Economist and author Gary North pointed out the other day
that RC Sproul wrote a little known book called, ‘Stronger Than Steel.’
It’s a story about how a man named Wayne Alderson turned around Pittron Steel… a failing foundry in western Pennsylvania.
When Alderson was promoted to Vice President of Operations, the company was on its knees.
Hostility and mistrust were high. Workers were going on strike. And the facility was six million dollars in debt.
Alderson started a plan he called “Operation Turnaround.’
The heart of Alderson’s plan was simple: truly
value and respect people for who they were and the contribution they made.
Alderson took the lead in implementing his plan — which was really a form of applied Christianity — by the way he talked with and treated every person in the plant.
The results of his approach were astounding.
In less than two years the company completely
turned around.
Safety, worker satisfaction, production, and sales all soared. And the company went from six million in debt to six million in profit.
Alderson’s Operation Turnaround is a good example of what applying biblical principles to a work environment can do.
And it should inspire us all to consider how we can better apply our
faith and bring about our own “Operation Turnaround” in whatever circumstances we’re in.