suspicion. It will take time and experience for them to view your strategy as authentic: as an expression of your organization’s true self.

As the market begins to accept your strategic differentiation you will feel the arrows of fearful competitors. They are unlikely to understand the source of your competitive advantage, but they will feel its impact. They will respond with various probes and attacks. The effectiveness of your tactical response is critical and entirely dependent on your specific context, but from a strategic perspective the competition’s action is a back-handed compliment to the effectiveness of your emerging competitive advantage. This is not the time to shift strategies.

Once the benefits of this sustained competitive advantage begin to emerge, competitors no longer present your biggest potential threat; rather you are potentially your own worst enemy.

Consistent application of these strategic insights results in a relationship of trust. Because employees trust their organization, they identify with it more fully, and cooperate with it more enthusiastically. Investors, partners, and customers – especially if they were skeptical at first – will make your success part of their own definition of success. The trusted brand is a rare but powerful phenomenon of business.

But within this relationship of trust any misstep – any behavior inconsistent with your authentic self and the fundamental needs of the community – will be swiftly punished. A momentary weakness or an unintentional mistake will be troublesome, but can be overcome. An intentional betrayal – real or perceived – is death.

Earn the community’s trust and then betray it and you will experience the full nightmare of persecution.

(This completes the eight requirements for strategic insight. Next we will consider eight operational challenges.)