Chapitre 1
The Leadership Revolution: Values Over Victory
What if the most powerful leadership book wasn't about crushing goals or maximizing profits, but about the transformative power of character? Richard Stearns' "Lead Like It Matters to God" challenges our success-obsessed culture with a revolutionary premise: God cares more about how you lead than what you achieve. This groundbreaking work has become required reading at Christian universities nationwide and has influenced corporate leadership programs from Microsoft to Chick-fil-A. Stearns brings unique credibility to this conversation as someone who successfully navigated both the corporate world (as CEO of Lenox and Parker Brothers) and the nonprofit sector (leading World Vision for two decades). Unlike typical leadership books that leave readers feeling inadequate for not mastering the latest techniques, Stearns offers a refreshing alternative: leadership centered on values like integrity, humility, and courage that reflect God's heart. In a time when corporate scandals, abuse of power, and incivility dominate headlines, this book reclaims the timeless values that truly matter in leadership.
Chapitre 2
Leadership as Kingdom Revolution
Groups of people working together change the world, and they always need leadership. Without it, they're just herds. Leadership explains why one sports team wins, why one company outperforms others, why one church committee accomplishes more than another.
But we must debunk two persistent leadership myths. First, leaders aren't super-beings on pedestals-they're just one vital component in human endeavor. As Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12, the body functions because all parts are different yet interdependent. No leader succeeds alone; Steve Jobs needed designers and engineers, Lincoln needed activists and soldiers.
Second, leaders aren't rare-most of us lead somewhere. Organizations have multiple leadership roles, and many of us are both followers and leaders simultaneously, leading in our workplaces, churches, neighborhoods, or families.
While many pursue leadership for recognition, promotions and money-the "what" things-we must address the deeper "why" questions about purpose and meaning. For Christians especially, there often seems little connection between Sunday worship and Monday work. Yet our work matters tremendously in God's purposes.
Jesus came to launch a revolution-the kingdom of God-mentioned over a hundred times in the Gospels. This wasn't just religious talk but his vision for fundamentally transforming the world through a new relationship between God and humanity that would heal brokenness and renew creation.
The kingdom represents a new way of living that turns worldly values inside out. As 2 Corinthians 5 explains, we're given the "ministry of reconciliation"-restoring people to harmony with God and making all things consistent with God's desires. This happens personally through forgiveness of sins, but extends to restoring all things to favor with God: families, communities, businesses, and governments.
Christians function like white blood cells in the body-rushing to sites of brokenness to repair, restore, and heal. We are the "firefighters" of God's kingdom, called to bring healing wherever we find human brokenness-in families, communities, schools, businesses, and governments.
Understanding that we're engaged in a revolution to change the world for Christ gives true purpose to leadership. God's agenda of reform and redemption targets every human institution, and leaders shape these institutions to conform more to Christ's heart. When leaders incarnate kingdom values, the world changes.
Chapitre 3
The Journey from Success to Significance
Looking back on my life, I can see God's hand guiding me in ways I couldn't perceive at the time. My journey began in Syracuse with humble beginnings-my father a used-car salesman with an eighth-grade education and drinking problem, my mother a filing clerk. When my family unraveled after bankruptcy and foreclosure, I was just ten years old.
These hardships shaped me-creating both self-reliance and deep insecurity. Yet America offered possibilities through education. My sister Karen convinced me that college could provide escape, so I worked numerous jobs-delivering papers, bagging groceries, cleaning toilets-saving every penny toward my dream of attending an Ivy League university.
Cornell University, just fifty miles from home, became my singular focus. When I told my mother my plan, she laughed, asking who would pay for it. But through hard work and scholarships, I was accepted. That first year was brutal-I was academically unprepared compared to my more privileged classmates, but failure wasn't an option without a safety net.
