Writings
Foreword by Peter M. Senge, page 4
It is impossible to read this list today and not be struck by O’Brien’s remarkable prescience. For example, his fourth, fifth, and sixth points capture succinctly the essence of the current hand-wringing about corporate accounting practices. I remember Bill speaking that evening about the inevitable dilemmas that develop within large accounting firms: on the one hand, auditors are responsible for conducting impartial audits of client companies, and on the other hand, they are under enormous internal pressures to “not lose a key client.”
As O’Brien pointed out then, the core problem is a system of self score-keeping, rather than the failings of any one individual firm, in an environment that gives little attention to cultivating virtue. As he told his board many years ago, this is not something that can be done by fiat or by rules from the top. It is a matter of creating an environment for genuine maturation, starting with the model set by those in positions of power. If people in the most senior and visible positions do not cultivate virtue, no set of rules will ever compensate.
Which brings us to this book.
In a sense, this is an old-fashioned book. In many ways, the connection between leadership and wisdom represents the oldest thread of leadership theory. Plato developed this theme in his dialogues with Glaucon on the “philosopher king,” as have countless religious traditions around the world. The core imperative was stated eloquently 2,700 years ago, in the Guanzi, which laid many of the foundations for Confucian social philosophy: “When a person’s virtue is not equal to his position, all will suffer.”
The real question for today is do we have an appetite for a renewed exploration of “doing well through doing good”? The answer to that question will determine whether or not anything is learned from the Enron scandal, far more than will a public witch hunt or legislative changes.
Of all the lessons I have learned from Bill O’Brien, none stands out quite so much as his resolute belief that “business success depends, over the long run, on practicing the timeless human virtues.” It seems to me that in the complex world of mounting social and environmental stresses—when more and more large corporations are starting to realize that their financial bottom line is too limited a concept to assure long-term survival and vitality—the timeless wisdom of a leader like Bill O’Brien could not be more timely.
Peter M. Senge
April 2002