The world of boxing is famous for its exaggerated hype, especially when two top-rated fighters face each other. One of the most highly anticipated boxing matches ever was between Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks, two undefeated heavyweight boxers from different leagues who finally faced off on June 27, 1988, in Atlantic City, hosted by none other than Donald Trump. Tickets for the event sold for 1500 dollars each (over $3000 in today’s money), and many of the most famous celebrities of the day were in attendance. Millions more watched on pay per view television, making it the highest earning boxing event in history up until that time. So what happened? The fight lasted only 91 seconds before Tyson beat Spinks by knock out, solidifying his reputation as the best heavyweight boxer of his time. Spinks retired shortly after the fight and today almost nobody remembers his name. The truth is that most people inside the world of boxing already knew Tyson was easily the better boxer. All the noise and promotion leading up to the fight only distracted from this reality while serving the short-term interests of a few parties involved (not least of all Trump).
Nowadays, we can see many leaders spending too much of their time and energies on promotion instead of leading their staff to a high level of performance. Some leaders will meticulously plan every detail of their interactions with the people they want to impress (for example a boss, client or donor) while at the same time neglecting the necessary time with their own staff to solve critical issues facing the organization. In doing so, they send a powerful message that it is more important to look good than to actually be good. As soon as the visit with the VIP is over, everyone goes back to doing a mediocre job, waiting for the next big promotional opportunity. While this strategy might produce short-term benefits for some, over the long term it will not lead to anything great. Everyone on the inside will know the reality and it is only a matter of time before those looking from the outside will know as well when the organization encounters a true test.
At the root of this problem lies a desire to please men instead of being diligent in our service to the Lord. We easily forget that the most important evaluation we will face will not actually come in this life nor from any human being. It will come when we finally meet the Lord face to face and the quality of our work meets a true test. What will he say about the job we are doing in our current roles? Consider the words of Paul when he says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward…” (Colossians 3:23)
Reflection Questions
- What percentage of your time is currently spent on promotion-type work? Is it in balance?
What is one festering problem or issue you could make progress on over the following weeks that would elevate the quality of the work?