Near the end of my Cornell years, I met Renee on a blind date-a freshman "Jesus freak" with Campus Crusade training who boldly shared her faith with me, a self-proclaimed atheist. Despite our differences, we connected deeply. When she showed me "The Four Spiritual Laws," I balked at the idea of surrendering control to Christ. After exchanging daily letters that summer, Renee courageously broke off our relationship, unwilling to compromise her faith.
Her decision devastated me but sparked my spiritual journey. After reading over fifty books on Christianity and apologetics, I finally understood that surrender was the only path to authentic faith. In my Wharton dorm room, I placed Jesus on the throne of my life, promising to follow wherever he led-a decision that would completely transform my future.
Renee and I reunited and married after graduation. My career took off-first at Gillette promoting deodorant, then at Parker Brothers Games where I thrived promoting Monopoly, Clue, and Nerf products. By age thirty-three, I'd become president and CEO. I'd overcome my challenging background and achieved success, naively expecting to spend my entire career there.
My success was short-lived. After less than two years as president, I was abruptly fired when Parker Brothers changed ownership. Rather than reflecting with the Lord, I hastily took a position with Franklin Mint, only to be fired again just nine months later. After nine months of prayer and reflection, I joined Lenox, starting with their smallest division. I eventually worked my way up to CEO over eleven years.
Just when I thought I'd spend the rest of my career at Lenox, God intervened. A recruiter called about World Vision needing a new CEO. Despite my unlikely background in consumer products, God was inviting me to trade success for significance. The next twenty years at World Vision became the great adventure of our lives, traveling nearly three million miles to sixty countries.
Chapitre 4
The Paradox of Surrender
Christian leadership begins with total surrender-a counterintuitive concept in a world that teaches leaders never to surrender. While secular leadership emphasizes control and strength, Jesus taught paradoxical truths: dying to bring life, becoming servants to achieve greatness, and finding strength through weakness.
Ten years into my career, I'd become so consumed by professional ambition that I'd compartmentalized my faith. Being fired from Parker Brothers was humiliating but necessary-God's way of getting my undivided attention. During fourteen months of unemployment, I had my longest and best devotional times. The answer came through a childhood memory of the catechism: "God made me to know him, to love him, and to serve him in this life." This simple truth transformed my perspective.
Just as we get frustrated with employees who fail at their one job, God may feel the same about Christians who neglect their primary calling. Our "one job" is to join Christ's kingdom revolution through the Great Commission and Great Commandment. Yet when we enter our workplaces on Monday, the culture shock often leads us to compartmentalize our faith.
We often confuse our careers with our calling, but they're distinct. Your career is merely the setting where you live out your calling as Christ's ambassador. Whether in a school, corporation, hospital, government, or neighborhood, your Christian calling to serve God takes precedence over every other priority. Like undercover agents whose real purpose is serving a higher cause, we are "on assignment" for Jesus in our workplaces, furthering his kingdom while our careers serve as our "cover."
A surrendered leader has nothing left to lose because they've already put everything in God's hands. Free from fear and self-protection, they rise above daily pressures and stresses. When coworkers observe a surrendered leader, they see someone who marches to a different drummer-someone whose life transcends success, status, and money. They see qualities of Jesus: integrity, humility, encouragement, perseverance, courage, and forgiveness. This is how we bring Christ to the workplace, draw people to God's kingdom, and ultimately change the world.
Chapitre 5
The Power of Sacrifice and Trust
Sacrifice means offering something precious to God-replacing our ambitions with His. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, they immediately abandoned their fishing business to follow him without conditions or questions. This poses an uncomfortable question: Are we willing to risk everything for our faith? Jesus doesn't want just our church attendance or tithe-He wants everything, requiring us to hold our possessions loosely while acknowledging His ownership of all we have.
God uses the metaphor of potter and clay to describe how He shapes us. Just as at Lenox, where ordinary clay undergoes pressure and heat repeatedly to burn out imperfections, we too must surrender to God's touch. We must die to self before becoming useful and pleasing to Jesus, sacrificing our ambitions for Christ's purposes, allowing Him to transform us into vessels that demonstrate His love to a watching world.
