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

by Chris Lowney

Published by Loyola Press, October 2003

Author Chris Lowney offers leadership lessons from the Jesuits, the renowned religious order whose originality and expertise have stirred admiration for nearly five centuries. Lowney, a former Jesuit and investment banker, shows how the Jesuits have grappled successfully with the same challenges that test great companies today: forging seamless multinational teams, motivating inspired performance, remaining “change ready” and strategically adaptable.

The Jesuits eschewed a flashy leadership style in favor of a holistic approach, focusing on four unique values: self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism. Lowney explores the four principles in detail, illustrating each with anecdotes from Jesuit history. He examines the Jesuit success formula of attacking real-world opportunities with real-world leadership strategies, showing how their formula can be used today to practice effective, whole-person leadership.

The four pillars of Jesuit leadership:

* Self-Awareness: understanding your strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview
* Ingenuity: confidently innovating and adapting to embrace a changing world
* Love: engaging others with a positive, supportive attitude
* Heroism: energizing yourself and others by embracing ambitious goals and a passion to excel