The Mormon Way: Lessons in Work-Life Balance
Stephen Tapley, WG'07
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: News
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In an effort of full-disclosure, the author of this article is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and member of the Latter-day Saints Student Association.
With the United States presidential campaign already in full swing, people are becoming familiar with the candidates. One candidate in particular, Mitt Romney, is notable not only for being the former governor of Massachusetts, but because of his religious affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the church are often referred to as Mormons. While most people associate Mormons with Salt Lake City, Utah or Brigham Young University, it may surprise many that a number of CEOs and business leaders in the United States are also Mormon. In fact, it is likely that some Wharton MBAs will be working for one of these men.
To become better acquainted with these CEOs and the lessons learned from writing the book, the Latter-day Saint Student Association (LDSSA) hosted Mr. Jeff Benedict, author of "The Mormon Way of Doing Business - Leadership and Success Through Faith and Family" and Rod Hawes, founder and former CEO of Life Re Corporation. Mr. Benedict, a Mormon himself, explained to students the events leading up to and the lessons learned from interviewing and profiling these Mormon businessmen. Those profiled in his work include: "David Neeleman, founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways; Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell; Jim Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA; Dave Checketts, former CEO of Madison Square Garden Corporation; Gary Crittenden, CFO at American Express; Rod Hawes, founder and former CEO of Life RE Corporation, the world's largest independent life reinsurance company; Kim Clark, former dean of the Harvard Business School; and Clayton Christensen, a leading Harvard Business School professor."
Mr. Benedict began his presentation sharing three experiences from when he wrote his first major book, Pros and Cons. These experiences defined him as a person and established his credentials for being able to write such a book. As a young law student, he was offered the project to write about the criminal records of professional athletes. In the course of his work, he often quoted court transcripts in which athletes often used the infamous F-word. Rather than write the word out, he wrote F---, which raised the ire of his copyeditor who insisted on writing the word out. Instead of backing down from his principal of not using the word, even when quoting, he appealed to the publisher who eventually respected Mr. Benedict's decision. The second experience involved an excerpt of his book which was to be published in Playboy magazine. Because of his position within the church and its stance against pornography, Jeff was adamantly opposed to the arrangement and expressed his concern to his publisher. However, it was out of his hands as the contract was between Playboy and the publisher. After saying a short prayer and by divine providence, however, Jeff was informed a few weeks later that the deal had fallen through. Lastly, Jeff explained that when promoting Pros and Cons he established with his publisher that he would work tirelessly between Monday and Saturday, but Sunday was reserved for family.
These experiences were shared not to be holier-than-thou with students but to demonstrate the importance he placed on maintaining his standards. Jeff has little doubt that had he not established this pattern early on that the whole idea of the book, which was not directly his but that of his editor, would never have happened. In addition, had he compromised his beliefs his credibility with the Mormon CEOs would have been minimized.
Jeff's personal experience is not much different from those of the CEOs whom he interviewed. The purpose of the book was to find out what made these men tick. Were they really devout Mormons? Were they really faithful to their wives? Did they really pay 10 percent of their earnings to the LDS church? What other things made them unique and different? The result is a book full of insights and wisdom on balancing work, family, and faith. "It is not a religious book," said Benedict, "it is about lifestyle." Benedict's personal takeaway from his interviews revealed that he found that the CEOs were very conscious of their need to live up to the Mormon standards, to not detract through their personal conduct from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Perhaps the most important takeaway for Benedict, however, was the influence and importance the wives of each of these men had. Every Mormon CEO profiled is married, has a family, and has never been divorced. "These guys are a shell of who they are without their wives," noted Benedict. "These are smart, educated women who decided to stay at home to take care [of] and raise their children. This sacrifice is a direct result of what makes each of these men great CEOs."
Mr. Rod Hawes, former CEO of Life Re also spoke to students about his experiences buying and then growing a small company and transforming it into the world's largest independent life reinsurance company. His comments focused primarily on identifying what is most important in one's life. For Mr. Hawes, that is people and family. Rod indicated that there are no unimportant people in any organization. This insight came to him as he enjoyed the orchestra with his wife a number of year's ago and watched and worried about a young lad whose job it was to turn the pages of the sheet music of the world-class pianist. He applied this same philosophy in his business. When Rod and his staff took the insurance company public, he gave shares to everyone in the company - from the executives to the people in the mailroom. A number of years later, the company was sold to the Swiss through which all of the owners benefited handsomely.
Rod also reminded students how precious life is. A number of years ago, Rod received a phone call from friends in Utah. The moment was somber when Rod was informed that a dear friend's wife was terminally ill with cancer and [he] was asked if he would speak at the funeral. A few months later, Rod received the dreaded phone call and was on the next flight west. While there, he received another phone [call]. His chief executive of Life Re, who commuted weekly from Virginia to Connecticut via a small personal aircraft, did not arrive at the local airport. After a number of phone calls, Rod discovered that his friend and chief executive was in a crash near the airport and did not survive. In an instant, Rod lost two very close friends. "It is important to realize how fragile life is, all you take with you is who you are," Mr. Hawes summarized, "All that matters is your family."
Students asked various questions of the two speakers including how do Mr. Benedict and Mr. Hawes separate work from play and where do they find time for themselves. Jeff responded by saying, "I have to decide what I am and am not going to do. For me, work is the time for myself. When I'm done working, my time is no longer mine, it is my family's." Rod continued, "You need to find time for yourself, to be alone, and think." Similar comments are found in the pages of The Mormon Way of Doing Business.
The stories and experiences shared by Mr. Benedict and Mr. Hawes, along with those contained in The Mormon Way of Doing Business are a reminder that success in business may be achieved without sacrificing faith or family.