Once you've surrendered to God's will, trusting Him for outcomes should follow logically. Yet trust remains one of the hardest things we're asked to do, especially amid workplace challenges. Only by trusting God can we rise above daily stresses and pressures, demonstrating a different kind of leadership that remains unrattled by circumstances.
Leaders who trust God maintain calm during adversity because they see beyond workplace turbulence. During crises, they can reassure others with perspective, reminding them "this too shall pass." At Lenox, when one division faced potential closure, I helped the anxious leadership team see beyond their immediate fears by reminding them of what truly mattered-their families, health, and talents.
Jeremiah compares those who trust in God to trees planted by water, sending roots to the stream. Though heat and drought come, these trees stay green and bear fruit because of their source of nourishment. In contrast, those trusting only in themselves become like tumbleweeds-rootless, aimless, blown about by every crisis. Christians who compartmentalize faith from work enter the workplace disconnected from their life-giving source, unable to rise above worry.
Chapitre 6
Excellence Through Celebration, Not Pressure
Excellence isn't about winning but about producing the best result we're capable of achieving. As Colossians 3:23-24 instructs, we should work wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord directly, not human masters. Our reward comes from Him, reminding us that how we play the game matters more than whether we win or lose.
The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 illustrates that God rewards effort, not just outcomes. The master gave different amounts to three servants based on their abilities. He praised the two who multiplied their talents through diligence, regardless of the total amount produced, while chastising the one who made no effort. As I told my children regarding their studies: "All you can do is the best you can do," which is ultimately liberating-once we've given our all, we can accept any outcome without regret.
When leaders focus solely on results, failure creates shame and discouragement. But emphasizing best efforts allows celebration even amid failure, motivating continued excellence. Outcome-focused cultures punish people despite their tireless work, while celebration cultures reward right behaviors. As Brene Brown notes, "When shame becomes a management style, engagement dies." Pete Carroll exemplifies this positive approach with the Seahawks, emphasizing personal potential over mere winning.
In the Chicago Marathon, only two people win, but all 40,000+ runners can be winners because they're striving for personal bests rather than absolute victory. For some, success means simply finishing; for others, achieving a personal time goal. When I watched my sons run with thousands of others, I witnessed celebration rather than defeat-people exuberant about their achievements regardless of placement.
When I transitioned from corporate America to World Vision, I found a culture where financial goals received less emphasis than the mission. While admirable in many ways, this "we're good people doing good things and that's good enough" mentality lacked accountability in fundraising. I introduced clearer goals and metrics, causing some to worry we were becoming "like a Fortune 500 corporation." I countered that if excellence is expected in business, how much more should we strive for it when serving God? By creating a culture celebrating excellence, World Vision's revenue tripled while overhead costs decreased by a third-not because we focused on outcomes, but because we focused on excellence, which naturally led to better outcomes.
Chapitre 7
Leading with Love and Humility
While love might not be the first leadership quality that comes to mind, it's fundamental to Christian leadership. As Christ's ambassadors, we must see coworkers from God's perspective-as people He loves deeply-and demonstrate that we truly care about them. This creates trust, fosters positive culture, and amplifies our witness.
After ten years at World Vision, I had a spiritual insight: rather than helping the poor because God loves them (making it my duty), I needed first to love them as God does, knowing that genuine help would naturally flow from that love. This applies to leadership-when you truly love your coworkers as God's children, your advocacy for their development becomes more genuine and passionate. As Teddy Roosevelt noted, "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
Jesus challenged us to love even our enemies. I witnessed this principle dramatically in Lebanon, where Syrian refugees fled after the civil war broke out in 2011. The Lebanese had endured thirty years of brutal Syrian occupation until 2005, with military control, assassinations, and violence. Yet when Syrian refugees arrived just six years later, many Lebanese churches responded with shocking compassion. As one pastor told me, "Because of the love of Christ we carry in our hearts, we assist them. We don't care what happened in the past. Love never fails you."
