DON’T TRY TO SERVE TWO MASTERS

No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matt. 6: 24)

Jesus was unsurpassed in raising the most important and the most challenging issues in life. This verse typifies this style. It challenges all of us to deeply consider our life purpose (you might prefer the word “mission” if you think in those terms); perhaps especially those who want to live a positive meaningful life but who also possess ambition and desire “to get ahead.”

In fact, the first edition of The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus evoked a frequent response from readers. It went something like this: “The book was very helpful to me and supported much of what I believe and wish was more common in the workplace. However, how can you reconcile Jesus’ emphasis on ideals such as compassion and honesty with the hard realities of the tough competitive business world?” Or, in other words, how do fundamental business values focused on profitability, efficiency, and accountability fit with the virtues that Jesus taught such as love, forgiveness, and integrity?

As I thought about the second edition of this book and what I might add, it was this sticky area that kept coming to mind. I must confess that it was with some hesitation that I finally concluded that a chapter focused on the clash—and hopefully the potential synergy—between traditional business values and spiritual virtues would be right on target. Again, I want to preface my comments by reminding readers, and myself, that I am not a theologian and I am not trying to convert others or to impose some kind of spiritual agenda on anyone. However, I do think this chapter raises important questions that I believe are crucial for us all to consider in our quest for more effective leadership of ourselves and others. I also think such a discussion is particularly timely when considering that company names like Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco have received so much attention concerning their infamous business scandals, that they have all but become clichés. Add to that other monumental ethical failings worthy of membership in a virtual Hall of Shame, like the major abuses that occurred in the mortgage industry, causing a housing market collapse, and Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme, and it quickly becomes apparent that the wise lesson of Jesus introduced in this chapter is very timely indeed.

Sad images of executives abusing power and misrepresenting financial results are still fresh in the minds of many people. Ultimately, at Enron, and other firms, bankruptcy followed. And more importantly, thousands of workers lost their life’s savings as a result. While mental images remain of greedy managers operating from lavish executive suites, misusing power to manipulate organizations (and the people that work for and depend on them) for personal gain, it is refreshing to see other executives who have chosen a far different path. CEO Aaron Feuerstein, mentioned more than once elsewhere in this book, showed compassion and courage when he risked all of his personal wealth by continuing to pay his workforce while his company was being rebuilt in the wake of a catastrophic fire. He was a successful businessman who put his neck on the line for others, seemingly in contradiction to “good business sense.” And I get a kick personally out of the image of former CEO (and more recently a political candidate) Meg Whitman, having held several prestigious positions, with all their executive trappings at the likes of Procter & Gamble, Disney, and Hasbro/Playskool, agreeing to lead then-fledgling eBay. Under her leadership, eBay became a multibillion-dollar sales powerhouse, and she led the company from a humble cubicle, much like the ones that other employees at the company worked from.¹ I also think of Dean Cycon, founder and CEO of Dean’s Beans (previously described in the chapter “Let Your Light Shine”). He has prioritized social and environmental values over profit to the point that he actually traveled to the small villages and stayed in the huts of the indigenous coffee growers from whom he purchased coffee beans, intentionally at above market prices.

Despite these contrasting examples, all too often it seems that we mostly just read about power-hungry executive leaders out for personal gain. Traditional business values, such as profit, efficiency, and rationality, have dominated the literature on organizations relative to concepts related to virtues such as compassion and caring. For example, in a study of articles appearing in the Wall Street Journal, words focused on things like “winning” and “competitive advantage” were being used at an increasing rate while concepts such as virtue and caring were nearly nonexistent.² Yet dominant business values that focus on the bottom line may directly contradict an individual’s deep personal and even spiritual beliefs. When individuals have values such as integrity and honesty, but work in organizations emphasizing a ruthless pursuit of profitability, they may experience significant personal pressure to behave in uncaring and even unethical ways.

Unfortunately, recent history has demonstrated that individuals sometimes act in ways that are consistent with group or organization norms but directly contradict their personal values and beliefs. In fact, Enron-type scandals can be perpetuated by otherwise caring and honest people setting aside their deeper personal values and either engaging in or condoning harmful, immoral, or illegal behavior. In order to fulfill work roles or to comply with directives from superiors, the kind of lessons Jesus taught sometimes are thrown out the window in favor of getting ahead or avoiding risking job security.

Jesus’ teachings, on the other hand, challenge us to stay the course and answer the call to a more virtuous life and career. We are challenged to pursue the very best in ourselves and follow a path that may not offer quick riches, power, and career advancement but rather offers the potential for a vital and flourishing life, filled with deeper meaning and purpose.

