PREFACE
We
make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we
give. —Winston Churchill
Two events that took place during the writing of
this book have had a profound impact on our organizational and
personal lives. The first, of course, was the series of terrorist
attacks on September 11, 2001. Like most people who witnessed
the tragic events of that day from afar, I was initially overwhelmed
with the need to be with the people who are truly the most important
to us—in my case my wife and daughter. I was also overwhelmed
with a feeling of helplessness and insignificance. I felt called
upon to make a difference and help the victims and their families,
and I had no idea how to do so. The good that I was accomplishing
in my professional career seemed suddenly inadequate in the context
of September 11.
Although not nearly as catastrophic, the second
event that captured our collective attention during the writing
of this book was the Enron fiasco. We witnessed with disbelief
the destruction of some $70 billion in wealth that decimated
the retirement savings of thousands of Enron employees and punished
even more small investors. We were enraged and dismayed as congressional
hearings demonstrated proof of an intentional strategy by senior
management to misrepresent financial transactions for the purpose
of enriching themselves at the expense of those they were entrusted
to serve. We felt abandoned by two supposedly premier organizations,
Enron and Arthur Andersen, and wondered just whom we could ever
trust again. We later discovered that other supposedly premier
organizations—Adelphia, Dynergy, Global Crossing, Merrill
Lynch, Qwest, Tyco, and WorldCom, to name just a few—had
also engaged in greed-driven and unethical activity that enriched
those at the top at the expense of employees, customers, and
shareholders. Our willingness to trust in such organizations,
and the markets in which they operate, was further challenged.
So much destruction and deceit are bound to cause
society and individuals to engage in intensive self- and collective
examination and reflection. In the months that followed these
two events, two important elements of personal and organizational
life that had been buried during the economic boom of the 1990s
began to slowly resurface. First, many of us came to the realization
that we have for too long compartmentalized our lives into work,
home, and church, and have applied different standards to each.
We have come to see that values, ethics, spirituality—however
one chooses to describe them—cannot be checked at the office
door. The standards we live by at home, in church, and among
family and friends should be incorporated in the workplace. People
at all levels of an organization, from the boardroom to the factory
floor, are searching to connect their faith and values to their
professional lives in a way that brings both personal fulfillment
and organizational success.
Second, for-profit and nonprofit organizations
alike are reawakening to the age-old idea that values and organizational
success are in fact inseparable. In what Alan Greenspan describes
as "capitalized reputation," our society is in the
midst of creating a new trust-based economy where an organization's
value and success is inextricably linked to its reputation.
Numerous post-September 11 and post-Enron conversations
with those in the suites, as well as those in the cubicles, revealed
that people intuitively understand that values and long-term
success are inseparable. What is lacking, however, is a framework
or blueprint that provides guidance for taking our "whole
selves" to work. Christians, too, often lack the framework
and language that will help them put their faith-based principles
into practice in the workplace. Despite their good intentions,
a myriad of workplace pressures and daily obstacles prevent them
from achieving this goal.
Executive Values is a first step in educating
Christian organizational leaders on how to incorporate systematically
their values into their professional lives. If the golden rule, "Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you," had been
followed at the highest levels of Enron, Arthur Andersen, and
the myriad of other corporations that recently have come under
fire for questionable practices, we as a society may have avoided
the damaging aftereffects of scandals and congressional inquiries.
By following the golden rule at work as well as at home, we can
add value to our organization and those around us. We can bring
our "whole selves" to work and make a life instead
of merely making a living.
Kurt Senske
Austin, Texas
Spring 2003
INTRODUCTION:
Doing Well by Doing Good
There
is no reason you can't be one of the most successful organizations
in the world and one of the most altruistic.
There is no inconsistency between those goals. —Jim Collins
This book combines two aspects of organizational
leadership not often mentioned in the same breath: getting results,
and integrating Christian values within an organization. Leaders
of organizations recognize that results matter. Results, in fact,
are the sole reason any organization exists, whether in the public
or private sector, whether with nonprofit or for-profit status.
Yet it seems that modern business practice dictates that organization
leaders, in order to achieve profitable results, must keep their
professional lives and their lives as faithful Christians separate. Executive
Values serves as a road map for incorporating faith and values
into everyday organizational life. It demonstrates how doing
well and doing good are inextricably linked, and provides a comprehensive
strategy for utilizing Christian values to achieve organizational
goals.
