The Uniqueness of the ELO Peer Advisory Groups for Christian Business Leaders

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Leaders typically fall from on high due to bad judgement rooted in character flaws. Jumping the vaccine que. Treating corporate money as their own. Misusing their influence. Hubris concealed but then revealed. They rarely fall because they didn’t have the IQ or the experience. Have you ever heard of a leader falling from the pinnacle because they weren’t smart enough? So, why isn’t the issue of character typically addressed?

Because it opens an array of issues that can’t be solved in our current cultural milieu. Why? Character development means that there is some consensus as to the basis of “good” character or a reference point, an absolute.

In a secular context, what is the foundation of values? How to approach ethical issues in a business context? There is no uniform approach. A reference to an absolute is intolerable We are left with an array of options from expediency to utilitarianism.  

The ELO Peer Advisory Groups incorporate character development at the core of their offering. Generally, the subject is not discussed, as it is a source of division within our current cultural context. People soon find out, in particular, to suppress any discussion that would be connected to organized religion or systematic belief systems, premised on “the” truth, rather than simply being a person’s individual truth.

Yet values are a critical component of leadership. The formation of character is at the foundation of leadership. A minority of high-profile business leaders occasionally reference the importance of character development. One example is Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who oversees more than 250,000 employees globally.

Dimon stated in a CNBC Interview last year that the most successful leaders have certain key traits.

“[H]umility, openness, fairness [and] being authentic” are most important – “not [being] the smartest person in the room or the hardest working person in the room,”

“Management is: Get it done, follow-up, discipline, planning, analysis, facts, facts, facts. It’s [getting] the right people in the room, kill the bureaucracy, all of these various things,” Dimon stated in the interview. “But the real keys to leadership aren’t just doing that.” It’s about having “respect for people,” not about having “charisma” or “brain power,” he said.

Having these traits also increases your productivity, along with your success, Dimon said. Interestingly, he quotes “the Golden Rule” without acknowledging the source: “treat people the way you want to be treated. Have respect for people.”

The source of the Golden Rule is a Nazarene carpenter. As recorded in Matthew 7:12 Jesus says: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus’ statement is within the context of the so-called “Sermon on the Mount,” where he focuses on the values for his followers. It’s a rule or commandment, not a suggestion.

One Christian business leader has unabashedly incorporated the Golden Rule into the values of his company. A few years back I posted a blog titled, “The Golden Rule @ Martinrea.” Rob Wildeboer, Executive Chairman and Co-founder, explained that “One of our ten principles of doing business at Martinrea is ‘the Golden Rule.’ But notwithstanding the fact that this is a Christian principle, it is universal. Is it not a wonderful way to succeed in business? So, for me, this is the key principle of my approach to work, and to public service.”

In short, values are at the core of leadership and the ELO Peer Advisory Groups address this. An approach that does not incorporate character development head on, will teach you to be smarter, as Dimon notes, but it won’t develop your character. Ultimately, character is what makes the person, and thus the leader. That’s why we launched the ELO Peer Advisory Group Network for Christian business leaders.

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