Vulnerabilities in the family business

When I decided to write about three Judges — Gideon, Jephthah, and now Samson — my knowledge of Samson was informed primarily by my Sunday school recollections, storybook pictures of Samson’s long hair and his muscled arms pushing against temple pillars. The story has been retold in our current culture, as an 1877 opera (listen to the first few seconds of the “Bacchanale,” I bet you’ve heard it before!), a 1949 film, and a song sung most famously by the Grateful Dead.

After covering several chapters of Samson’s life, I’ve learned that Samson is both a fighter and a lover. In addition to the violence he visits on the Philistines, he really likes Philistine women -- and they really like to learn his secrets! Samson’s lasting and final love is Delilah:

After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” (Judges 16:4-6)

Years before Delilah, Samson’s first love coaxed from him the answer to his wedding party riddle. He told her his secret then, and he tells Delilah his strength-giving secret this time, too. One of Samson’s weaknesses is being seduced and telling all, which leads to trouble, and ultimately his death.

We all have weaknesses. In the family business, a weakness might be coddling or protecting or providing too much help to one’s children, essentially never saying no. Another weakness might be one’s inability to control spending. A weakness could be the inability to confront obvious problems, execute timely decisions, make plans for the future, control your temper, or acknowledge the gifts or strengths of a loved one.

You probably won’t eliminate your weaknesses, but you can benefit by becoming more aware of them. In his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, Arthur Brooks writes “When you are honest and humble about your weaknesses, you will be more comfortable in your own skin. When you use your weaknesses to connect with others, love in your life will grow. And finally — finally — you will be able to relax without worrying about being exposed as less than people think you are.”

If you made a list of your weaknesses, what would be at the top? How might acknowledging your vulnerabilities to others help you grow, while also improving the culture of your family company?