18 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the
right or the left. (Deut. 17:14–20)If only our modern business leaders paid more attention to these
guidelines! Moses realized what Lord Acton centuries later expressed so
succinctly, that ‘‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts abso-
lutely.’’ He recognized the intrinsic threat that too much power might
pose to a leader’s honesty and integrity. Moses’ warning addresses the
dangers of greed (too many horses or large amounts of silver and gold
can dull a leader’s ability to spot injustice in other places), lust (too
many wives or affairs can also hurt a leader’s judgment and credibility),
and arrogance (no leaders, corporate or political, are to hold themselves
above the law).
Even kings and CEOs (or perhaps especially kings and CEOs) need
written standards and guidelines to help remind them how to act ethi-
cally. When Solomon was about to succeed David on the throne of
Israel, David’s biggest priority and most fervent prayer was for his son
to continue his tradition of integrity: ‘‘I know, my God, that you test
the heart and are pleased with integrity... And give my son Solomon
the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and
decrees.. .’’ (1 Chron. 29:17–19)
A company with a well-developed system of ethics—which isactually
usedrather than merely stated—does not spend a lot of time deciding
the ethicality of each decision. In fact, a strong code like Johnson &
Johnson’s credo makes the decisions easier. An action either fits the
code or it doesn’t, and the stronger the code and the more often it has
been put into practice, the clearer the ethical path.
John Pepper, chairman of Procter & Gamble, believes that ‘‘ethical
business is good business.’’ Moreover, it tends to attract and retain ethi-
cal people.
There are any number of people in this company who came here—and
stay here—because of our ethical standards. When we move into places
like Eastern Europe and ask new employees why they sought us out, it’s
wonderful to hear them say, ‘‘Because of what you stand for.’’ I remember