Get to know people beyond their job functions by learning about their families, passions, and challenges outside work. When you make this effort to understand the multidimensional nature of your team members, they feel valued and you gain appreciation for their unique gifts. Before work each day, remind yourself to be patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not self-seeking or easily angered, always protecting, trusting, hoping, and persevering-because that's what love would do.
God has a way of teaching humility at the most unexpected moments, as I learned on my first day as CEO when my private executive bathroom toilet became plugged. My frantic search for a plunger and secret mission to fix the problem without anyone knowing served as a divine reminder that despite my new title, I was no more special than anyone else at Lenox. As Rick Warren wisely noted, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."
Becoming a humble leader begins with surrender-"Not my will, Lord, but thy will"-maintained through daily time in God's Word and prayer. Practically, give your team permission to challenge your thinking and disagree when they believe they have better ideas. Recognize that God distributes gifts across your entire team, and releasing all these talents will lead to better decisions than a "my way or highway" approach.
On my first day at World Vision, I arrived early to my corner office feeling terrified and inadequate, a stark contrast to my earlier pride at Lenox. Overwhelmed by leading an organization serving millions of children, I cried out to God, "I have no idea what to do...I am unqualified and unprepared." In that moment, I sensed God's response: "Rich, I have you exactly where I want you, helpless and totally dependent on me." I realized the truth of Paul's words that God's power is made perfect in weakness.
Chapitre 8
The Integrity Imperative
Integrity serves as the North Star of leadership-a moral compass guiding leaders through every situation. It creates a cascade of positive outcomes including trust, unity, motivation, and improved productivity. When leaders consistently demonstrate integrity, people feel confident they'll do the right thing regardless of circumstances.
Early in my career, I interviewed at Parker Brothers Games, meeting with executives and directors. Surprisingly, they sent me to lunch with Clint, a lower-level marketing analyst. When I was hired, my boss revealed: "You passed the 'Clint test.' We knew you'd be on your best behavior with executives, but we wanted to see if you were a jerk when your guard was down." This unexpected evaluation demonstrated that integrity means consistent character whether someone's watching or not.
Integrity functions as leadership's North Star-a moral compass guiding leaders through any situation with confidence they're moving in the right direction. Without it, leaders drift in relativism and expediency. A leader with integrity builds trust, reduces fear, improves morale, and increases productivity. In contrast, leaders lacking integrity create cascades of negativity-suspicion, self-dealing, defensiveness, and toxic politics.
Relational integrity extends beyond avoiding lying or cheating-it influences all our interactions. It requires dealing with others honestly, sincerely, transparently, and fairly. Organizations lacking relational integrity become toxic as people avoid each other, seek revenge, or gossip. I received valuable advice from an executive coach who suggested approaching every interaction with "How can I help?" For Christians, integrity isn't just a management technique but derives from biblical principles like fairness, justice, honesty, and kindness.
Integrity characterizes not just individuals but entire organizational cultures, typically defined by leadership. Recent scandals-opioid-pushing drug companies, Wells Fargo's bogus accounts, Fox News' sexual misconduct, Theranos' deception-all stem from leadership failing to define values and set ethical examples.
Early in my tenure at World Vision, I discovered our marketing program had been compromised when thousands of pumpkin seed packets sent back by donors were piling up in our warehouse instead of being sent to African farmers as promised. Some junior staff had decided sending the actual seeds was inefficient, though we were still using donations to help farmers. I was furious-our integrity was our most valuable asset. In a tense meeting, I made it clear this breach was unacceptable, and insisted the seeds be sent as promised. At an all-staff meeting, I established that integrity always trumps revenue: "You might not lose your job if you miss revenue goals, but you will if you compromise our integrity."
Chapitre 9
Vision That Transforms Reality
Vision casting may be one of leadership's most difficult qualities as it requires charting a course toward a desired future-like driving a bus at night on a winding road during a snowstorm without headlights. Yet providing a compelling vision creates clarity, unity, and motivation for teams.
