CHAPTER 7
Mobilizing Money
If a person gets his attitude toward money
straight, it will help straighten out almost
any other area of his life.
BILLY GRAHAMSaid his younger brother Melvin, of Billy Graham, “I’ve never
seen a man in my life that cares as little about money as Billy
Frank does.”
True? Yes, in that Billy has given away millions of dollars of
royalties and said no to countless offers to enrich himself. Yet in
many ways, he also cares a lot about money. He recognizes that
leaders can fall hard over it, that it can seduce or blind or entrap.
On the other hand, he knows money has remarkable power to
accomplish great ends.
If asked about Billy Graham and money, most of us would
assume his high-capacity business advisers handle all that for him,
and, to a large degree, that’s the case. Yet as CEO, and as the man
who has to answer questions from the press, and from his own
conscience, he knows he carries the ultimate responsibility.
Graeme Keith, BGEA treasurer and Billy’s longtime financial
counselor, says Billy was the first to admit business was not his
strong suit. Yet as chairman of the audit committee, Graeme
understood his concern for the very highest financial accountabil-
ity. “We all felt his charge,” he said, “and it made you want to work
for him. After Billy gives you a responsibility, you feel that sense
of trust he has in you. Integrity is critical. He sets the expectations.”