‘Each according to his ability’: The Parable of the Talents is the Patriot Way
What do Karl Marx and Bill Belichick have in common? Absolutely nothing. A word from Matthew 25.
“Life ain’t fair. And fair ain’t what I’m here for.” — Steamin’ Willie Beamon, Any Given Sunday
Bill Belichick is the best coach in NFL history. In a century-plus of sideline schemers, Belichick’s eight Super Bowl rings — six as head coach — are the most titles any player, coach, or franchise has ever won.
Even Tom Brady’s seven rings comes up short of Belichick’s — though Brady won all of his as a leading man. It says everything that the only guy who can rival Belichick’s legacy is the very QB he coached for 20 years.
But even before he was the greatest of all time, Belichick drove a hard bargain for his disciples, his assistant coaches.
Belichick views the job more as a learning opportunity than a gold rush. The pay is low, especially for entry level jobs. You better hope there’s turkey in the office fridge.
The hours are endless. The assignments come non-stop — and if you’re any good, they keep coming, and they get tougher.
Opportunity is at the heart of the Patriot Way. Simply put: the more you do, the more you can do.
Effort is demanded. Team success is rewarded. Low-paid assistants on winning Patriots teams are given “green balls” of cash, thousands of bucks at a time, when appropriate. It all evens out.
Low base pay and high, success-driven bonuses create a culture of achievement.
Nobody works that hard just to work hard. More than the green balls, it’s about the rings.
In Matthew 25, the Parable of the Talents tells of three servants whose master splits eight talents between them, “each according to their ability.” The split went 5, 2, 1.
Karl Marx, the father of Communism, liked that phrase, “each according to their ability,” enough to run with it, and add on to it.
Perhaps knowing that Christians would recognize it from somewhere, and see themselves in there, Marx’s theory spoke of resources flowing “from each according to their ability to each according to their need.”
Jesus and Belichick see it as more of a meritocracy. If we are good stewards of the talents we are given, more will come.
The servant given one talent buries it rather than grows it. The other two both doubled theirs.
The master is disgusted with the servant who buried his talent. He’s thrown out, “into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Sounds bad. And gets worse.
Not only does the master take his talent away, he gives it to the servant who had the most talents, and thus the most ability. The rich got richer, or as rich as anyone could be, and still be a servant.
The meritocracy of Matthew 25 is the exact opposite of Marxism. The Patriot Way rewards work and industry, rather than obsessing with fairness.
You get more of what you incentivize.
What behaviors are encouraged by your incentives? Are they in line with, or contrary to, your mission? Are you sure?