Before setting a destination, you must know your starting point. Organizations often have distorted views of reality, blinded by incorrect assumptions. Jim Collins calls this confronting "the brutal facts of reality"-an essential leadership step. History is filled with companies that failed because they couldn't see their present reality clearly-American automakers dismissing Japanese imports, Kodak ignoring digital photography, or Parker Brothers initially missing the video game revolution.
At Lenox China, articulating our desired future was straightforward-we desperately wanted to regain our number-one market position. We had lost credibility with department store buyers, were losing shelf space to brands more attuned to bridal customers, and our factories were struggling with declining volumes.
To chart our course, I created a "war room" displaying the top fifty bestselling china patterns in descending order, forcing the team to see what young brides were actually buying, despite designers mocking many patterns as naive and simplistic. I instituted a "bride test" where every new Lenox design had to be shown to hundreds of brides and their mothers before launching, with only highly-rated patterns going to market.
A leader must fully embody the vision, not just announce it in an email. At Lenox, I demonstrated this by attending every marketing and design meeting in our "war room," personally visiting competitors' showrooms at trade shows despite the tedium, and sitting in on every new product design meeting. I even took a risk by designing four simple plate prototypes with colored bands that designers initially dismissed. Surprisingly, these patterns became top sellers, with one reaching the top ten out of seven hundred patterns. Our vision of regaining market leadership succeeded spectacularly, with Lenox's share growing from 26% to 45%.
Jesus was the master of vision casting. His first words after baptism announced the kingdom of God, and in just three years, he transformed the centuries-old Jewish faith with a radical new vision that launched a revolution. Jesus used the same four principles: he defined the corrupt reality of first-century Judaism, offered a compelling vision of a better future, revealed a new way forward in relationship with God, and fully embodied his vision.
Chapitre 10
Courage in the Face of Fear
Being a leader is hard. It's easier to be a follower, avoiding criticism, risk, and blame. Courage isn't the absence of fear but the determination to overcome it. As Chae Richardson said, "Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway." Leading organizations into an unknown future creates fear-fear of change, wrong decisions, and uncertain outcomes.
On my first overseas trip as World Vision's president, I encountered the AIDS pandemic through three orphaned boys living alone in a mud hut after losing both parents to the disease. AIDS was a "doomsday virus" devastating Africa-100% fatal, orphaning children, and leaving grandmothers to raise grandchildren. Yet in America, no one was talking about it. AIDS remained deeply stigmatized, with many Christians viewing it as punishment for immorality.
I returned determined that World Vision needed to tackle this issue, but when I presented my intentions to our leadership team, I was met with uneasiness. Our marketing VP warned: "Rich, World Vision is a G-rated ministry, and this is an R-rated issue. Our donors will never support this." Despite marketing research showing only 3% of evangelicals would definitely help AIDS orphans, we launched the Hope Initiative, focusing on "orphans and widows in their distress."
We embarked on an eighteen-city tour across America-preaching, holding donor events, and speaking to media. Despite strong criticism from some Christian leaders who labeled us "liberals" for helping people they viewed as having committed sexual sins, we remained resolute. After five exhausting years of campaigning, World Vision had helped change Christian attitudes toward AIDS and assisted millions across Africa.
For Christians, the opposite of fear isn't courage but faith. If we believe we're doing something close to God's heart, we can count on His support and trust Him for the outcome. Moses exemplifies both fear and courage-initially making excuses when God commanded him to confront Pharaoh, even pleading, "Please send someone else." But God assured Moses of His presence and protection.
When you watch a recorded sporting event already knowing your team won, you can view it calmly. Similarly, as Christians, we know how the game ends-our team wins. Despite setbacks and difficult moments, we understand the bigger picture. Before Jesus went to the cross, he told his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" and "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Faith produces trust, and trust enables courage.
