added]. One of the primary beneficiaries of our collective caring is the
passengers.’’25
Another example is Gore-Tex, the ‘‘miracle fabric’’ company, which
was founded on love as surely as it was on scientific innovation. Says
the CFO, Shanti Mehta, ‘‘Bill Gore never called me into his office. He
always came to my desk, sat on my desk . . . He was a real wellspring
from which love [there’s that nontechnical word again] flowed
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THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
throughout the organization . . . After his death, the responsibility of
doing this has fallen squarely on the shoulders of all of us.’’26
Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s feels love is as important an ingredient
in his ice cream as heavy cream or chocolate fudge brownies: ‘‘When
you give love, you receive love . . . there is a spiritual dimension to
business just as there is to the lives of individuals.’’27
Pamela Coker, the CEO of Acucobol, a successful software company,
is another proponent of universal love: ‘‘Love your customers, employ-
ees, shareholders, vendors and community . . . and the profits will fol-
low.’’ A company representative calls every customer once a month,
and twice a year the customer receives a gift. Family and friends, not
just employees, are invited to all company events. Says Coker, ‘‘I am
committed to helping every Acucobol employee attain his or her
dreams.’’28
The telecommunications industry has not always been known as a
hotbed of love and compassion. But listen to two of its titans talk about
the necessity for these traits:
‘‘If we face a recession, we should not lay off employees; the company
should sacrifice a profit. It’s management’s risk and responsibility. Employees are not guilty; why should they suffer?’’ (Akio Morita, CEO of
Sony)
‘‘My philosophy of business? Five words: to love and to achieve. And
the second will never happen without the first.’’ (Robert Galvin, former CEO of Motorola, addressing his successor and son, Chris, who will try
to put these principles into action in the next generation)
Compassion. Mercy. Forgiveness. Love. These timeless qualities are
gradually returning to our boardrooms, our offices, our factories, and
hopefully our homes, which are so often influenced by the climate at
the workplace. The progress may be uneven at times, but as a general
trend, these words from Ezekiel 11:19 are being manifested more often
and with more conviction and intensity: ‘‘I will take away their hearts
of stone and give them tender hearts instead.’’
Kindness and Compassion
69
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON KINDNESS
AND COMPASSION
Following the Golden Rule doesn’t just make people ‘‘feel
better.’’ It also builds the bottom line by increasing employee
loyalty and productivity.
Reward acts of kindness with monetary incentives and
nonmonetary recognition.
You can’t expect employees to treat each other and customers
with consideration if their leaders are treating them poorly.
‘‘Sharing the wealth’’ usually pays off in terms of increased
commitment and the creation of a ‘‘larger pie.’’
Forgiveness is one of the most powerful actions a leader can
take.
In the push to achieve group goals, don’t overlook the
emotional needs of individuals; watch over each sheep, not just
‘‘the flock.’’
Holding people to high standards and showing them that you
care are not mutually exclusive; they can actually be mutually
reinforcing.
C H A P T E R
F O U R
Humility
It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.
—P. 25:17
Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
—P. 18:12
ickles and ice cream. Humility and leadership. Some things
don’t seem to fit together very well initially. I once heard an
experienced secretary in a large accounting firm comment
on a young accountant’s self-effacing personal style, at first
in an approving way because it made him so ‘‘easy to work with,’’ but
then adding in a whisper, ‘‘But he’ll never make partner unless he loses
some of that humility and puts on some arrogance.’’
The whole issue of ‘‘pride versus humility’’ is an ongoing paradox
for leaders in all types of organizations and at all levels. How do you get to a position of leadership, especially in highly competitive organizations, if you don’t have some personal ambition? How can truly humble
persons advance to a position of influence and authority? And what will
happen when they get there? The meek may inherit the earth, but can
we be sure they will stay meek when they get it? Are leaders ‘‘just like
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Humility
71
the rest of us’’ or are they ‘‘better’’ or more valuable in some indefinable way?
Management consultant Patrick Lencioni addresses this seeming par-
adox: ‘‘I have defined humility as the realization that a leader is inher-
ently no better than the people he or she leads, and charisma as the
realization that the leader’s actions are more important than those of the people he or she leads. As leaders, we must strive to embrace humility
and charisma.’’1
For examples of leaders who combined the power of humility and
charisma, we need look no further than the Bible. Moses was one of
the most influential and powerful leaders who ever lived. He overcame
the resistance of the most powerful ruler of his era, Pharaoh, to secure
the freedom of his people. He led them through the Red Sea and the
desert, and smashed the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments when
he found the people worshiping a golden calf.
These are the kinds of actions that could ‘‘go to one’s head.’’ After
all his accomplishments, it would have been very easy for Moses to say,
‘‘We’ll do it because I’m the CEO, and I said so! Without me, none of
this could ever have happened. If you want to talk to me, make an
appointment through my assistant, Aaron. And if you’re one of those
who opposed me at any point, forget the appointment!’’
Amazingly, the Bible tells us just the opposite: ‘‘Now Moses was a
very humble man, more humble than anyone.’’ (Num. 12:3) At various
times in the Old Testament, Moses falls face down and protests that he
is ‘‘not worthy to lead.’’ But each time, he receives a call to action.
Moses is not the only reluctant leader in the Bible. It takes a great
leader to put his own stature and the size of the task in proper relation-
ship, and these ‘‘humble leaders’’ abound. You could even say that just
when a great leader was needed, a person of great humility appeared:
‘‘Who am I . . . and what is my family, that I should become the
king’s son-in-law? . . . I’m only a poor man and little known.’’ (David, soon to become one of Israel’s greatest kings, upon marrying the daughter of Saul, 1 Sam. 18)
‘‘But I am only a little child . . . For who is able to govern this great
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THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
people of yours?’’ (Solomon, David’s son, upon ascending to the throne, 1 Kings 3:7–9)
‘‘Therefore anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’’ ( Jesus, Matt. 18:4)
These are wonderfully inspiring sentiments. But do they have any
application in the modern business world? Some of the most successful,
hard-hitting, goal-oriented, and ambitious executives have tempered
those traits with humility. Their leadership styles may not be exact cop-
ies of those of Moses or Jesus (whose is?), but they are exhibiting humil-
ity nonetheless.
A HUMBLE PERSPECTIVE
Jamie Bonini knew enough to be humble when he was named manager
of a large Chrysler plant near Windsor, Ontario. He had more years in
academia than he did in manufacturing, and rather than pretending to
‘‘know it all,’’ he admitted his weak spots and asked for help. He did
something that no previous plant director had done—he made frequent
visits to the manufacturing floor. When things went wrong, he blamed
the process, not the workers, and he asked for help from those workers
to fix the process.2
Bonini’s humble management style was much like that of King
David. In the heat of a battle, David developed a strong thirst. Some of
his ‘‘mighty men,’’ imbued with the loyalty that can only be inspired
by a leader like David, offered to go across enemy lines, risking their
lives to bring their leader a drink! David refused to let them make this
sacrifice. He believed in being on the front lines with his men and
didn’t feel that any man should sacrifice his life to make the leader a
little more comfortable.
Former CEO Don Tyson of Tyson Foods was another leader whose
humility increased his effectiveness and the loyalty he got from ‘‘the
Humility
73
troops.’’ Every day, the head of this huge food manufacturer showed up
in a brown uniform with ‘‘Don’’ embroidered on the shirt pocket.3
And then there is the example of Andy Grove of Intel working in a
small, open cubicle virtually indistinguishable from that of an adminis-