Carol Tome, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Home Depot as well as chair of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Board and only the second woman in over 150 years appointed as Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, shared an interesting personal experience with having temporarily lost her focus on what was most important.³ She told of how when she first held a leadership position, she gave a performance appraisal to someone over the phone because she was more focused on financial and business success than the value of the person. She explained, “That was terrible, not a very thoughtful thing to do. The reason I did it over the phone was that I was involved in a deal, and I made that more important than meeting with this associate.” Consequently, the associate left the firm and Tome realized it was because of her. She still regrets not having taken the time to meet with the person, “To this day I kick myself for that.” She added, “my mother instilled in me a deep moral compass, driven by faith in God as well as how important it is to give back …” Later she described how her perspective about work has changed to serve her deeper beliefs better. She still puts in the effort for business success but that is not the primary focus (“the master”) that she values most. She emphasized the point by reflecting on what her tombstone might read: “If it read, ‘She worked hard,’ that would mean I had failed. If it read, ‘She made a difference in my life,’ it would mean I had succeeded.”

The foundation for committing to a life that includes the pursuit of virtue, even in highly competitive environments, is probably strongest when established early. Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes has tried to do just that for the young men thatwho have played football for him at Maritime College. The Department of athletics statement of Vision, Mission, Purposes and Guiding Principles emphasizes a variety of higher level values (virtues) such as responsibility, integrity, respect, courtesy, loyalty, and trust. And under Kendrick-Holmes, the football team has gone so far as to put such virtues—respect, responsibility, and character—on the back of their alternate home jerseys in place of players’ names to remind team members of what they are playing for. The team has received significant recognition for its winning record and various accomplishments (including placing the most players of any team on the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Team in 2009 and achieving a perfect ten wins and no losses record in 2010). And Coach Kendrick-Holmes was recently named Coach of the Year for D3Football.com East Region, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1, and the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. Yet perhaps what stands out the most, is the coach’s and team’s emphasis on being good persons committed to virtue beyond just being competitive. It’s fascinating to think about what might happen if something similar occurred in the competitive world of business. Imagine, business executives taking a similar stand by putting values on their business cards (e.g., integrity, honesty, compassion) instead of impressive sounding titles, to remind themselves and others what they value most and are really working towards.

The lessons taught by Jesus challenge each of us to make a strong commitment to more virtuous values such as compassion, honesty, and integrity even when they, at least in the short run, contradict business values.⁴ For example, this might mean choosing to provide a compassionate demeanor and extra service to a customer with special needs even though the company norm is to handle such customer problems with an efficient cost-effective yet uncaring response. Or, it might call for fully supporting a legal or ethical standard, such as creating optimum safety in the manufacturing of a product or providing a service, even in the face of organizational pressure to accomplish work in an efficient, low-cost manner that compromises safety standards.

Leading according to a higher standard requires these kinds of difficult choices. It also demands careful attention to the kind of people we select and develop to surround us when we are in a position of leadership. It can be very tempting to select only people who agree with and support our ideas, and whose loyalty overshadows other values. Yet, in the complex, dynamic, global business environment leaders face today, it is of utmost importance to work with people who will hold us accountable and challenge us if we begin wandering into ethically murky areas. This points to a new kind of loyalty that supports leaders to be virtuous and not just successful in a traditional business sense. Jesus’ teachings about compassion and forgiveness in no way rule out the importance of accountability and, in fact, reinforce its importance. But this accountability extends to leaders as much or more than their followers and it calls for standards based on virtues such as compassion, integrity, wisdom, and courage to do the right thing, and not just measures of profitability and business success.

It is also important to emphasize that it is possible for success in business (in terms of profitability and overall financial return) and choosing virtuous actions, to complement each other … they do not have to be diametrically opposed. For example, Sir John Templeton, arguably one of the most successful investors in history, enjoyed spectacular financial success in business, punctuated by his founding of the extremely profitable Templeton Mutual Funds. Yet, throughout his business career, he believed that spiritual principles and values, not business ones, are the most important. He even relied on spirituality and prayer to guide his business decisions.

In fact, originally, Templeton wanted to be a missionary but realized that his talents were greater in business and that many others had more talent for missionary work. Consequently he decided that he could do more good by pursuing a business career that would enable him to generate the resources needed to support missionaries and other workers involved directly in spiritual pursuits. Templeton believed in the oneness of humankind and managed the Templeton funds with a focus beyond himself as a way of serving others, both his clients and the many spiritual workers that were providing service to the world. Today he has literally changed the world through the Templeton Foundation (which provides millions of dollars in funding for projects serving humankind across the globe) and the Templeton Prize, the largest philanthropic monetary award in existence.

His inspiring example raises the importance of means–end relationships—keeping clear what are our ends and what means are available to help us reach them. Business financial success can be a means for serving humankind. Consistent with Jesus’ teachings, Templeton did not serve two masters … God and wealth. Rather, he worked diligently and ethically in his business pursuits as a way of serving God and the people on the planet who he viewed as his brothers and sisters. Despite the difficult challenge seemingly posed by the tension between spiritual values and career success, people like Templeton introduce a new sense of hopefulness. Talents applied well with integrity, compassion and wisdom can provide a foundation for servant leadership if we can keep straight which “master” we are ultimately serving.