How Mormons can apply Christ’s message

Jesus Christ’s central message during His earthly ministry was to “love one another.” CEOs are incorporating and running their businesses according to this ideology. When employees are cared for, respected, and loved, they perform better. When they feel they are an asset, when they feel they truly matter, they work harder. Treat each employee as if he is the most important person. Get to know employees individually. Gain their loyalty by being loyal to them.

David Neeleman, the former CEO of JetBlue Airlines finds that loving his employees directly correlates to the success of his business. In Jeff Benedict’s book, The Mormon Way of Doing Business, Neeleman explains his secrets to success in business, and interestingly, they all seem to be influenced by his membership in the Mormon Church. Despite being a powerful and successful CEO, he continues to work as an attendant on roundtrip flights, interacting with employees and customers. According to Neeleman, “If the CEO is down there helping employees tag bags and clean airplanes, employees feel better about going to work. People will go the extra mile for you. They know I’m not sitting in some part of the airplane where I don’t want to be talked to. Instead, I hang out with crew members.”

Neeleman credits much of his professional success to simply treating people with dignity and respect. Neeleman makes a conscious effort to learn his employee’s names, and helps with even menial tasks like cleaning the plane at the end of a flight. He leads his company free of pomp. Loyalty is formed between him and his employees. He strives to serve his employees and his customers. In order to serve, one must love the people he or she is serving.  Mormons believe this principle is extremely important.