i'm just sayin

This morning I found an interesting article on msnbc.com called “Winning at all costs is for losers.”

In it, Bruce Weinstein from Business Week Magazine makes the following observations about good business leadership as he reflects on the current economic crisis:

1. What's good for the gander is good for the goose- If your cutting back on the compensation of your employees, then be prepared to cut back on your own compensation.

2. Know your product- Don’t sell something you don’t really know about- like bundled loans that turned out to be “toxic” investments.

3. Winning at all costs is for losers- It is unethical to try to make profits at the expense of the greater good.

4. Tell the truth.

5. Prevent harm- Don’t do something you know will cause harm no matter how much profit you might get in the short run.

6. Don't exploit- It is unethical and immoral to sell something to someone that will ultimately harm them.

7. Don't make promises you can't keep.

8. Take responsibility for your mistakes.

9. People, not profits- “For the good leader, this means that the ultimate goal in business — and life — is not hoarding riches but making things better for all, especially the neediest.”

10. Be kind, not king- “Yes, good leaders are enthusiastically devoted to accomplishing their mission, but this pursuit cannot be at the expense of the well being of others.”

What I found interesting about this article, coming from a secular website reprinted from a secular business magazine, is how closely these particular principles were related to the teaching of Christ on the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Look closely, and you will find the teaching of the Ten Commandments as well.

Listed below are just a few of the parallels between the teaching of Christ and what Weinstein sees as important leadership principles:


1. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (5:5)

2. Let your light shine before men that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (5:16)

3. You cannot serve both God and money (6;24)

4. Enter through the narrow gate, for broad is the way that leads to destruction. (7:13)

5. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. (6:19)

6. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (5:41)

7. Simply let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”; anything beyond this comes from the Evil One. (5:33)

8. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (5:23-24)

9. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. (5:12)

10. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (7:19)

All of this has made me think- could there be a parallel between our current economic crisis and the loss of a biblical worldview in American culture?

Of course it is certainly true that all of the issues we deal with in our lives have some kind of derivative from our fallen nature.

It is something to think about for sure.

After all, if you buy into the secular humanist Western Enlightenment concepts of atheism, existentialism and relativism, from where do you get your moral bearings and final moral authority when making business or employment decisions? Why not exploit the weak and look out for number one and go for the short term gain no matter what the long term cost?

I’m not saying that Christians are not susceptible to the same greed and immorality that many have fallen prey to and that has brought about our current economic crisis, I’m just making the point that a good healthy understanding of biblical content and Christian principles is somewhat indirectly being promoted here by a secular business writer as something that is desperately needed in strong leadership to get us through the perilous economic time we are in.

Maybe the Sermon on the Mount should be taught in business schools.

Maybe the Ten Commandments should be posted on the walls of corporate offices.

I’m just sayin…