The Bible on leadership: from Moses to Matthew: management lessons for contemporary leaders

254 Pages·2002·1.377 MB·English

by  Woolfe, Lorin

The Bible on
Leadership
The Bible on
Leadership
From Moses to Matthew—
Management Lessons for
Contemporary Leaders
Lorin Woolfe
American Management Association
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Woolfe,Lorin.
TheBibleonleadership:fromMosestoMatthew:managementlessons
forcontemporaryleaders/LorinWoolfe.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-8144-0682-3(hardcover)
1.Leadership. 2.Executiveability. 3.Management. 4.Leadership
intheBible. I.Title.
HD57.7.W666 2002
658.4(cid:1)092—dc21 2002001991
(cid:1)2002LorinWoolfe
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This book is dedicated to
Judy, Becca, Talia, and Sascha,
who daily remind me of my true purpose
and the divine in all of us.
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1. Honesty and Integrity 1
Samuel,Paul,andIsaiahareamongmanybiblicalleaders
demonstratingthisquality.JamesBurke,WarrenBuffett,and
HerbKelleherofferbusinessmodels.
2. Purpose 24
BiblicalheroesincludeMoses,wholedhispeopletothePromisedLand,
Hezekiah,andQueenEsther.Amongexemplarybusinessleadersare
SteveJobs,FredSmith,andAnitaRoddick.
3. Kindness and Compassion 49
Jesus,whogaveustheGoldenRule,aswellasDavid,the
GoodSamaritan,andothersarebiblicalmodels.Admirable
businessleadersincludeHowardSchultz,AaronFeuerstein,andRoy
Vagelos.
4. Humility 70
Peter,whosaid‘‘Iamonlyamanmyself,’’thelong-sufferingJob,and
othersexemplifythistrait.ModernexamplesincludeLarryBossidy,
RayGilmartin,andCharlesPollard.
5. Communication 87
Joshua(withhishornaswellashiswords),Ezra,andLukeweregreat
communicators.ExamplesfromtheworldofbusinessincludeAndy
Grove,SamWalton,andMaryKayAsh.
vii
viii Contents
6. Performance Management 109
Noah,Solomon,andJeremiahweremastersofencouragementand
discipline.LouGerstner,GordonBethune,andJackStackareamong
thebusinessleadersknownforbeingfirmbutfair.
7. Team Development 130
Biblicalleadersdidn’tusethetermteam,butNehemiahwasoneof
manywhounderstoodthepowerofworkingingroups.Modern
exemplarsincludeHalRosenbluth,MichaelEisner,andprofessional
basketballcoachPhilJackson.
8. Courage 153
Courageisperhapsthemoststrikingcharacteristicofbiblicalleaders,
withDanielandthetrioofShadrach,Meshach,andAbednegoamong
manywhoovercamefeartoembraceriskforagreatergood.Among
leadersofourtimeareRudolphGiuliani,SteveCase,andPeter
Brabeck-Letmathe.
9. Justice and Fairness 175
JamesandJosephweregreatbelieversingivingotherstheir‘‘fairshare.’’
Inthebusinesscontext,leaderslikeWalterHaas,Jr.,MaxDePree,
andPaulO’Neillhaveexhibitedthischaracteristic.
10. Leadership Development 195
Thegreatestleaders—JesusandMosesinbiblicaltimes,JackWelchand
RogerEnricoinmoderntimes—ensuredthattheir‘‘organizations’’
wouldthrivelongafterthembytheircommitmenttodevelopingleaders
whowouldrenewandcarryontheirmission.
Notes 219
Index 229
Preface
Whatin heavendoesthe Biblehave todowith 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
influencewithPharaoh,andultimatelybringhisfamilyandtribetolive
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
ix
x Preface
speeches for him. But the strength of his vision and his commitment to
Israel’smissionmadehimtheultimatevisionaryandaleaderthepeople
would follow through the most adverse circumstances. Many modern
corporations experience adverse conditions, but few are condemned to
wanderinadesert(realorallegorical)forfortyyears.TheBurningBush
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
IsraelitesintothePromisedLand.Joshua’s motivationalgeniusandstra-
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.Therearealotoflessonsinthisstoryfortoday’sbusinessleader.
❖ 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
traitortoRomeoraposturertohisownpeople.(Pilate:‘‘AreyouKing
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,
fortunesgainedandlost,organizationsascendingandcrashing.Itsliteral
truth has been questioned, but its lessons and stories have been em-
braced 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
facedandconqueredbysomeoftoday’smostsuccessfulbusinessleaders.
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
findthis bookuseful whetheryouare leadinga businessunit,a political
committee or task force, an athletic team, a symphony orchestra, or a
religiousinstitutionsuchasachurchorsynagogue(youhaveoneofthe