Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World Paperback - 2005

Leaders make great companies, but few of us truly understand how to turn ourselves and others into great leaders. One company--the Jesuits--pioneered a unique formula for molding leaders. In the process, the Jesuits built one of history's most successful companies.
Founded in 1540 by ten men with no capital and no business plan, the Jesuits have been a source of innovation and discovery ever since. In this groundbreaking book, Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit and executive with J. P. Morgan, reveals the leadership principles that have guided Jesuit leaders in their diverse pursuits for more than 450 years.
The Jesuits' enduring success rests upon four core leadership pillars:

- self-awareness: Understand
your strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview
- ingenuity: Confidently innovate and adapt to a changing world
- love: Engage others with a positive attitude that unlocks their potential
- heroism: Energize yourself and others with heroic ambitions and a passion for excellence

By incorporating these principles into their daily lives, the Jesuits built an organization that has operated a highly efficient international network of trade, education, missionary work, and scholarship for almost five centuries. Lowney shows how these same principles can make each of us a dynamic leader in the twenty-first century.

"I am confident that I would have been a far more effective leader if I had read Heroic Leadership years ago.
Highly recommended!"
--Ron Burkard, Executive Director, World Neighbors