and equity. People got a sense of ownership that they could in fact
control health care costs and could make a difference.’’26
Firm but Fair Practices
The phrase ‘‘firm but fair’’ is one of the biggest clicheś in the business
world (not to mention education and sports). Everyone wants a boss (or
teacher, or coach) who combines structured, exacting behavioral and
performance guidelines with kindness and impartiality. This balance is
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difficult to achieve, but those leaders who are able to do so receive
maximum loyalty and productivity from their people.
One example is Phil Myers, the ServiceMaster account manager
mentioned earlier who defends his people against insensitive treatment
by anyone, even the most powerful executive. But Myers is no touchy-
feely ‘‘pushover.’’ He demands the same accountability from his em-
ployees that he does from the unfortunate executive who dares to mis-
treat them. Myers is the first to appreciate and reward employees: ‘‘Hey,
I’ve been in the ranks. I know what it’s like to be a housekeeper.’’ But
he also makes it clear that less than excellent work is not acceptable. If
there is a person who is not performing adequately or who is undermin-
ing the spirit of the team, Myers follows a three-step process:
1. Confront the negative behaviors.
2. Give the employee a chance to change.
3. Terminate if there is no improvement.27
It is appropriate that Myers works for a company based on biblical
principles, because his disciplinary approach could be traced to three
verses:
‘‘Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’’ ( John 5:14)
‘‘Yet now I am happy, because your sorrow led to repentance.’’ (2 Cor.
7:8)
‘‘I will discipline you, but only with justice.’’ ( Jer. 31:20)
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Constantly communicate performance expectations: ‘‘before,’’
‘‘during,’’ and ‘‘after.’’
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129
Set ambitious but realistic (‘‘stretch’’) goals.
Encourage goal attainment with the promise of meaningful
rewards—extrinsic and intrinsic.
Be forgiving of honest mistakes made and risks taken in pursuit
of performance goals.
Celebrate your team’s efforts and accomplishments, both as you
go and when you finish.
Give positive and negative consequences in a fair and timely
manner, based on performance, not partiality.
Like David and his ‘‘mighty men,’’ make team members feel
like owners and partners.
Help employees make the connection between their actions
and bottom-line organizational success.
C H A P T E R
S E V E N
Team Development
‘‘The body is a unit . . . and though its parts are many, they form one body.’’
—1 C. 12:12
‘‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’’
—P. 27:17
uick, can you identify who coined the phrase, ‘‘People are
our most important asset’’? By now, it’s irrelevant. Which-
ever company you work for, you’ve seen or heard that
phrase before. Regardless of who originated it, the quote has
become so common that it has become a cliche´, as have references to
‘‘the team.’’ The extent to which different companies honor these con-
cepts in practice varies, but they all pay devout ‘‘lip service’’ to them.
But the leaders of the Bible, who rarely used the word team, were
masters of team practice. They had to be. Their technological infra-
structure was rudimentary at best and sometimes nonexistent. There
were no computer networks, and for the most part no ‘‘bricks and mor-
tar.’’ The people of the Bible lived in tents for much of their history,
without permanent dwellings. The only thing as permanent as ‘‘the
people’’ were the flocks of sheep, goats, and cattle, and the land itself,
which they did not always occupy.
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131
But the distinct advantage of both the Hebrews and the Christians
was their respect for and use of the ‘‘human resource.’’ Unlike the ma-
rauding tribes against whom they often defended themselves, they
valued individuals highly. And they were able to galvanize those indi-
viduals into strong teams that readily subordinated their individual de-
sires to the needs of the group.
The best modern leaders also place a strong value on people. They
also realize that references to a ‘‘team’’ ring hollow if the members of
the team don’t feel valued as people, or if they see the team leader
reaping all the glory while they do all the work.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE
‘‘For the Lord’s portion is his people.’’ (Deut. 32:9) That’s the biblical
way of saying ‘‘People are our most important asset’’—not goats, sheep,
camels, golden temple ornaments, or even the temple itself !
