62 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
FORGIVENESS
We all know how hard it is to forgive others who we feel have wronged
us, and how good it feels to finally forgive. Joseph’s brothers sold him
into Egyptian slavery and were unaware that he was to become a pow-
erful adviser to the Pharaoh. Joseph could easily have exacted revenge
when his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain when their land was
afflicted with famine. Instead, Joseph had compassion for his brothers,
forgiving them and inviting them to live with him as honored guests in
Egypt.
David had mercy on Saul, and was rewarded with a kingship. Paul
exhorted the early Christians to ‘‘clothe yourself with compassion and
kindness. Bear with each other and forgive grievances.’’ (Col. 3:12)
What would you do if you were Esau and you and your 400 men came
upon the brother, Jacob, who had stolen your birthright and effectively
cut you out of your father’s will? Would you run him through with
your spear, or forgive him? ‘‘But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced
him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they
wept.’’ (Gen. 33:4)
You might be forgiven yourself if you responded cynically to such
melodrama: ‘‘This stuff might happen in the Bible, but certainly not in
the hard-nosed modern world of business.’’ But think again. Forgive-
ness and compassion are powerful, boundless forces, and they belong in
the world of business as much as they do in familial relationships,
whether biblical or modern. They can even be found in such ‘‘cut-
throat’’ businesses as advertising.
At the Leo Burnett agency, staffer Jerry Reitman recounted an inci-
dent in which he lost an argument with the production chief, Al Lira.
‘‘And I didn’t lose gracefully. Al sensed it. Finally one day as we were
walking toward each other from opposite ends of the hall, he grabbed
me in a bear hug, kissed me on the cheek, and walked away. I learned
a little humanity from him that day.’’^16 Jacob and Esau couldn’t have
had a more poignant reconciliation.
‘‘Love your enemies, do good to them... your reward will be
great.’’ (Luke 6:35) That command could apply to individuals like Reit-