Mother Teresa, CEO

What organization, founded in 1948 by a passionate entrepreneur and twelve loyal team members, grew to become one of the largest enterprises in the world? Today it has operations in over 100 countries, includes over 1 million team members, has raised and deployed billions of dollars in capital, and is one of the most recognized brands in history.
Is it Hewlett-Packard? Coca-Cola? Disney?
No, it is the Missionaries of Charity. And Mother Teresa was its leader.
How did this nun with no formal business training create a global brand, become a powerful fund-raising and public relations magnet, and lead a worldwide organization through every phase of growth over the course of forty-seven years? What were her secrets?
When we shift our lens and view Mother Teresa from a leadership perspective, a wonderful success story emerges, one filled with inspiration, life lessons, and impact.
Ruma Bose spent time in Calcutta working as a volunteer with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity in 1992. Over time, she discovered that Mother Teresa’s success resulted from the careful application of eight simple and unexpected principles. Through the pages of this book you will have the unique opportunity to learn these principles, share Bose’s experience with Mother Teresa, and discover how to apply Mother Teresa’s principles whether on a single project, throughout an organization, or in your life.
Modern, well-timed, and humane, Mother Teresa, CEO helps you discover how you don’t have to be a saint to be a great leader!Preface
Introduction: Timeless Principles
Major Milestones in Mother Teresa’s Life
CHAPTER ONE: Dream It Simple, Say It Strong
CHAPTER TWO: Dealing With the Devil to Get to the Angels
CHAPTER THREE: Wait! Then Pick Your Moment
CHAPTER FOUR: Embrace the Power of Doubt
CHAPTER FIVE: The Joy of Discipline
CHAPTER SIX: Communicate in a Language People Understand
CHAPTER SEVEN: Pay Attention to the Janitor
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Power of Silence
Conclusion: You Don’t Have to be a Saint
The Missionaries of Charity Today
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors"I have always regarded Mother Teresa as one of my role models because she understood and demonstrated through her own being that real leadership comes from the soul. Ruma Bose'sThis exploration of Mother Teresa's deep well of compassion, dignity, empathy and love is a profound meditation on what it means to be a real leader."
—Deepak Chopra, author of The Soul of Leadership

“Ruma Bose’s and Lou Faust’s perspective on the iconic Mother Theresa’s unique leadership skills is nothing short of a revelation. Having started my career in the social services world, some of the best business managers I have come across hail from that world, with Mother Theresa certainly a leading example. I found myself nodding and “Uh huh-ing” as I recognized the simple but powerful lessons that Mother Theresa’s eight principles can teach us all. Simply extraordinary.”
—Jim McCann, Founder and CEO, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and Celebrations.com

“Entrepreneurship isn't about starting a business, it's about creating a state of mind.  Bose and Faust do a tremendous job of demonstrating Mother Teresa's entrepreneurial mindset as she grew the Missionaries of Charity around the world.  The eight leadership principles outlined in their book provide both inspiration and guidance to anyone passionate about and committed to building a global organization.”
—Leonard A. Schlesinger, President Babson College and former Vice Chairman and former Chief Operating Officer, Limited Brands

"This book is a wonderful addition to Mother Teresa’s legacy.  A fantastic journey that gave me insight into simple principles that can be profitably applied to any organization.  Bose and Faust reveal a previously unrecognized facet of this extraordinary woman’s life, one that provides lessons any leader can benefit from. Profound, engaging and packed with insight.  I couldn’t recommend it more highly."
—Gloria Nelund, cofounder, Chairman and CEO, TriLinc Global and former head of Deutsche Bank’s Private Wealth Management Division for North America
Use inside:

“Numerous articles and books have been written about Mother Teresa the humanitarian. Most of these have been focused on the impact she has had on millions of lives, and not on her leadership skills that played an integral role in making her one of the most successful humanitarians of our generation. This book distills her journey into leadership principles that is easy to understand and emulate. An extraordinary effort and a must read for everyone, particularly aspiring leaders.
—William H.C. Chang, Chairman, Westlake International Group and Owner, DC United and the San Francisco Giants

"Mother Teresa, CEO is an important contribution to the emerging paradigm of 21st century leadership.  Ms. Bose and Mr. Faust have captured the essence of her leadership success in a compelling read that gives each of us practical ideas to leading our organizations. If success is the scorecard, Mother Teresa’s principles are a must read!"
—William S. Thompson, former CEO, PIMCO

