What can book of Daniel teach us in Business

I was reading a story from the Book of Daniel, and it struck me how relevant it is to business today. Daniel was favored by the king and had a powerful position, but jealousy from others put him in a situation where he had to choose between compromising his values or facing death. He chose to stay true to his beliefs and prayed towards Jerusalem, even when it meant defying the king. In the end, Daniel was protected because he did the right thing.

In business, we're often faced with moments where we're asked to compromise our values for short-term gain. I've been in countless situations like this, and each time I had to make the choice to do what I knew was right—even if it wasn’t the easy path. Staying in your integrity will always serve you in the long run. People respect values, and your willingness to stand by them shows true leadership.

If you're ever in a situation where you're asked to bend your ethics, explain why you’re uncomfortable and offer solutions. Stand firm, and you’ll find that those who matter will respect you more for it.

Know someone who could use this message? Please share it with them, and let’s help each other stay true to our principles.

This saved us $5 million in revenue…

Let’s play a game… 🎲

Imagine yourself as a key player in a multi-million dollar company, and you’re in charge of managing client relationships. One day, your VP of Sales, (let's call him James), comes to you with a challenging scenario:

The company has decided to discontinue a product—One that's critical for one of your major clients.

James’ idea?

To tell the client a white lie–That the product is on a 6-month backorder.

His reasoning?

This would supposedly save face and prevent losing the client's other business.

Now... What would YOU do in this situation?

Option #1

Go with James’ idea as he's your VP. Tell the client the product is on backorder, avoiding immediate conflict and keeping the business afloat in the short term. This option seems less confrontational and more in line with your VP.

Or…

Option #2

Reject the idea of misleading the client. Stand firm on your moral grounds, even if it means risking conflict with James and potentially losing a portion of the client's business (and your job) because you defied your VP. Choose transparency and honesty, trusting that it will lead to a better outcome in the long term.

If you chose Option #2—valuing honesty and integrity over a convenient lie—Then you and I are on the same page.

Because this scenario isn’t just a hypothetical situation. It was a real-life dilemma I faced a little over 20 years ago in my career. When James (not his real name) suggested we mislead our client, I was at a crossroads.

I mean, sure… The easy path was to comply, but my conscience (and insights from a mentor I shared this with) pointed me to do the right thing.

From that point forward, my relationship with James was contentious at best, but in the long run, it was for the better.

Because in less than a year, James was let go, and the choice I made played a pivotal role in saving the company over $5 MILLION… plus the margin from James' decision would’ve cost the company BIG TIME.

How did I know?

I decided to fight for what was right. I brought the situation to the company's CFO, Gary (that’s his real name) and I laid out the two scenarios.

Then, I asked him to work on projections on what could’ve happened if we went with either option and bring them to the company's executive team.

They all agreed with my decision and hopefully appreciated that I was willing to fight for what was right for the company.

This experience taught me a very valuable lesson:

Integrity isn't just about doing the right thing; it's about building a foundation of trust and respect with your clients that can grow (and maybe even save) your business in the long term.

And now that I think about it, this reminds me of the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den from the Book of Daniel in the Tanach (Daniel 6:5-29).

Daniel, the wisest of King Darius’ counsel, was one of three chosen to be a supervisory by Darius.  Darius was considering appointing Daniel over the entire kingdom.

Daniel's colleagues, envious of his position with Darius, devised a scheme to accuse him of treason. They suggested to the king that, for 30 days, no one in the kingdom should pray to any G-d or person except the king.

The penalty for violating this decree was death in a lions' den. The king, believing this would strengthen his rule, agreed and officially enacted the decree.

As the others figured, Daniel would not comply as he was committed to his faith. As always, Daniel continued to pray to G-d every day with his windows wide open facing Jerusalem, knowing full well the consequences.

Then, when King Darius found out about this, he had no choice but to send him to the lion’s den.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle…

The next morning, King Darius went to check on Daniel in the lion’s den. And to his surprise? He was completely untouched, because an angel of G-d shut the lion’s mouths to protect Daniel (since he did the right thing by continuing to pray).

Now, let's bring this back to the world of business…

Like Daniel, we are often faced with challenging situations where the easier path might be to bend our principles for immediate gain or to avoid conflict.

However, the story of Daniel teaches us three vital lessons that, when implemented, can help scale your business faster, easier, and smarter. 👇

1. Stand Firm in Your Beliefs

Like Daniel, if you believe in something strongly, stand by it, even if it goes against the grain. This could be your business ethics, your commitment to quality, or your approach to customer service.

1. Lead by Example

In business, as in the story of Daniel, your actions set an example for others. By choosing integrity, you not only do what's right, but you also inspire your team and peers to uphold similar values.

1. Short-term Loss for Long-term Gain

Sometimes, upholding your integrity might seem like a risk, but it often leads to greater respect and trust in the long run. Clients and colleagues who know they can trust you are more likely to remain loyal and supportive.

So, the next time someone challenges us and our decisions, we can ask ourselves, “What would Daniel do?”

At the end of the day, for our sanctity, it is important to…

NEVER bend what we believe in, no matter how tempting the circumstance may be.

To your success,

David