If you are tired of quickie how-to-succeed-in-business books, Chris Lowney has authored one that is not so ordinary it relies on the teachings of a 16th century priest to coach modern executives about leadership.
And on Aug. 31, the former Jesuit seminarian-turned-investment-banker will tell the Westport Rotary Club all about it at its 12:15 p.m. meeting where he will be guest speaker. The meeting is open to the public.
Called “Heroic Leadership: Examples from a 450-year-old Company that Changed the World” (Loyola Press, $24.95), Lowney’s book details how the Jesuits evolved from a 10-man “company” founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540 to become the world’s largest religious order with 21,000 professionals.
Lowney, who left a seven-year stint as a Jesuit seminarian to become a managing director at J.P. Morgan, explores how the Jesuits have successfully grappled with challenges that test great companies—forging seamless multinational teams, motivating performance, being open to change and staying adaptable.
He describes himself as following in the footsteps of an elite group of Jesuit-educated thinkers, including Bill Clinton, Antonia Scalia, Vincente Fox, Francois Mitterand, Alan Alda, among others.
In addition to working on a book about medieval Spain, Lowney currently serves part-time as special assistant to the president of the Catholic Medical Mission Board, a leading U.S.-based charity providing health-care programs and services to people in need around the world.