Results are measured in various ways, depending
on the type of organization involved. In a school environment,
educational outcomes may be primary; while in a publicly traded
company, maximizing shareholder return is foremost. Complicating
this is the fact that many organizations have goals that seem
contradictory. For example, a hospital exists to provide excellent
care for the customer, but its leadership is also responsible
for maximizing shareholder return. The pressure created by having
multiple goals can lead to confused priorities and seem to force
a decision between altruism and financial reality. This in turn
makes it difficult for business leaders to consistently apply
Christ-centered values as they navigate the minefields of daily
organizational life. The "mines" are familiar: budgetary
pressures, shortsighted investors, unrealistic sales goals, difficult
employee issues, new competitors, and disloyal customers. This
book is for the organization leader who is a Christian and who
seeks to achieve an organization's stated goals while struggling
daily to live out the ideals formed through faith. It is my belief
that God does not ask us to have a successful career at the expense
of our faith. At work, at home, and at play, I believe that God
desires that we strive to pattern our lives after the life and
teachings of Christ. Further, I believe that incorporating Christian
faith-based values into our daily professional life gives us
a competitive advantage. Consistently doing so can have a significant
positive impact on your organization and on your personal life.
Executive Values is a "how-to" book
designed to help you succeed in your chosen profession without
compromising your faith and losing your soul in the process.
Jesus warns against seeking worldly recognition and power at
the expense of faith: "What good will it be for a man if
he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matt.
16:26).
Executive Values goes beyond theory to practical,
everyday advice and insight for implementing faith in effective
leadership. It demonstrates, among other things, how Christian
values provide a basis for attracting and retaining good employees;
creating a Christ-based, effective organizational culture; implementing
a successful vision and strategic plan; and successfully balancing
career and family life. It also proposes a framework for making
decisions in specific situations—like whether to lay off
five, fifty, or even five hundred employees in order to increase
shareholder value, or how to deal with an ineffective employee
whose spouse is ailing with cancer. Do I accept the job offer
from another company, and the $50,000 pay increase that comes
with it; or do I stay in my present position, where I have been
for less than a year? Where do I find the courage to make tough
decisions now, when the company is doing well, even though I
know that the picture will not be so rosy in the years ahead?
How do I choose between going on vacation with my family and
handling the emergency that came up at work? In the case of multibillion-dollar
companies, decisions made—and their repercussions—can
be extremely far-reaching. Leaders face such situations every
day. Nike's decision to offer region-specific market wages in
developing countries had ethical implications and marketplace
consequences. Exxon, in its offshore drilling operations, had
to decide what level of pollution was "acceptable" when
balanced against global environmental concerns. Firestone and
Ford were forced to grapple with the safety level of their products,
and with notifying the public about such concerns in a timely
manner. All of the leadership decisions related to these issues
had global implications.
The framework I propose in the following pages
has been developed over the past eighteen years and is drawn
from my experience as president and CEO of a $70 million-dollar
organization with over 1,200 employees; as an attorney with various
Chicago law firms; as a political consultant at the local, state,
and national levels; as a college administrator; and as a member
of the boards of a Fortune 300 company, a national, religious
nonprofit organization, and a national foundation. More importantly,
I have relied heavily on what other Christians have taught me
about leadership. These are individuals who, for decades, have
put their values into action. They are from all walks of life,
including small-business leaders, organizational consultants,
colleagues, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, heads of nonprofit
organizations, the football coach at a major university, and
a U.S. congressional leader. In addition, I have interviewed
leaders in both the public and private sectors, taking the "best
from the best."
The fundamental purpose of Executive Values is
to provide a blueprint for decision making that reflects Christian
values in the carrying out of day-to-day responsibilities both
at work and at home. The following chapters are divided along
the lines of function. I propose a theoretical framework for
Christian leadership and examine the experiences of successful
leaders. I also present real-life examples of the challenges
faced by leaders, along with potential solutions. The book also
provides practical guidelines for applying Christian values in
typical leadership situations such as implementing a strategic
planning process, creating a healthy organizational culture,
developing future leaders, holding people accountable, and balancing
work and family life.
The topic of this book is vital and relevant. It
is through our professional lives that we have the greatest opportunity
to make a difference in the world. During our lifetime, each
of us will spend from 80,000 to 100,000 of our most productive
hours at work, influencing the lives of thousands. And while
most of us are diligent about living out our Christian principles
at church, at home, and through our volunteer efforts, we are
not always as successful doing so at work. This is a book that
will help leaders apply the Christian values—nurtured by
family, colleagues, and church—to achieve their professional
dreams and to attain goals laid out for oneself and the organization.
