To achieve extraordinary things in life, one needs more than just skill or talent. One also requires deep faith – both in oneself and in a higher purpose. The greatest artists, scientists, and leaders throughout history have married exceptional skill with an unshakable belief that they were destined for something greater.

Skill alone cannot withstand the inevitable hardships and setbacks on the path to extraordinary achievement. Faith provides the resilience and sense of meaning needed to persevere. With it, obstacles are seen as challenges to overcome rather than failures. Faith also provides a moral compass to keep one’s talents directed toward virtuous and uplifting purposes. Without it, even the most skilled individual risks misusing their gifts or squandering them on unworthy goals. In the end, the alchemy of skill and faith enables individuals to reach heights they could never attain with talent alone.

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Matthew 17:14-20. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith.”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-224: AUGUST 12, 2023]

Emergence

The weeklong International Conference on Realism is about to end tomorrow. It has been a very insightful conference filled with discussions and provocations on how to pursue flourishing in many forms no matter the discipline.

As this academic year is about to end as well, my mind wanders towards the critical realist concept of emergence. The favored example of critical realists is water – water is an emergent entity that is distinct from hydrogen and oxygen. Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen yet is different from them.

In a way, teams are the same. A team is composed of members, but it doesn’t mean that if there are people within the same proximity they can be considered a true team already. There must be interactions – just like how hydrogen and oxygen chemically interacted that led to the emergence of water.

The concept of emergence allows for the maxim “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” to be true.

If we look at social reality or social units such as teams, organizations, family, and friendships, how do we make sense of individual identity? On one extreme, should individual identity be subsumed by the supposed greater whole? Should the individual “die” to serve the greater whole?

My answer is no. There should be a way to honor the dignity of the individual while still allowing the whole to thrive.

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John 12:24-26. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-222: AUGUST 10, 2023]

Reasonable doubt leads to a fuller faith

Reasonable doubt is a natural and healthy part of any faith journey. When we question elements of our beliefs that don’t make sense to us yet, it pushes us to deepen our understanding and form a more nuanced perspective. While an untested faith may be rigid and brittle, reasonable doubt strengthens faith like carbon under pressure forming a diamond.

Approaching faith with humility, we must acknowledge we don’t have perfect knowledge. As we wrestle with doubts, we force ourselves to articulate what we believe and why. We gain confidence that our beliefs are grounded in something substantial, not just inherited traditions. Reasonable doubt leads us to rely more on spiritual discernment than formulas. We learn to integrate new information and let go of faulty assumptions.

The process of working through doubts expands our worldview and helps us form a fuller faith, refined and strengthened by questioning what once seemed unquestionable.

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Matthew 14:22-36. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-220: AUGUST 8, 2023]

The next generation carries our will yet have their own

The future belongs to the youth. As each generation comes of age, they inherit the values, dreams, and goals of their elders. Yet the next generation also brings something new. They face fresh challenges that require creative solutions. While honoring tradition, they must chart their own course.

The torch is passed from one generation to the next. Our children carry forth our hopes that the world may be a bit better for their presence. Though they walk in our footsteps, they blaze new trails. The next generation gives us faith that progress endures. For in their eyes we see the glimmer of possibility. While the young may follow our lead, in time they find their own voice.

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Matthew 17:1-9. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-218: AUGUST 6, 2023]

Providing platforms for each other

If we are truly to frame management and organizing as a two-way street, it is important to provide platforms for each other. Co-creating sounds desirable and preferable, but it is more complex to manage since it relies on each other’s agency and the belief that we share a common goal.

Good faith and trust make such platforms work. No matter how difficult this may be, the upside is that providing platforms for each other can lead to creating multiple forms of value that is truly greater than the sum of an organization’s parts.

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Matthew 13:54-58. And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-216: AUGUST 4, 2023]