What is better, “new or old?”What do the parables of the treasure in the field, or the pearl of great price, have to do with the wisdom of the head of household who brings forth the “new and the old?” And how is Jesus’ instruction relevant to us as leaders?

As a youngish, ambitious, newly appointed administrator in a university, I was asked to take on the responsibility for leading several teams and units, and for enhancing their performance in serving our students and the institution. My mandate was to “revitalize” these units, based on the general perception that they were not student facing enough in the services, that their programming had become stale, and that they were not actively engaging the wider university at large.I brought my good intentions and energy to the task, of course! I met with each member of these units to understand better how they saw the situation, then designed a process to work collaboratively in envisioning how we might develop a future vision, and a structure for moving us from the new vision into the phase of planning and execution. What could go wrong?Over the weeks and months that followed the first meetings with the unit as a group, I was more and more discouraged that the members of these teams met my efforts, first with apparent apathy, then resistance, and finally, with visible resentment. After trying one tactic after another to motivate them toward the future, I felt like a failure and at a loss about how to move forward. Fortunately, one of the team members, someone I knew well and who felt confident to represent his colleagues, asked me to join him for coffee. “David, I think you understand that things aren’t exactly going the way that you’d hoped, and that we’re all a bit frustrated, yourself included. We know that you mean well, and that you wanted to involve us all in the process, but for us, you moved too fast, you had too many assumptions that you didn’t test, and we felt pushed. It wasn’t that we couldn’t see value in what you were proposing, but we wish you would go about it differently. I wonder how you see this situation?”I was quiet, and trying to avoid justifying myself. “So, what would you suggest I might have done differently?”“Well, where do I begin? To start with, you began your interviews with each of us that there was a problem that you needed to fix, and we were part of the problem. Sure, you asked for our perspectives, but we felt that you already had your mind made up about us and what we needed to change. Second, most of us would have appreciated time to build relationships with you, so that we could trust that you had as much regard and concern for us as for the work. That would have given you a chance to see and appreciate the good things we’ve been doing for years before you got here. Now, I’m not saying that change is a bad thing nor that we shouldn’t try some new approaches or venture out of our comfort zone, but we didn’t have the sense that you valued the service and the quality of all that we had achieved. That set us off from the beginning, when all you talked about was ‘change’ and ‘the future.’ Do you see where we’re coming from?”Oh yes, I could see. It was hard to admit, but he was correct. I made assumptions that I didn’t test, and only listened to each of them to the extent that my own opinions were reinforced. My assumptions then became beliefs about them, their obstinacy, and a whole story about them wanting to sabotage my efforts to improve their performance. I moved too fast into ‘task mode’ without building the rapport needed to challenge them. And it was true, I didn’t do anything to acknowledge or appreciate their long service to the students or the university. I was only focused on the future, doing something new, something more.In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the disciples these parables about the importance of assessing what is of greater importance or value, and what is often required in order to attain it. Yes, judgment is needed, sacrifices must be made. But he doesn’t suggest that the things we had in our possession previously weren’t also important or valuable. What Jesus is saying to them is that to choose the better, they must be willing to let go of something that would have occupied the place of the highest value, ‘to sell all that they own,’ in order to attain what is most precious. This doesn’t mean that we suddenly shift from one set of values to another, but rather that we fully assess the cost of holding on to what we’ve had, or what we’ve done, or who we have been, and that we exercise freedom, desire, and purpose to choose the better.In fact, discernment is never made between good and bad options, but rather between a good and a greater good. So too, in leading change, we would be better off acknowledging and appreciating the good that has been, than trying to march people through painful losses as if they don’t matter, and pushing them through disorienting transitions on the way to a future that many find vague and uncompelling. The pearl of great price and the treasure discovered in the field were quite tangible, and inspired real sacrifices without disregarding the value of what came before. So too, leaders who are naturally motivated to bring about improvements, innovation, and the regeneration of organizations, might need to begin by fully understanding and honoring the work of the past. This approach appreciates the people who have contributed along the way, and gives recognition where it is deserved. It also helps leaders better identify what about the past is worth preserving or conserving, and what efforts are worth building upon with more investment, or responsible updating. This wisdom of Jesus also redirects us from preoccupation only with what we are yet to do, to honoring as well what God is already doing.Then, the wise leader “is like the head of a household who brings forth from the store house both the new and the old.”With you on the road,