Page 181 - The Bible On Leadership

Courage 167

to commit to genetic engineering. Regardless of whether you agree
with Nestle’s stance on this controversial topic, they have embraced
that stance with great courage. And they have not blindly ignored op-
posing points of view; they have listened, but in the end have not been
moved.
Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe observes, ‘‘In this world, there
are followers and leaders. Leaders have courage—they can stand up
against the barrage of public opinion that comes at them and say, ‘I have
thought about this subject, and I have come to the conclusion that this
is the best decision. We are not going to capitulate.’ ’’ Whereas other
large companies reversed their initial support of genetic engineering,
Nestle did not reverse itself or apologize. They asked well-known pro-
fessors to write their opinions on genetic engineering. Then they re-
viewed and discussed the information. As Brabeck-Letmathe writes:
‘‘We are a global company with global responsibilities. We have to
think about the millions in the world who are hungry . . . For these
reasons, we took a stand. We will pursue this technology. The reaction
from the press and the public has not been happy—but that is why you
need nerves of steel in business today. Otherwise, you will never stay
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the course.’’ Brabeck-Letmathe’s strong resolve is reminiscent of the
early Christians, who sustained themselves with messages reminding all
to be courageous: ‘‘Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let noth-
ing move you.’’ (Paul in 1 Cor. 15:58)
On the opposite side of the corporate and political spectrum, con-
sider the courage of Ben & Jerry’s. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield,
the two eccentric founders, had an appropriately eccentric plan to make
a public stock offering to the residents of Vermont, where the average
income is considerably lower than in New York and where the average
citizen does not consider himself much of a ‘‘venture capitalist.’’ But
Ben & Jerry’s wanted a stock offering that was accessible to the average
person, even in a relatively low-income state.
In most stock offerings, the minimum purchase is $2,000. Ben &
Jerry’s proposed a minimum purchase of $126! Every stockbroker and
adviser they consulted said this venture would fail. They told Ben &
Jerry’s that you can’t raise almost a million dollars in hundred-dollar