Review: A book of corporate prayer

"God Is My CEO"
By Larry Julian
Adams Media Corporation, 253 pages, June

By Porter Anderson
CNN Career

(CNN) -- As if hearing the roar of the World War II plane author Robert Lee Scott recalled in "God Is My Co-Pilot," business consultant Larry Julian comes to the market with a corporate response: "God Is My CEO."

This is an open and ardent framing of business-world issues in the tenets of a major faith, Christianity. "To my Lord, Jesus Christ," reads Julian's dedication. "Thank you for the privilege of it all."

And there's little room for doubt about Julian's sincere commitment to his mission here. "A ship that turns its direction by one degree," he writes in his introductory pages, "will alter its course by hundreds of miles. In the same way, your trust in God will have a significant impact on the direction you're headed. The more you trust, the more freedom you will gain from the shackles of the urgent, bottom-line pressures that enslave you. The more freedom you have, the more significant a leader you become."

Among leaders Julian talked to for this book is Horst Schulze, CEO of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. "When making decisions," Schulze tells Julian, "I ask myself: Is it good for all concerned -- God, the organization, the employees, the customers, and vendors? If yes, then drive it forward relentlessly."

And he talks with S. Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-A, who says, "I have always wanted to influence the people in our organization, not by pressing anything on them, but by my attitude, my lifestyle."

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For all the gracious, telling comments of these and other business leaders Julian includes in his book, though, it's in various charts and tables that he offers a more immediate explanation of what his subtitle calls "following God's principles in a bottom-line world."

For example, where an unwritten business rule, Julian writes, is "achieve results," God's principles dictate that one "serve a purpose." Where business rules say "leadership is being first," Julian writes, God's principles say "leadership is being last."

Another table says the differences in worldly and godly leadership is that pressure weakens worldly leaders -- and strengthens godly ones. Worldly leaders' characters weaken over time, Julian writes. Their godly counterparts' characters strengthen over time. Worldly leaders, Julian asserts, "produce nothing other than bottom-line results -- while godly leaders, he writes, "produce a legacy in addition to bottom-line results."

Julian also employs a rather elegant structure to his book. Each chapter is set up on a theme, with an "issue" and a "solution," followed by a couple of CEOs' supportive comments.

•   Chapter 3's main them is courage. Its issue is "How do I do the right thing when I'm pressured to do otherwise?" Its solution is "Walk with God in courage." And then follows a look at former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie in an essay called "Having the Courage To Walk Away," and a piece on Carlson Companies' Marilyn Carlson Nelson titled "Having the Courage To Overcome Tragedy."

•   Chapter 8's over-arching theme is "servant leadership." Its issue is stated as "How do I attract, retain and motivate good employees?" Its solution is termed "Serve employees so they can serve others." From Jim Bergeson, chairman and CEO of Colle & McVoy Inc., we read about "Bringing Out the Best in People." And by the Ritz Carlton's Schulze, we're encouraged to develop "An Uncompromising Respect for People."

•   Chapter 10's theme is priorities. "How do I deal with burnout in the workplace?" is its issue. "Keep the important things important" is its solution. Chick-fil-A's Cathy talks of "Keeping the Important Things Important." And Rollerblade's former chairman and co-owner Robert O. Naegele Jr. talks of "Appreciating What's Important."

Certainly there are concepts here to warm the hearts of many careerists, churched or otherwise. "Encourage employees to be committed to their families and to prioritize family over work," is a doctrine endorsed by the R.W. Beckett Corporation's John D. Beckett.

When Julian looks at the work of Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks, he finds a "sense of significance." This, he writes, is a matter of being driven not by ego but by a calling.

Larry Julian: "There are times when critical business decisions have no correct answer and can only be made with a leap of faith by the leader alone"

Discussion guides are included in the book as chances to use chapters' various focal issues as mirrors for the reader's self-examination. And there are scriptural references from the Bible, such thoughtful verses as this from Proverbs 3: 13 and 14 -- "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for he is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold."

Surely, for the faithful, Julian's book must arrive as a comfort in corporate times, a balm in business, a printed sanctuary for souls strained in the modern workplace.

As in the case of so many faith-based expressions, however, it's likelier to appeal to those who already are aligned with Christian teachings. It can function as a book of welcome meditation to some and handily brief daily measures of devotional readings to others. Material of one faith isn't always an easy sale to members of another faith. Material of any faith can certainly be a difficult offering to those who find their place in the world without membership in an organized church.

But anyone can recognize here the sorts of values we all, in our better moments, must want to promote and enjoy in our careers -- compassion amid profitability, patience amid competition, generosity amid success.

So while "God Is My CEO" may not be for everyone, we can only hope the upbeat, positive, humane and calming corporate climate it advocates is right around the corner for all of us. For that kind of heaven, we can hardly wait.