The 7th P

For decades our CEO has expressed a list of guiding principles for our company that he refers to as the "Six P's." They are:

• Purpose
• People
• Products
• Process
• Patience/Perseverance
• Profit
  

Though it requires some elaboration to explain how they are applied at our company, they are pretty fundamental. It's easy to remember them once you hear the speech, but I won't go into that right now. That's not the point of this post.

What's new and interesting (and cool) is that recently Tom talked about the "Seventh P" -- Prayer. In over twelve years working with him, I've never heard Tom talk openly about this.

In Tom's words, "No major decision is made at this company without prayer." Like the other six P's, that's not exactly a revolutionary concept. But the fact he said it to the whole office staff is remarkable. Why the coming out? Why did he suddenly decide to add it to the list publicly, assuming that it has been on the unspoken list for some time?

Here's my theory (and it's just a theory at this point)... Tom added it to the list because what was an assumed principle to many in his generation -- a given -- is something that needs to be taught to younger managers raised in post-modern America. It's part of an untold legacy, one that now needs to be communicated more overtly.

Faith is personal for everyone, but for many of the people I've known in Tom's generation, my parents included, it is intensely private as well. While they'll probably stop short of outright evangelism, I think we're going to start learning more about this part of the lives of many business leaders who are closing in on retirement. If my theory is right and this develops into a trend, then I welcome it.