In essence, it will demonstrate that you can, in fact, do well
by doing good. My hope is that Executive Values will be
of value to you, and an asset to the business community at large.
CHAPTER
THREE: Do the Right Thing
You
can build a throne with bayonets, but you can't sit on it for
long. —Boris Yeltsin
Following the Golden Rule of Leadership means
simply to put into practice the axiom that became the title and
theme of a Spike Lee movie, Do the Right Thing. This is not only
biblically mandated, it is also in the best interest of an organization.
This mandate, however, runs counter to the ever-growing economic
pressure to emphasize short-term success at the expense of ethical
behavior and long-term value. Organizations and their leaders
often feel they have no choice but to cut corners, sell a product
to someone who does not really need it, use cheaper materials,
get by with an insufficient number of employees, or use various
accounting tricks as part of a convoluted smoke-and-mirrors strategy.
Still, history has shown that doing the right thing
is the only strategy that will create true long-term value. Doing
the right thing requires, simply, acting with integrity. To act
with integrity, says Stephen Carter, we must first discern what
is right and what is wrong in a given situation. Next, we must
act on what we have discerned, even if there is a personal cost
involved. Finally, we must acknowledge openly that we are acting
on the basis of our understanding of what is right and what is
wrong.
Christ-based vision acts, on the other hand, can
have a positive impact on an organization, as the next two examples
demonstrate.
John Mackovic, head football coach for the University
of Arizona, earlier in his career had the top coaching position
at the University of Illinois. There he inherited a program whose
team had a reputation for occasionally playing "outside
the rules." Mackovic refused to accept or condone this organizational
culture. During his initial spring practice with the team, he
talked again and again about the importance of the integrity
of the game—how players and staff should conduct themselves
both on and off the field—and made it clear that he would
not tolerate disregard for the rules. Early in its first season,
the team had yet to be tested. During the second quarter in a
game against the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers were driving
the ball deep into Illinois territory. Twice, on consecutive
plays, an Illinois player committed a personal foul in an effort
to hurt an opposing player. Mackovic quickly called time out,
brought the entire team together, and told them in no uncertain
terms, "We, as a team and as individuals, are better than
this, and this is not who we are. We are a team of integrity,
and we need to respect ourselves before others will respect us." The
defensive unit went back out on the field and cleanly stopped
the Wisconsin offensive drive in its tracks, and Illinois eventually
won the game. Those associated with Illinois football credit
Mackovic's rallying speech as the vision act that led to the
creation of a culture that lifted up integrity as the cornerstone
of its athletic program.
At a recent President's Course offered by the American
Management Association, I met an individual who had been hired
a couple of years earlier as president of a plant that manufactured
large machinery. When he was hired, the plant was financially
on the ropes. Two months later he was asked to come down to the
assembly line to make a decision. The foreman told him that the
welding on a twenty-four-foot, $50,000 trailer was not properly
lined up. The foreman said they had two options: The first was
to re-weld and paint over the mistake so that the customer would
not notice; the second was to leave it, since it did not make
a real difference in the final outcome, and, again, hope it would
go unnoticed. The new president said there was a third option,
and asked for a blowtorch. He fired it up in front of all of
the employees and proceeded to cut the trailer in two. The astonished
foreman exclaimed, "Now what do we do?" The president
replied, "Throw this one on the trash heap and start over!"
The president told me he went back to his office
feeling very uneasy because he knew his company could not afford
the cost of the wasted materials and labor. Nonetheless, he performed
this vision act because he knew that, in the long run, the company
would succeed only if it made quality the number-one priority.
In the process of driving home his point, the president completely
destroyed $50,000 worth of merchandise. But this "cultural
story" has been passed down ever since to every new employee.
The president finished the story by saying that he has never
had another problem with quality at the plant. The lesson we
can draw from this is that it pays—professionally and personally—to
create our own vision acts and cultural stories. Not every situation
is quite that dramatic. The opportunity to create a vision act
might be as mundane as correcting a supplier's invoice that mistakenly
undercharges us. It is the consistency of our actions, however,
that is important. As stated in chapter 2, when it comes to servant
leadership, we cannot fake it. In creating a cultural story,
we must back the story up with our actions, and this requires
a consistent pattern of living and of interaction with fellow
employees. It requires sharing the credit whenever possible,
remembering that no task is beneath us, letting grudges and personality
differences go, not gloating when we are right, not gossiping,
and not being afraid to admit when we do not know the answer.
In other words, it means acting with integrity and following
the golden rule.
