36 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
drug affordably so that it is accessible to more suffering people. ‘‘Fortune
has consistently ranked Merck as one of the best companies to work for
and in their summary they said employees liked the fact that we are
working toward a higher purpose,’’ says Gilmartin. ‘‘So not only do we
talk about this stuff having a higher purpose, we base our actions on
it.’’^10
Another company with a strong sense of purpose is Medtronic.
Founder Earl Bakken, who is also described as ‘‘still the spiritual leader
or ‘soul’ of Medtronic’’ even after his retirement, first stated that the
company’s purpose was ‘‘to restore people to the fullness of health and
life.’’ Medtronic’s 9,000 employees are devoted to ‘‘full health, quality
products, personal worth of employees, fair profit and good citizen-
ship.’’ That’s a lot more ‘‘purpose’’ than just ‘‘making a profit’’ or man-
ufacturing pills. Says current CEO Bill George, ‘‘At Medtronic, we
don’t mix religion and business, but we certainly do not shy away from
the spiritual side of our work and the deeper meaning of our mission to
save lives.’’^11
PURPOSE:GALVANIZINGFORCE,
COMPETITIVEADVANTAGE
King David also had a purpose—to ascend to the throne of Israel and to
further his country’s political and cultural ascendancy. Ironically, David
began his political career as an outcast. He was driven away from the
palace by Israel’s first king, Saul, who, motivated by jealousy, vowed
not only to keep David from succeeding him but also to kill him if he
could ever catch up with him again.
David needed supporters and companions if he was ever to achieve
his purpose of ascending to the throne and forwarding the interests of
the nation. He was able to assemble a group of four hundred ‘‘mighty
men.’’ This was a ragtag crew, most of them outcasts who were low in
political power and influence, but they were high in purpose and desire.
And the person with the highest purpose and desire was David himself.