The Bible on
Leadership
From Moses to Matthew—
Management Lessons for
Contemporary Leaders
Lorin Woolfe
Contents:
Preface
ix
Acknowledgments
xiii
1. Honesty and Integrity
1
Samuel, Paul, and Isaiah are among many biblical leaders
demonstrating this quality. James Burke, Warren Buffett, and
Herb Kelleher offer business models.
2. Purpose
24
Biblical heroes include Moses, who led his people to the Promised Land, Hezekiah, and Queen Esther. Among exemplary business leaders are
Steve Jobs, Fred Smith, and Anita Roddick.
3. Kindness and Compassion
49
Jesus, who gave us the Golden Rule, as well as David, the
Good Samaritan, and others are biblical models. Admirable
business leaders include Howard Schultz, Aaron Feuerstein, and Roy
Vagelos.
4. Humility
70
Peter, who said ‘‘I am only a man myself,’’ the long-suffering Job, and others exemplify this trait. Modern examples include Larry Bossidy,
Ray Gilmartin, and Charles Pollard.
5. Communication
87
Joshua (with his horn as well as his words), Ezra, and Luke were great
communicators. Examples from the world of business include Andy
Grove, Sam Walton, and Mary Kay Ash.
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Contents
6. Performance Management
109
Noah, Solomon, and Jeremiah were masters of encouragement and
discipline. Lou Gerstner, Gordon Bethune, and Jack Stack are among
the business leaders known for being firm but fair.
7. Team Development
130
Biblical leaders didn’t use the term team, but Nehemiah was one of many who understood the power of working in groups. Modern
exemplars include Hal Rosenbluth, Michael Eisner, and professional
basketball coach Phil Jackson.
8. Courage
153
Courage is perhaps the most striking characteristic of biblical leaders, with Daniel and the trio of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego among
many who overcame fear to embrace risk for a greater good. Among
leaders of our time are Rudolph Giuliani, Steve Case, and Peter
Brabeck-Letmathe.
9. Justice and Fairness
175
James and Joseph were great believers in giving others their ‘‘fair share.’’
In the business context, leaders like Walter Haas, Jr., Max De Pree,
and Paul O’Neill have exhibited this characteristic.
10. Leadership Development
195
The greatest leaders—Jesus and Moses in biblical times, Jack Welch and
Roger Enrico in modern times—ensured that their ‘‘organizations’’
would thrive long after them by their commitment to developing leaders
who would renew and carry on their mission.
Notes
219
Index
229
Preface
What in heaven does the Bible have to do with leadership? Everything!
The Bible is probably the most widely-read book in the world. It is
revered for its religious precepts and guidance, its wisdom, and its liter-
ary beauty. Read carefully and with another perspective, it is also the
greatest collection of leadership case studies ever written, with tremen-
dously useful and insightful lessons for today’s leaders and managers.
Whatever our religious beliefs, most of us in the Western Hemisphere
are familiar with the Bible’s stories and heroes. They form some of the
major archetypes of our collective consciousness and can serve as uni-
versal examples of leadership at its best (and worst).
Consider some of the managers and leaders of the Bible and the les-
sons they can impart to today’s manager:
❖ Jacob, although inferior in strength to his macho brother Esau,
was able to usurp his brother’s birthright by appealing to ‘‘the power
behind the throne’’ (his mother) to deceive the CEO (his father).
❖ Joseph, cast into corporate exile because of his brothers’ jealousy
of his close relationship with his father, Jacob, was forced to join the
opposition, Egypt. There he was able to infiltrate the court, use his
influence with Pharaoh, and ultimately bring his family and tribe to live
with him, where they became a mighty force. However, the ‘‘merger’’
of the Israelites and Egyptians soon became extremely rocky, creating a
whole new set of leadership problems.
❖ Moses, the man who inherited these problems, was a leader who
spoke so poorly that his brother Aaron had to deliver most of his
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Preface
speeches for him. But the strength of his vision and his commitment to
Israel’s mission made him the ultimate visionary and a leader the people
would follow through the most adverse circumstances. Many modern
corporations experience adverse conditions, but few are condemned to
wander in a desert (real or allegorical) for forty years. The Burning Bush
is a corporate vision par excellence, and the Ten Commandments are
the ultimate mission statement.
