Page 45 - The Bible On Leadership

32 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP

well of power and purpose because he had been handed the law by a
powerful figure. Wise corporate leaders also realize that they must cod-
ify their purpose if it is to go beyond the mere cult of personality and
become a sustaining vision for the entire organization.
Listen to Emily Duncan, director of global diversity and work life, as
she describes the power of a common purpose at Hewlett-Packard:
‘‘We have been fortunate at Hewlett-Packard, because we have had the
strength of the HP way to help us cope . . . It represents our deeply
held values, shared practices, and policies that have always guided the
company.’’ Those values? ‘‘Trust and respect for the individual, high
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achievement, uncompromising integrity, teamwork . . .’’ Note that the
loyalty is to the values and the overall purpose, not to the company
founders themselves.

PURPOSE MEANS COMMITMENT TO THE
RIGHT PRIORITIES

‘‘What good is it if a man gains the world but forfeits his soul?’’ This
quote from Matthew reminds us that for many leaders and companies,
the ultimate success is not just in ‘‘the numbers’’ or even the spread of
a radical new product or concept. Anita Roddick, CEO of The Body
Shop, felt that a purpose of being merely ‘‘the biggest or the most
profitable’’ would not sustain her company or inspire the employees to
reach the ambitious goals the company has attained.
Says Roddick, ‘‘If your aspirations come from the values of your
culture or church or temple or mosque, you have something beyond
your livelihood creation. You’re coming to work not as a nine-to-five
sort of death but a nine-to-five sort of living.’’ (Actually, it’s about as
hard to imagine Roddick’s troops sticking to a nine-to-five schedule as
it is to imagine the troops at Jericho announcing that they were not
about to blow any rams’ horns, thank you, because they had already
marched around the city several times, they were tired, and it was quit-
ting time.)