Chris Lowney on Jesuit tradition and corporate leadership

Self-awareness, ingenuity, heroism and love are critical to success as a business leader, according to a former Jesuit seminarian and Fortune 500 executive who spoke Jan. 25 in the ballroom on UDM's McNichols campus.Chris Lowney, who became a managing director of J.P. Morgan in his thirties, is author of "Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World," which applies Jesuit teachings to corporate America.

"Leadership is pointing out a way and influencing others," said Lowney, whose visit was sponsored by the UDM Leadership Development Institute. While with J.P. Morgan, Lowney contributed to making the financial services firm one of "America's Most Admired Companies," as recognized by Fortune magazine.

UDM is a company - "a group of people with whom you break bread," he said.

The school's Jesuit history offers students a unique moral and philosophical perspective on leadership, he said.

In his talk, Lowney focused on four, Jesuit-inspired aspects of leadership:

n Self-awareness. He said that to be a successful leader, one must know his or her strengths and weaknesses. He cited a psychological study that asserted that successful business people often have a clear purpose in life as a result of having suffered a crisis that forced them to answer these questions: "Who the hell am I? And what do I want out of my life?"

n Ingenuity. Part of ingenuity involves putting aside one's ego and personal fears to make good decisions, he said. This requires a certain amount of self-awareness.

"The world is changing," he said. "We have to keep changing with it."

Lowney said that his generation of corporate leaders has "done some wonderful things" but needs to be succeeded by a generation that will bring more imagination and ingenuity to solving America's serious problems.

n Heroism. Lowney said that heroism is not exclusive to extreme acts, but applies to the exercise of being courageous in one's own small vocation. Heroism involves seeing oneself as being part of something larger and more important than oneself and working as a team to achieve a common goal, he said.

Lowney cited a study related to corporate culture that found people who worked for successful companies tended to emphasize the needs of others above their own. In less profitable companies, executives were more concerned with their own acquisition of wealth and status than with a greater good, he said.

n Love. The last principle is the one probably least associated with Wall-Street, Lowney acknowledged. He admitted that during his career with J.P. Morgan, he did not indulge in hugging his employees and proclaiming his love for them. But, he said, companies are more productive when their workers are happy and treated with respect.

Lowney said that one does not need to be C.E.O of a Fortune 500 company to be a leader. He urged all audience members to think of themselves as capable of providing the kind of moral leadership that society needs.

The talk connected with many students and staff members.

Wesley Meier, a UDM student who holds two master's degrees and is president of the Graduate Student Advisory Board, found the event informative.

"This speech taught me that there are no definitive answers, and that it is up to the individual to improve the world they are living in," he said.

Ervis Fama is a senior studying biology and psychology.

He agreed with Lowney that leadership requires self-awareness. Farma said he will use the information in his roles as president of Student Senate and chair of the President's Council.

Drew Peters, campus minister, leads students in various programs, including alternative spring break. He said the speech helped him reflect on empowerment of the majority.

Life is all about teamwork, Peters said, and those people who embrace teamwork succeed in life.