Chapitre 11
The Transformative Power of Listening
On August 28, 1963, during the historic March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history. After staying up until 4 a.m. writing it, King paused for ten seconds during delivery when his prepared text didn't feel right. In that moment, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" Though King hadn't planned to use this language that day, he listened to her suggestion and launched into the soaring prose that made history.
Honeybees demonstrate remarkable collaborative decision-making through their "waggle dance." When searching for a new nest location, scout bees perform dances that communicate the direction and distance to potential sites. Other bees investigate these locations and return to dance their agreement or disagreement. Through this iterative listening process, the hive gradually builds consensus until more than 50% of bees agree on one site.
Rather than imposing a new organizational structure by executive decree, I approached reorganization at World Vision through extensive consultation. I held thirty one-on-one discussions with leaders across multiple levels, conducted town halls for broader input, and consulted board members. For the final phase, I gathered twenty-five key leaders into cross-functional groups to develop their own recommended structures. This transparent process produced not only a better decision but widespread acceptance and goodwill.
James Surowiecki's book The Wisdom of Crowds demonstrates how groups of ordinary people consistently outperform individual experts in solving complex problems. He illustrates this with Francis Galton's 1906 county fair anecdote, where the average of 800 fairgoers' guesses about an ox's weight was nearly perfect-1,197 pounds versus the actual 1,198 pounds.
Groups with diverse members make superior decisions because different backgrounds and life experiences contribute varied insights and perspectives. This diversity should span multiple dimensions: gender, age, race, culture, education, geography, expertise, and religion. At Lenox, listening to young brides and their mothers rather than all-male designers improved market share. World Vision experienced explosive growth when indigenous national leaders replaced white male expatriates.
Most leadership decisions aren't black or white but present themselves in shades of gray. The leader's job is to find clarity amidst this grayness by moving 50/50 decisions toward greater certainty through careful listening. Leadership needn't be lonely when we respect others, listen to them, and invite them into difficult decisions.
Chapitre 12
Faithfulness Over Success
Jesus commissioned his followers with the words "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." For Christian leaders, this means faithfulness to God is the true goal, not worldly success. Our spiritual lives cannot be measured by conventional metrics, but by what God pours through us-something we cannot measure at all.
Our culture glorifies success through achievement, money, power, and status-a "gospel of success" that permeates everything. But Mother Teresa's statement that "God did not call me to be successful, he called me to be faithful" redefines success entirely. For followers of Christ, faithfulness is success. While conventional success isn't inherently bad and may even result from faithful living, it shouldn't become our reason for living.
King Solomon, despite achieving unparalleled wealth, wisdom, and pleasure, concluded that all his striving was "meaningless, a chasing after the wind." His final assessment was that the true purpose of life is to "fear God and keep his commandments." This echoes the catechism teaching that God made us to know, love, and serve Him.
God remarkably chooses to use flawed humans as His instruments of change in the world. We serve as "jars of clay" with all our cracks visible, showing that the power comes from God, not us. The Bible features deeply flawed leaders-David, Peter, Moses, Abraham, Jacob-whom God used despite their failings. Being faithful doesn't mean being perfect, just committed to discipleship despite stumbles.
Merold Stern and his wife Margaret exemplified faithful service through decades of ministry in a small college-town church. Merold preached weekly, counseled students, managed church committees, and sang in the choir, while Margaret supported with hospitality and encouragement. Though they never achieved national recognition like megachurch pastors, they faithfully served for fifty years, impacting hundreds of Cornell students who went on to influence thousands of others.
Mother Teresa, despite her global recognition, saw herself merely as "a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world." She understood that her effectiveness came not from her own capabilities but from God working through her. When called to serve the poor in Calcutta, she embraced God's invitation despite her self-perceived inadequacy.
As we navigate our leadership journeys, may we similarly be "little pencils" in God's hands, available for Him to use in workplaces, churches, and neighborhoods-to be His ambassadors modeling a different way of living, working, and leading. For in the end, it's not whether we win or lose that matters to God, but how we play the game.