❖ Joshua succeeded Moses, and that transfer of power is an example
of thorough succession planning, assisted by divine intervention. It
would take a great and inspiring leader to replace Moses and lead the
Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua’s motivational genius and stra-
tegic planning helped the Israelites literally knock down impregnable
fortresses.
❖ Samson is one of the best ‘‘negative case studies’’ in history. He
possessed great physical strength, but had some tremendous ‘‘blind
spots’’ in his interpersonal judgment. The person he most desired was
actually the person he had most to fear and who brought about his
downfall. Samson was literally ‘‘blindsided’’ by an enemy he thought
was a friend, and who also happened to be a member of the opposite
gender. There are a lot of lessons in this story for today’s business leader.
❖ Job had more troubles than any modern corporate executive, yet
he stuck to his faith and his vision. His ‘‘case study’’ can teach the
modern executive a lot about sticking to your vision despite obstacles,
suffering, and doubters.
❖ Jesus, the son of a carpenter and born in a manger, rose to found
the most populous religion on earth. Jesus’ communication skills were
consummate. He was able to cogently communicate new and revolu-
tionary ideas using parables instead of direct explanation, and he was
able to answer Pontius Pilate’s loaded questions without appearing a
traitor to Rome or a posturer to his own people. (Pilate: ‘‘Are you King
of the Jews?’’ Jesus: ‘‘You say I am.’’) The Sermon on the Mount is a
beautiful example of motivational communication, which influenced
not just the small assembly there but millions of people in millions of
assemblies since. His work with the disciples was some of the most
Preface
xi
astute team-building ever accomplished. And his mastery of the sym-
bolic act gained him the largest following of any leader before or after
him.
The Bible is full of these and other leaders—kings, prophets, war-
riors, strategists, and visionaries. It is a story of prophets true and false, fortunes gained and lost, organizations ascending and crashing. Its literal truth has been questioned, but its lessons and stories have been embraced as universal archetypes that influence the way we live our lives
on a deep psychological, spiritual, and symbolic level.
So why shouldn’t this biblical wisdom on leadership be applied on a
business level? This book attempts to do just that, reviewing the most
inspiring biblical ‘‘case studies’’ and comparing them to the challenges
faced and conquered by some of today’s most successful business leaders.
It should come as no ‘‘revelation’’ that the traits and skills of successful Bible leaders are also those exhibited by the most successful modern
leaders:
❖ Honesty and integrity
❖ Purpose
❖ Kindness and compassion
❖ Humility
❖ Communication
❖ Performance management
❖ Team development
❖ Courage
❖ Justice and fairness
❖ Leadership development
The emphasis of this book is on business, and most of the modern
case studies depict business situations. But the Bible also has lessons for leaders in politics, athletics, the arts, and yes, even religion. You should find this book useful whether you are leading a business unit, a political
committee or task force, an athletic team, a symphony orchestra, or a
religious institution such as a church or synagogue (you have one of the
xii
Preface
world’s best management tools, the Bible, at your fingertips—why not
use it to help you lead your ‘‘stakeholders’’?).
Whatever your arena for leadership, it is my most fervent wish that
in studying the leadership challenges of the great figures of the Bible,
you will receive the instruction and inspiration to meet your own lead-
ership challenges.
Acknowledgments
A book is never the result of just one person. I’d like to thank Kevin
Barron and Meldron Young. Their enthusiastic response to my idea and
also to the chapter drafts kept me ‘‘on purpose.’’ Thanks to Bill Hill for
reminding me of the intersection of business and the spirit. Adrienne
Hickey asked for my best and helped me focus my efforts. Erika Spel-
man ushered the book into final production with patience and biblical
forebearance.
Thanks to all the modern leaders I’ve included; perhaps some of you
may be surprised to find yourselves in a book that compares you to
biblical leaders, but to me the connections were readily apparent.
And last but perhaps most important, thanks to my family, who did
without me while I spent countless hours at the computer, in the library,
and in my ‘‘study’’ digesting and merging biblical verse and manage-
ment wisdom. You provide my inspiration and purpose.
xiii
The Bible on
Leadership