50 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
ior or inattentiveness to the task resulted in swift punishment, including
exile, torture, and death.
But the Bible is also full of examples of Theory Y management. The-
ory Y posits that people naturally want to achieve (if you can determine
and hook into their desired goals), and that leaders who exhibit kindness
and compassion will not necessarily be ridiculed and ignored the mo-
ment their backs are turned. They may even be admired and emulated,
particularly once the employees have tested the compassion and found
it to be sincere and lasting. Many modern leaders have been able to
permeate their workplaces with kindness and compassion without sacri-
ficing the achievement of business goals.
THEGOLDENRULE
Cynics believe that Jesus’ words, ‘‘Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you,’’ are an ideal that belongs only in an ‘‘ideal environ-
ment,’’ such as a Sunday School or monastery. They argue that the real
‘‘Golden Rules’’ of business are ‘‘Them that has the gold makes the
rules,’’ and ‘‘Do unto others before they can do unto you.’’
No one would pretend that combining compassion and results-
orientation is easy to achieve, particularly if short-term results are
paramount. But a number of modern business leaders have found that
without compassion and kindness to employees, customers, suppliers,
and even competitors, short-term results can’t be maintained into the
long-term. And perhaps more important, without kindness and personal
consideration the workplace becomes a mechanistic environment in
which employees (and managers) become dispirited. Performance lags,
many ‘‘retire on the job’’ or become bitter, and others go off in search
of a more ‘‘human’’ environment.
‘‘Clothe yourselves with compassion and kindness.’’ (The apostle
Paul, Col. 3:12)
‘‘Be kind to one another.’’ (Eph. 4:32)