You Become Who You Hire
By Dr. Brian Simmons
Steward leaders are entrusted by God with time, treasure, talent, and relationships. Of these good gifts, relationships are the most precious. Nowhere is this more true than in the context of institutions like the family, church, government, neighborhoods and organizations.
It is important that CEOs embrace the final responsibility for who the organizations they serve as steward leaders ultimately hire. This final interview should not be a mere formality.
I remember a time in an organization I served as CEO when I met with a potential hire for a key position. As I read through this young man’s resume and information, I grew increasingly excited about the person. The same day, I had another meeting with a young lady for a similar position. The organization was a Christian school, and both positions were coaching positions.
The first candidate wrote about his relationship with the Lord and his desire to be a role model for the athletes on his team. When we met, he confirmed this commitment. I shared with him that my life had been positively impacted by one of my coaches serving in the Christian high school I attended. I continued, “His name was Mike, and I wanted to be like Mike… and I didn’t mean Michael Jordan!”
As I often do with candidates I do not know personally, I asked the young man to share with me a passage from Scripture that he had been meditating on over the last day or two. He asked if he could open his phone and read the passage. Of course, I said “yes!”
He read, “Judge not lest ye be judged…” (Matthew 7:1-3). I found that curious, and I responded, “I agree that it is God’s right alone to judge others, but just so we are clear, the athletic director sitting here and I will need to make a judgement about whether or not to hire you for this coaching role.”
Then, he shared that in his younger years he had been convicted of a felony and spent three years in prison. I thought, “Well, that is something the AD and I will need to prayerfully discuss.” He shared that this was in his past and he was now committed to wholeheartedly live for the Lord. So, the interview continued.
I asked about the championship ring on his finger. He shared the story. He had been a good athlete in high school and college.
Then, he openly shared that he had a child and the young woman he was dating had two children. I asked how serious they were, and he responded, “Very serious!”
At that point in the conversation, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask him, “Are the two of you living together?” He responded, “Yes.” I then told him I would not hire him for this position; he got mad and stormed out. My assistant later informed me that my afternoon meeting had been canceled. The young lady was his girlfriend!
Fornication is sexual activity between two individuals who are not married. The Bible clearly teaches that fornication is a sin (Hebrews 13:4, I Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:5 and I Thessalonians 4:3). So, living together prior to marriage is living in sin.
The next day, I met with the head coach who had recommended this person. He said, “Well, he is a good role model,” to which I replied “No, he isn’t!” I continued to explain the definition of fornication, read several of the aforementioned Bible verses (many of which appear in the sexual immorality section of the school’s faculty and staff handbook) then I asked the head coach an important question. I said, “Why would I hire a person who I would then need to fire for violations of our code of conduct?” I think he got the point!
Over time, organizations become who they hire. This is either a good thing or a bad thing measured by mission alignment or mission drift. The faithful steward leader of a Christian organization has the responsibility to keep the organization entrusted to his/her care by God mission true! And, nowhere is this more important than decisions about who the CEO chooses to hire!
