April 7, 2008

Is there not an inherent contradiction in the idea of being both a leader and a follower?  How can you possibly be in charge, responsible for other people, held accountable for hitting company numbers, and fill the traditional role of "leader" in business today if you are acting like a follower?  The answer is surprisingly simple, but please read on.

Leaders today are complicated people.  The character traits that help some leaders be successful are also the very traits that can limit their growth.  The complex mix of ego, intelligence, pride, experience, education and training in leaders often blind them to the reality that, despite all of their efforts, they will never be successful as business professionals or human beings until they learn to put Jesus Christ first in their lives.  As Christians, we all share a common bond and belief in Christ and desire to follow him.  As business people, do we also acknowledge His kingship? 

We often feel compelled by the pressures of modern society to put our faith on the back burner while at work.  In essence, we have been influenced for most of our professional careers to think about God and our faith only during the evenings and weekends, thus ignoring Him during the time where we spend most of our adult lives! 

C.S. Lewis, in his seminal work Mere Christianity, wrote that the greatest sin is pride.  Our belief that we control our own destiny or deserve the credit for our successes is a manifestation of pride.  The only way to counter this sin is with the virtue of humility.  If we acknowledge the kingship of Christ and humbly follow Him, we can truly be leaders in the secular and spiritual sense.  Christian leaders should diligently practice putting Him first in all things, pray that He will guide us to do His will, dedicate our day to Him each morning and give Him thanks and praise for each day.  We must also make certain that our core values and our company's core values are in alignment.  By demonstrating our values in good times and bad, public settings and private moments, our consistency will set a good example for others to follow.    

Being a follower of Christ and a business leader during the business day may seem daunting.  This marriage of our faith and business will require courage, perseverance and conviction.  Making decisions based on ethical principles, pushing those decisions through the moral and spiritual filter of "what would Jesus do?", being unafraid to talk to our employees and clients about our faith when appropriate and always striving to set a good example are some of the simple behaviors we can employ every day to demonstrate that we are leaders and followers of Christ.  I will also argue strongly that being a Christian business leader only enhances our abilities and likelihood of success — it in no way detracts from it.  Consider Romans 12:11, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."  If we follow St. Paul's advice in this scripture, then we must be the same Christians during the work day that we are on Sunday. 

As a recent convert to the Catholic Church, I want to share with you that I spent most of my business career making decisions and leading employees from a very intellectual perspective.  I usually led with my head and rarely with my heart.  I always tried to do the right thing (I had wonderful parents who set a good example), but I had stopped going to church as a teenager and until almost 2 years ago had not really put Christ first in my life and certainly never in my business.  I experienced business and personal success, but I was spiritually empty until I understood that Christ must come first.  I will also tell you that this is still a daily struggle for me.

The combination of faith, family and work is a wonderful and stable foundation on which to build our lives.  As I consider the impact of my new faith and how I have grown as a Christian, I see examples every day of Christ's impact and leadership in my life and the responsibility I have to be a principled leader and a grateful follower of our Lord.