Peter Senge, in The Fifth Discipline, gives a modern update on this passage: ‘‘. . . the active force is people. And people have their own
will, their own mind, and their own way of thinking. If the employees
themselves are not sufficiently motivated to challenge the goals of
growth and technical development . . . there simply will be no growth,
no gain in productivity, and no technical development.’’1
And many modern leaders, some of whom came of age before Senge,
reflect this ‘‘people perspective’’:
❖ ‘‘What aspect of running a large corporation is the most daunting?
Without a doubt, it’s dealing on a day-to-day basis with the human
equation—making sure our cast members [employees] are committed
and motivated, and that their emotions are engaged in the right ways.’’2
These words by Michael Eisner, chairman of The Disney Corporation,
are reminiscent of King David’s when he took over the throne of Israel:
‘‘For who can govern this great people of yours?’’
❖ Fred Smith of FedEx runs his company by the watchwords: ‘‘Peo-
ple, Service, Profit,’’ in that order. The FedEx Manager’s Guide states,
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THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
‘‘Take care of our people; they, in turn, will deliver the impeccable
service demanded by our customers who will reward us with the
profitability necessary to secure our future.’’3
❖ Dave Quade, vice president of Foster Products Division of H. B.
Fuller, joined his company largely because of the sincere belief in peo-
ple, which he saw carried out in everyday practice: ‘‘Seeing the belief
in people and having people involved in decisions, it was like coming
to heaven.’’4 Sartre wrote, ‘‘Hell is other people.’’ But when organized
and motivated the right way, they can be heaven as well.
❖ Hal Rosenbluth of Rosenbluth Travel wrote a book called The
Customer Comes Second. According to Rosenbluth, who comes first?
The employees: ‘‘If our people don’t come first, then they’re not free
to focus on our clients.’’5
In the Associates’ Handbook for Wal-Mart, Sam Walton’s most-re-
peated mantra is ‘‘Our People make the difference.’’ This message is also posted on the backs of the company’s trucks and the walls of the
warehouses. Any manager who is disciplined for ignoring or abusing
people can’t say he didn’t see the ‘‘writing on the wall.’’
❖ Larry Bossidy, former CEO of Allied Signal, realizes the impor-
tance of each and every person: ‘‘You’ve got to make sure employees
understand how important they are. As a CEO, you need people more
than they need you.’’6
❖ Herb Kelleher knows where his competitive advantage lies:
‘‘Southwest is only as good as its people, and we probably spend a dis-
proportionate amount of time concentrating on our people.’’ One mea-
sure of that ‘‘disproportion’’ is Southwest’s review of 150,000
applications for 4,000 to 5,000 jobs. Kelleher, who believes that ‘‘peo-
ple make the difference,’’ says that ‘‘anyone can buy an airplane or lease
ticket counter space, or buy computers, but the intangible things—the
esprit de corps . . . are the hardest thing for people to imitate.’’7 Colleen Barrett, Kelleher’s ‘‘second-in-command’’ for many years, has the title,
‘‘Manager of People,’’ which reflects the company’s perspective.
❖ Jack Welch (known as ‘‘Neutron Jack’’ when he started out as a
CEO) became increasingly people-oriented as he matured in his posi-
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tion. He had to, since GE was taking over so many different kinds of
businesses. ‘‘I spend 60 percent of my time on people stuff, and that’s
the way it should be. I couldn’t produce a show on NBC, I couldn’t
build an engine . . . So my involvement revolves around people.’’8
Welch has put his money (and his body) where his mouth is. He spends
a large portion of his time helicoptering to GE’s famed Management
Development Center in Crotonville to address groups of managers to
help them develop into better leaders and to help them develop their
own teams.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMS
Since biblical times, people have gotten the most done when they
worked cooperatively in teams. Although they didn’t actually use the
term team, the leaders of the Bible realized that a team is more than the sum of its parts. They had not yet heard of the word synergy, but they had seen it enough in action to describe it: ‘‘Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his
friend can help him up . . . Though one may be overpowered, two can