Heroic Leadership

344 Pages·034.471 MB·English

by  Chris Lowney

BEST PRACTICES
FROM
A
450-YEAR-OLD COMPANY
CHANGED WORLD
THE
THAT
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
PUBLIC LIBRARY
V )
24.95
$
HEROIC DERSHIP
L eaders make mpanies, hut few
of us truly nd how to turn
ourselves and c to great leaders.
—.
—
One company the Jesuits pioneered a
unique formula for molding leaders. In
the process, the Jesuits built one ofhistory’s
most successful companies.
Founded in 1540 by ten men with no
capital and no business plan, the Jesuits
have been a source of innovation and dis-
covery ever since. In this groundbreak-
ing book, Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit
and executive with Morgan,
P.
J.
reveals the leadership principles that
have guided Jesuit leaders in their diverse
pursuits for more than 450 years.
The
Jesuits’ enduring success rests
upon four core leadership pillars:
• SELF-AWARENESS: Understand
your strengths, weaknesses, values,
and worldview
• INGENUITY: Confidently innovate
and adapt to a changing world
• LOVE: Engage others with a positive
attitude that unlocks their potential
• HEROISM: Energize yourself and
others with heroic ambitions and
a passion for excellence
By incorporating these principles into
their daily lives, the Jesuits built an
organization that has operated a highly
efficient international network of trade,
education, missu >rk, and scholar-
ship for almost ituries. Lowney
shows how
the: principles can
make each of us Lie leader in the
twenty-first centi
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BRARY
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PRAISE FOR
HEROIC LEADERSHIP
“Lowney demonstrates how today’s organizations need to scrap
the traditional and narrow vision of leadership and adopt
the Jesuit model of ‘everyone is a leader.’”
-DURANT “ANDY” HUNTER, PRESIDENT, U.S., WHITEHEAD MANN
“With a light touch and fine writing, Chris Lowney brings the sixteenth
century into the twenty-first. Presidents of both colleges and corporations
can apply this text extensively to their own worlds with great profit.”
-CHARLES BEIRNE, PRESIDENT, LE MOYNE COLLEGE
J. S.J.,
“Heroic Leadership advances a leadership unafraid to put love at
the center. This is a lively, witty book about profound matters.”
-JAMES N. LOUGHRAN, S.J., PRESIDENT, SAINT PETER’S COLLEGE
“A wonderfully stimulating book for those interested in forging closer links
between their Christian faith and a business vocation.”
-WILLIAM BYRON, AUTHOR, JESUIT SATURDAYS
S.J.,
“Although skeptical at first, I have been convinced by the author of this
provocative book that the Jesuits have something unique and profound
to offer [to] those of us trying to operate a business that is both success-
. . .
ful and true to our deepest values and convictions.”
-GREGORY AUGUSTINE PIERCE, AUTHOR,
F.
SPIRITUALITY@WORK; PRESIDENT AND COPUBLISHER, ACTA PUBLICATIONS;
COFOUNDER, BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EXCELLENCE, ETHICS, AND JUSTICE
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2016
in
https://archive.org/details/heroicleadershipOOIown
—
PUBLIC LIBRARY
S.S.F.
WEST ORANGE AVENUE
HEROIC
LEADERSHIP
— — — — — — — — —
W W W W W W W W W W
7F 'IF
BEST PRACTICES
FROM
A
450-YEAR-OLD COMPANY
CHANGED WORLD
THE
THAT
LOWNEY
CHRIS
LoyolaPress.
Chicago
LoyolaPress.
3441 N. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60657
[phone]
WWW.LOYOLABOOKS ORG
.
© 2003 Chris Lowney
All rights reserved
The photo of Ignatius Loyola (p. 41) is from the Curia Generalizi of the Society of
Jesus. The photo of the Jesuits at the Mughal court (p. 66) is reproduced by per-
mission of the Trustees of Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. The photo of Matteo
Ricci (p. 75) is from Generation ofGiants: The Story of the Jesuits in China in the
Last Decades of the Ming Dynasty by George H. Dunne, S.J. The photo of
Christopher Clavius (p. 82) is from the Mary Evans Picture Library. The photo of
Francis Xavier (p. 131) is from the collection of Gonzaga University’s Jundt Art
Museum. The photo of Roberto de Nobili (p. 150) is from The First Scholar by
©
Rajamanickam, copyright 1972. The photos of Guarani art and architec-
S. S.J.,
ture (p. 187) are from Jose Maria Blanch, S.J. The photo ofJohann Adam Schall
von Bell (p. 259) is from Adam Schall: AJesuit at the Court of China, 1592—1666 by
Rachel Attwater, originally from China by Athanasius Kircher, published in 1667.
Jacket and interior design by Megan Duffy Rostan
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowney, Chris.
Heroic leadership best practices from an unlikely 450-year-old company that
:
changed the world Chris Lowney.
/
cm.
p.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8294-1816-4
—
1. Leadership. 2. Jesuits History. I. Title.
HD57.7.L69 2003
—
658.4’092 dc21
2003004774
Printed in the United States
987654321
M-V
03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 10
CONTENTS
Of and Morgan
1 Jesuits J. P. 1
2 What Leaders Do 13
3 The Jesuits
8 An Accidental Company with a Purposeful Vision 37
4 Leadership Role Models
Three Unlikely Case Studies 63
5 “To Order One’s Life”
Self-Awareness As the Foundation of Leadership 95
6 The Spiritual Exercises
A Lifelong Development Tool 113
“The Whole World Becomes Our House”
7
How Ingenuity Sparks Innovation, Creativity, and
a Global Mindset 127
“Refuse No Talent, Nor Any Man of Quality”
How Love Uncovers Talent and Unites Teams 169
9
“An Uninterrupted Life of Heroic Deeds”
—
How Heroic Leaders Envision the Impossible and Do It
Was
10 “Exceptional Daring Essential”
How the End of Risk Taking Almost Ended the Jesuits 229
“The Way We Do Things”
1 1
Four Core Values, but One Integrated Life 245
12 Conclusion 277
Acknowledgments 297
Notes 299
Suggestions for Further Reading 313
Index 321