| When a system fails it is almost too easy to scapegoat one person. |
If
you have not read Exodus 32, you should. I don’t use the s-word often because
it sounds awfully preachy (and what preacher wants to sound preachy?), but I do
here because I believe it is that
important. This is not because it will take you to some mystical height, nor
because I think it is the secret to life, but rather because Exodus 32 is a
classic case of what happens when a system fails. And, whether you know it or
not, the systems that involve you—your family, your business, and even your
church—could just as easily crumble. I mean it doesn’t take very long to look
around and see systems failing as CEOs are fired, marriages fall apart, sexual
harassment doesn't get reported, or soccer teams miss the World Cup
(cough… cough… U.S. Men’s National Team…cough…cough). So, what can Exodus 32
teach us about systems failing? I’m so glad you asked.
First, let’s go over
what happened in it. Moses delayed from coming down the mountain (singing: he’ll
be coming down the mountain but not right now…), so the people got restless. The
people turned to Aaron (the senior V.P. of Promised Land LLC) and said, “We don’t
need that Moses guy. Why don’t you make us a new god to worship? That other one may have brought us safely out of Egypt, but we want something shiny and new
and gold and preferably made by Apple!” (Okay, they didn't say that last part.) So Aaron caved under the pressure and
he helped the people make a statue of a golden calf that they
worshiped at the altar that Aaron subsequently built.
Well,
God saw what happened and he was not all that happy. God told Moses to get to
stepping down the mountain to deal with “your people”—not God’s people mind
you. This is like when a wife says to her husband “your son”—who is really
the son of both of them—is misbehaving. So after God raged and Moses convinced
God to calm down Moses went down the mountain where Moses himself started to rage.
The
people had so disappointed Moses that he found it hard not to show his true
feelings. Moses saw the golden calf, people dancing and worshiping it, so he threw down the tablets—not iPads,
but stone tablets with God's commandments written on them. This was
just the start. Soon he took the golden calf and made it into a powdery drink
and forced the Israelites to drink it—and you think your protein powder tastes
bad! Now, here’s where it gets good and where we can see some clear parallels
to all sorts of other system failures.
When
Moses confronted Aaron to figure out what had happened the scapegoating and
finger-pointing got really interesting. Aaron blamed the people who made him do it—“You know the people,
that they are bent on evil.” They just so happened to give him all their gold
and he threw it into the fire and out came a golden calf. This sounds like the
high school kid who throws a massive party at his family’s home while his
parents are away and when they return he says his friends made him do it...riiiight! Moses
eventually goes scorched earth on the people employing the Levites to kill
3,000 Israelites who had turned to worship the golden calf. What is striking and
tragic is that this did not have to happen in this way.
Multiple people and events all conspired to contribute to the failing of this system. Usually we
want to point out the “scapegoat”—or to use a fancy Systems Theory word “identified
patient”—that is the source of the problem within a family, a workplace, or a church. It was his problem or her problem or that issue was the source of our
stress. Then, we fire them or get rid of the problem thinking everything will be all better. Think of when the failing team fires its coach. Soon we discover though that while getting rid of that person or
problem momentarily “fixes” things soon someone or something else will swoop in
to fill the void. The new coach wins a couple games, but the same problems may very well exist within the system. In the case of Exodus 32 multiple failings conspired to result in the idol worship and subsequent murderous rampage.
Aaron,
Moses, the people, and even God had a hand in this tumultuous set of events. We
quickly can see that Aaron lied about what happened trying to blame the people
for his role in the idol making. The people though were trying to test out the
system to see if Aaron and Moses were on the same page. They obviously were not. Moses though had a hand in the problem. He had been the intermediary
between the Israelites and God for so long that they seemed lost without
him—like when a church struggles to replace the beloved former rector who had
been there for 20 years. God though seemingly does not step in, but distances
himself from the problem when he won’t even say they are his people, but Moses’
people. So what do we learn from all this?
First,
transitions in systems are really hard. They need to be handled with much care.
When someone gets fired because he or she is the problem—watch out! When
someone who is beloved leaves or retires—watch out! When secrets and rumors
start piling up—watch out! When someone goes on sabbatical leaving a V.P. or
associate in charge—watch out! These moments are hard and the system will test its limitations to see the strength of its leaders in particular. The more that leaders can share responsibilities within
a system and empower the whole to function normally even when he or she is
missing the more prepared that system will be for change.
Second,
the more that leadership is open, transparent, peaceful, and unified the more
health exists within the system. If Aaron had simply told the people that they
had one God and that God delivered them from Egypt and was leading them to the
Promised Land, chances are none of this would have happened. Instead he did something silly and covered up what happened with a lie. Sexual harassment, fraud,
substance abuse, etc. cannot happen without a cover-up. Transparency is vastly
important to the health of a system, as is leadership being on the same page
about whatever issue comes up. Think of the kid who begs one parent, then the
other for ice cream to see if one will give into her request.
Finally,
scapegoating never solves the real problem. While there is always more to learn
from stories like Exodus 32, this might be the most important lesson. In
writing that statement I cannot help but think of the example of Jesus. He came
to flip the scapegoating, sacrificial nature of religion on its head. Instead
of thinking that we have to have someone to blame for whatever problem is at
hand, Jesus willingly took on the scapegoat role to transform it and take away
its ability to “fix” things. When Jesus spoke words of forgiveness while he was
hanging from a torture device he showed the fallacy of this way of doing
things. When God resurrected Jesus the scapegoat paradigm was deflated, as we see that it was not the scapegoat that was broken but the system itself. And
yet, we still keep on trying to send someone out like the poor goats who had
all of a community’s sins attached to it.
Systems
are tough. They often veer into unhealthy behavior without conscious thought.
The role of leaders in the 21st Century has become so complicated
because we live in a world of gotcha moments that are all about finding someone
to blame for a particular problem. The successful systems now, like in ages past, will be able to
navigate transitions without scapegoating individuals. They will also likely avoid
making a golden calf to put in the place of God, blame others for doing so, and end up murdering many people as the solution. All of this to say, get it together U.S. Men's Soccer!
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