– TOM PIERCE –
Navigating Risk :
Observations from King Hezekiah
The risk/reward dynamics of leading a small kingdom in the midst of massive ancient empires offer some rather surprising connections with the complex modern dynamics of running an enterprise in a global economy dominated by powerful titans of information technology.
Much as the emissaries of Assyria reminded Hezekiah of the tragic fate of others who had resisted Assyrian rule, business owners of today hear almost endless stories of failure and tremendous loss throughout the ecosystem of enterprise software implementations and upgrades, and have good reason to worry about their own chances to survive, much less thrive.
Even as Hezekiah responded to his understanding of elevated risk by paying vast sums in humble tribute to Assyria, simply to be allowed to continue to live and work in peace, so the escalating fees and costs associated with continued dependence on powerful monolithic systems and their changing infrastructure seem never to offer any credible assurance of survival and security.
As Hezekiah sought the council of his wisest and most trusted advisors, considering multiple options, weighing the advantages of one alliance versus another, so business owners of today have a plethora of advisors to consult, and many potential alliances to consider.
In the end, Hezekiah leaned heavily into his most deeply held convictions, the core values and founding principles of his nation and its people, and chose the path most centrally aligned with the strongest faith traditions of their history. He humbly prayed and trusted God to remain faithful, and deliver his people from the grave risks before them.
The biographers of Hezekiah record that throughout his 29 year reign, he was unlike any king of Judah before or after him, in that he consistently did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
As we face the complex and rapidly changing dynamics of enterprise information systems and alliances, may we all learn to lean heavily on the wisest counsel available to our ears, to choose paths centrally aligned with our core values and founding principles, to trust profoundly in the faithfulness of God, and to seek consistently to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
