How Mormons Have Shaped Modern Management - Greg McKeown ...

In the final question of the second presidential debate, Romney chose to focus on his Mormon faith. He said, "My passion probably flows from the fact that I believe in God. And I believe we're all children of the same God. I believe we have a responsibility to care for one another. I ? I served as a missionary for my church. I served as a pastor in my congregation for about 10 years. I've sat across the table from people who were out of work and worked with them to try and find new work or to help them through tough times." (Read the full transcript here).

I'm also a Mormon, and the statement struck me because, when given a final opportunity to paint a clear picture of himself for the American people, Romney chose to focus on his faith above all else. It's significant, because it shows how much Romney believes his faith has shaped him as a person, as a business leader, and as a potential president. And he's not alone in this. Mormonism has shaped many influential business leaders and thinkers of our time. In fact, one of my clients recently asked me, not at all unkindly, "What drives so many Mormons to be management thought-leaders?" She took me by surprise when she listed quite a number off the top of her head. Certainly, it is interesting to note how many Mormons have played an active role in shaping modern management theory. As one data point, while something in the range of 1.9% of the U.S. population are Mormons, 6% of this year's Thinkers 50 are. Consider the following examples:

The #1 Management Thinker on the Thinkers 50 list is Clay Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Innovator's Dilemma, which introduced the idea of disruptive innovation. Just one testament to the impact of this book is that it deeply influenced Steve Jobs' thinking as he built Apple, according to Walter Isaacson in Steve Jobs' biography.

The #1 Management International Thinker in HR six years running, according to HR Magazine, is Dave Ulrich (#17 Management Thinker on the Thinkers 50 list). He has written more than 200 articles and book chapters and more than 25 books on creating value in the HR function and leadership. Most recently, he coauthored a book with his wife, Wendy, a psychologist and serious thought leader in her own right, called The Why of Work. Interestingly, Ulrich wrote a piece for The Washington Post called, Why Mitt Romney Shouldn't Hide His Mormon Leadership.

The #1 Bestselling Management Book was written by Stephen Covey (#47 Management Thinker on the Thinkers 50 list), author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, who passed away earlier this year. He sold 20 million books and taught more than 50 heads of state. As just one example of his influence and reach, Bill Clinton once called him and asked him to come to Camp David to share how he could incorporate the principles from the Seven Habits into his presidency.

The list of significant Mormon thought leaders goes well beyond this. It includes, but is not limited to, Kim Clark, former Dean of the Harvard Business School, Kerry Patterson, author of Crucial Conversations, Liz Wiseman, with whom I coauthored Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter and John Zenger, author of The Extraordinary Leader.

Through my work as a management researcher and writer, I have worked with, met or corresponded with each of these thought leaders. While I do not speak for them, below I share a few practices and principles of the LDS Church that might explain something of their interest in understanding human dynamics and how to improve the way people work with each other. For many, it may also provide a glimpse into the faith that Romney spoke of in last night's debate.

First, the practice of a lay ministry. Unlike many other Christian denominations, the LDS Church has no paid clergy. Practically, what this means is that every member of a congregation takes a turn at teaching classes and giving sermons on Sunday. This is to say nothing of the two-year voluntary missionary service, where young people often find themselves teaching people many years their senior. Stephen Covey told me that after he had been on his mission for just over four months, he was asked by the president of the organization to travel around England and train local leaders. He was shocked to be asked to train leaders in their fifties and sixties. But he felt encouraged and supported, and by the time he returned home, he had begun to detect the work to which he wanted to devote his life. In a particularly interesting piece for The Washington Post, Clay Christensen wrote about how impacted he was years ago watching Covey's ability and courage to teach others after his mission.

Second, a mandate to search for and teach truth of all kinds. A fundamental tenet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that we accept that all truth is truth. It, "embraces all truth that is revealed and that is unrevealed, whether religious, political, scientific, or philosophical." (Brigham Young, JD, 9: 149). One of the books of scripture called the Doctrine & Covenants teaches that the "glory of God is intelligence" and also that "if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience . . . he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." Beyond this we are encouraged to, "teach ye diligently...that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory." In other words, by teaching, we will be taught. Stephen R. Covey once told me that I should not write a book until I had taught the ideas 50 times first. Kerry Patterson said the same thing to me. And others not on the list have emphasized it as well.

Third, a faith founded on asking questions. The founder of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith, seemed from his youth to be constantly asking questions. In his own account, he said that in the midst of what he called a "tumult of opinions" of his day, he often asked, "What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" These weren't fleeting questions, but deep questions. He described the experience as, "laboring under the extreme difficulties." It was then that he read a verse in the Bible: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...and it shall be given." He concluded that he "must either remain in darkness and confusion, or ask." From our point of view, the founding of the modern church came in the form of a question which itself led to a commandment to ask more questions.

As one small anecdote, I recently met a senior editor at Harvard Business Review who worked with Clay Christensen for many years. She immediately said, "The thing that is different about Clay is that he is so humble in asking questions from everyone he meets." It has been true of my own interactions with him. Indeed, in every interaction he has emphasized the importance of asking the right questions. He sees his faith as being foundational to his perpetual pursuit of questions relating to fields as diverse as technology, health care and education.

Fourth, a focus on developing leaders. There is a practical, scriptural injunction to be leaders and to "organize every needful thing." While many professionals receive their first real leadership training as an employee or manager of a corporation, Mormons are taught principles of leadership from their youth. One of the reasons for this is that leadership responsibilities begin in earnest at the age of 12. As just one example, not only do 12-year-old "Deacons" prepare and pass the equivalent of communion every Sunday, but a "Deacon's President" will be selected to serve and lead the other boys his age. The young women, similarly, serve as presidents from the same age. I recall a full leadership weekend for these youth leaders and countless classes over the years where the subject would be characteristics of leaders, and would include a review of effective approaches to leadership, eventually holding up the "impossible" standard of Jesus Christ's perfect leadership for us to emulate.

For the record, I am staunchly independent. This may be, in part, due to being British and growing up without ties to either the Republican or Democratic parties. Besides, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself is strictly politically neutral and does not endorse political candidates. [Watch this terrific White Board Animation that describes the church's position]. So I am not making a political point here, but a personal one. Perhaps the best way to state my personal motivation in my own career and life is that I don't teach and write about my faith, I teach and write because of my faith. I am not alone. And I suspect that Romney may feel similarly motivated.

As I listened to Romney's comment about his faith last night, it didn't change how I plan to vote in this election. But it made me very glad that he chose to focus on his faith. Many of the Mormon management thought leaders I know, some mentioned above, derive a similar deep passion from their faith. It's a big part of what drives them as business leaders, and as human beings. And for them, I am sure, and certainly for me, that is the least political thing in the world.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/how_mormons_have_shaped_modern.html

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