ECCLESIASTES 10.2-3

2. The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

3. Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.

Perhaps the theme continues, and perhaps the honorable man in the previous section committed an act of folly because he had not faced up to his basic weaknesses or character flaws – such as the arrogance that may cause him to actually despised the wisdom of the poor man at the bottom of the heap.

Perhaps Solomon is also stressing the need to observe potential leaders very carefully and appraise their fundamental attitudes, not just in the performance of specialist duties, but informally and in casual conversation -- even as they walk along the road.

It is well known that we tend to act on the basis of emotion, the thoughts of the heart – then try to justify our decision later on the basic of logic. The heart, or basic desire, of the wise man inclines him to the right, says Solomon – so that his motivation is always a sound one, with the result that his actions earn him respect and honour. The fool would also like to be admired and respected, but unfortunately his heart inclines him in the opposite direction, to the left – so that he always has put on a front. Notice that Solomon says, with careful choice of words, that although the heart of the wise man inclines to the right, he is not forced to follow its lead but chooses to do so as a habit.

Even as he walks along the road, says Solomon, the fool shows everyone how stupid he is – because he lacks the sense to understand that our basic motivations colours everything we do, so that our words and actions, even in common everyday situations, provide other people with illuminating insights into our heart – if only they are perceptive enough to notice. How skilled are we at assessing attitude and character from the words people speak, even in idle conversation?

Solomon seems to be talking here about fundamental attitudes of mind and values – such as selfishness, arrogance, laziness, pomposity, shallowness, carelessness. How aware are we of our own attitudes, and the way they influence our choice of words and our decisions – attitudes that may be plainly visible to other people around us?

Jesus also appears to have such matters in mind when he says to the hypocritical Pharisees, Quote: “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out the evil stored up in him (Matthew 12:34-36). In his clever metaphor, Jesus implies that the evil attitudes rise up from the heart, like water, and overflow through the mouth, sooner of later.

How much of what we regard as bad luck is simply the inevitable consequence of our own stupidity -- our impatience, carelessness, lack of thoroughness, deliberate ignorance and failure to learn from previous experience?

Do you yet think like a wise manager thinks? Have you yet become a real manager inside, in your heart, in your motives and desires? Do you possess meticulous approach of a craftsman? Do you strive for excellence and what the late Edward Matchett called “appropriate form” in all you design or create – perfectly matching function to properly identified need?

In his self-help classic “Keys to Success”, Napoleon Hill stresses the need to develop an attractive personality. Personality, which is the public front or image we present to other people, must reflect our basic character and the thoughts of our heart – however, in Solomon’s parable the foolish man is apparently oblivious to the effect he has on other people and shows everyone how stupid he is in just about everything he does, Even as he walks along the road.

How aware are we of our personality, its strengths as well as its weaknesses – and what steps can we take to improve it? Such matters make up the theme of Dale Carnegie’s inspirational classic “How to Make Friends and Influence People”, a must read for every salesperson interested in improving personal performance.