Communication 97
work, making his message more accessible to potential converts and less
objectionable to his enemies than if he had communicated it directly:
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep... I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring
them in also. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock
and one shepherd. This command I received from my Father.This was a lot more palatable than his directly saying that he planned
to lead his Jewish followers away from traditional Judaism, would re-
cruit additional followers from the gentiles, would die on a cross in
pursuit of that effort, and that he was the son of God.
It might seem incongruous that the maverick leader of a women’s
cosmetics company would lean on biblical allegory to communicate her
mission to her vast female army of sales representatives, but Mary Kay
Ash was neither an ordinary leader nor a typical communicator. Speak-
ing at a sales convention, she roused the troops by pointing out that the
ancient Romans had conquered the world but had never been able to
totally conquer ‘‘the followers of the great teacher from Bethlehem.’’
The reason? The followers of Jesus met together weekly and shared
their difficulties with each other.
‘‘Does this remind you of something?’’ asked Ash. ‘‘The way we stand
side by side and share our knowledge and difficulties with each other in
our weekly unit meetings?’’^12 With a simple, stirring comparison, Ash
challenges her followers to duplicate the heroics of the biblical heroes and
heroines, compares them to people who have overcome great odds to
attain success, and inspires them to attain their own heroic mission.
Compare that type of communication with the brief memo or e-mail
that might emanate from the leaders of a less inspired company (my
apologies if this too closely resembles the communications at your com-
pany):
❖Weekly unit meetings are mandatory for all staff.
❖Please bring all sales reports and spreadsheets.
❖The agenda is attached; please submit your discussion items at
least three days in advance of the meeting.