With the United States presidential campaign already in full swing, people are becoming familiar with the candidates. One candidate in particular, Mitt Romney, is notable not only for being the former governor of Massachusetts, but because of his religious affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the church are often referred to as Mormons. While most people associate Mormons with Salt Lake City, Utah or Brigham Young University, it may surprise many that a number of CEOs and business leaders in the United States are also Mormon. In fact, it is likely that some Wharton MBAs will be working for one of these men.
To become better acquainted with these CEOs and the lessons learned from writing the book, the Latter-day Saint Student Association (LDSSA) hosted Mr. Jeff Benedict, author of "The Mormon Way of Doing Business - Leadership and Success Through Faith and Family" and Rod Hawes, founder and former CEO of Life Re Corporation. Mr. Benedict, a Mormon himself, explained to students the events leading up to and the lessons learned from interviewing and profiling these Mormon businessmen. Those profiled in his work include: "David Neeleman, founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways; Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell; Jim Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA; Dave Checketts, former CEO of Madison Square Garden Corporation; Gary Crittenden, CFO at American Express; Rod Hawes, founder and former CEO of Life RE Corporation, the world's largest independent life reinsurance company; Kim Clark, former dean of the Harvard Business School; and Clayton Christensen, a leading Harvard Business School professor."
Mr. Benedict began his presentation sharing three experiences from when he wrote his first major book, Pros and Cons. These experiences defined him as a person and established his credentials for being able to write such a book. As a young law student, he was offered the project to write about the criminal records of professional athletes. In the course of his work, he often quoted court transcripts in which athletes often used the infamous F-word. Rather than write the word out, he wrote F---, which raised the ire of his copyeditor who insisted on writing the word out. Instead of backing down from his principal of not using the word, even when quoting, he appealed to the publisher who eventually respected Mr. Benedict's decision. The second experience involved an excerpt of his book which was to be published in Playboy magazine. Because of his position within the church and its stance against pornography, Jeff was adamantly opposed to the arrangement and expressed his concern to his publisher. However, it was out of his hands as the contract was between Playboy and the publisher. After saying a short prayer and by divine providence, however, Jeff was informed a few weeks later that the deal had fallen through. Lastly, Jeff explained that when promoting Pros and Cons he established with his publisher that he would work tirelessly between Monday and Saturday, but Sunday was reserved for family.
These experiences were shared not to be holier-than-thou with students but to demonstrate the importance he placed on maintaining his standards. Jeff has little doubt that had he not established this pattern early on that the whole idea of the book, which was not directly his but that of his editor, would never have happened. In addition, had he compromised his beliefs his credibility with the Mormon CEOs would have been minimized.
Jeff's personal experience is not much different from those of the CEOs whom he interviewed. The purpose of the book was to find out what made these men tick. Were they really devout Mormons? Were they really faithful to their wives? Did they really pay 10 percent of their earnings to the LDS church? What other things made them unique and different? The result is a book full of insights and wisdom on balancing work, family, and faith. "It is not a religious book," said Benedict, "it is about lifestyle." Benedict's personal takeaway from his interviews revealed that he found that the CEOs were very conscious of their need to live up to the Mormon standards, to not detract through their personal conduct from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Perhaps the most important takeaway for Benedict, however, was the influence and importance the wives of each of these men had. Every Mormon CEO profiled is married, has a family, and has never been divorced. "These guys are a shell of who they are without their wives," noted Benedict. "These are smart, educated women who decided to stay at home to take care [of] and raise their children. This sacrifice is a direct result of what makes each of these men great CEOs."
Mr. Rod Hawes, former CEO of Life Re also spoke to students about his experiences buying and then growing a small company and transforming it into the world's largest independent life reinsurance company. His comments focused primarily on identifying what is most important in one's life. For Mr. Hawes, that is people and family. Rod indicated that there are no unimportant people in any organization. This insight came to him as he enjoyed the orchestra with his wife a number of year's ago and watched and worried about a young lad whose job it was to turn the pages of the sheet music of the world-class pianist. He applied this same philosophy in his business. When Rod and his staff took the insurance company public, he gave shares to everyone in the company - from the executives to the people in the mailroom. A number of years later, the company was sold to the Swiss through which all of the owners benefited handsomely.
Rod also reminded students how precious life is. A number of years ago, Rod received a phone call from friends in Utah. The moment was somber when Rod was informed that a dear friend's wife was terminally ill with cancer and [he] was asked if he would speak at the funeral. A few months later, Rod received the dreaded phone call and was on the next flight west. While there, he received another phone [call]. His chief executive of Life Re, who commuted weekly from Virginia to Connecticut via a small personal aircraft, did not arrive at the local airport. After a number of phone calls, Rod discovered that his friend and chief executive was in a crash near the airport and did not survive. In an instant, Rod lost two very close friends. "It is important to realize how fragile life is, all you take with you is who you are," Mr. Hawes summarized, "All that matters is your family."
Students asked various questions of the two speakers including how do Mr. Benedict and Mr. Hawes separate work from play and where do they find time for themselves. Jeff responded by saying, "I have to decide what I am and am not going to do. For me, work is the time for myself. When I'm done working, my time is no longer mine, it is my family's." Rod continued, "You need to find time for yourself, to be alone, and think." Similar comments are found in the pages of The Mormon Way of Doing Business.
The stories and experiences shared by Mr. Benedict and Mr. Hawes, along with those contained in The Mormon Way of Doing Business are a reminder that success in business may be achieved without sacrificing faith or family.
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Chukwuemeka Mba
posted 4/11/07 @ 3:43 PM EST
This story brings to bear to questions:
(1)Can spirituality or religion play a role in a global and post-modern business world? (2)Can Business and Religion co-exist in harmony?
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