“Who would have thought an Albanian nun, based in the slums of Calcutta, would build one of the most recognized international organizations in the world.  How did she do it?  Bose and Faust write an inspiring yet practical book demonstrating the simple, profound principles that enabled Mother Teresa to build an organization that continues to do so much good in the world.  A must read for anyone interested in seeing the extraordinary possibilities one person can accomplish with vision, passion and determination.  Fascinating, thought provoking, and insightful!"
 —Melanie Schnoll Begun, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Philanthropic Services

"Mother Teresa inspired people throughout the world as a result of her work.  She truly was an extraordinary person.  This book looks at her work through the lens of her leadership for the very first time.  The principles put forth by Ms. Bose and Mr. Faust provide leaders in any organization a framework for ethical and effective leadership in today's tumultuous environment.  Read it.  Apply the principles and you and your organization will be on your way to becoming extraordinary.”
—Robert White, Founder and CEO, Extraordinary People and author of Living an Extraordinary Life
Ruma Bose is president and co-CEO of Sprayology, a homeopathic and vitamin wellness company. She is actively engaged in philanthropy and sits on a number of nonprofit boards. She is originally from Montreal but resides in New York City.

Lou Faust is a businessman and advisor with thirty years of corporate experience, including ten years on Wall Street with Salomon Brothers, where he was a managing director and head of global operations. He is the managing partner and founder of Edge Capital Partners, which provides strategic advice to emerging growth companies. He lives in Broomfield, Colorado.The Teresa Principles

Love is a fruit in season at all times,
and within reach of every hand.

MOTHER TERESA

RUMA’S STORY: My love for Mother Teresa began when I was a little child living in a small town outside of Montreal. My mom told me bedtime stories about this saint living in Calcutta. Each story held a lesson on the importance of faith and gratitude, service and love. Every night I looked forward to hearing the continued adventures of this “super angel.” One very cold evening, I saw an old man going through our garbage, and I didn’t understand why. My mom explained that some people were not as fortunate as we were. I felt an overwhelming sense of unfairness, so I decided to write Mother Teresa a letter asking her what I could do. A few months later, I received a letter back. She told me the poor are wonderful people. She told me to pray for peace and love for the oldman, and to smile at him. “The more you smile and love your neighbors, the more love will spread.” That letter had a profound impact on me.

Although my family was Hindu, I later graduated from the Sacred Heart School for Girls and studied at a Catholic college, all while living with two thousand nuns at the Mother House of the Grey Nuns in Montreal. Those sisters who truly loved and lived their faith inspired me and became true examples of living your passion. I kept quotes from Mother Teresa in my school agenda to inspire me daily, and she was often the topic of my high school and college essays. I was inspired by acts of service and helping others. They made me feel valued. At the time, I had a heart filled with love for others, yet very little for myself. I had my own personal struggles, and it seemed so much easier to channel the pain of growing up into doing charitable work and being idealistic. Life at nineteen, after a year of college, felt overwhelming. I was filled with both disillusionment and idealism. The desire to escape and the seduction of saving the world were calling me. So I did the only thing I knew how: I fled. I packed my bags and took a trip to India with an open heart and a rebellious mind to “find myself.” I went to Calcutta to meet Mother Teresa.

After a thirty-hour journey halfway across the world, I made my way to 54A A.J.C. Bose Road to the Convent of the Missionaries of Charity. As I drove past the slums and poverty that defined the lives of so many in this city, I felt a sense of peace within it all. When I arrived at the motherhouse, I was summoned into a small room with a simple table in the middle. I could smell the humidity from the monsoons permeating the wood. As I heard footsteps in the corridor, butterflies began to stir within me.

The moment Mother entered the room, I realized why people described her presence as a life-changing experience. She may have been all of four feet eleven, but her incredible spiritual glow radiated through her being. I suddenly felt naked, with all my imperfections exposed. My vulnerability rendered me speechless. This is the closest I’ve ever come to an out-of-body experience. She felt like God. As she saw my overwhelmed expression, she smiled and said, “What is your name?” And there began my relationship with Mother Teresa in Calcutta.

Fifteen years later, I found myself at a similar juncture—disillusioned by my experience with the corporate world, yet still believing in the idealism of my youth. I had done many interesting things, from international marketing to international banking. I was well educated, with an MBA. Most people would have said I was a successful professional. Yet I felt I was living an empty lie. So I started looking for my new recipe for success. As I began exploring and studying different theories and models and speaking to mentors to look for inspiration, I became introspective and looked into my past. As the searching got deeper, I gained a different perspective and developed a different lens through which to evaluate my life. This brought tremendous clarity on the impact of my year with Mother Teresa.

At the end of my time with her, she gave me her greatest personal gift. When I went to say good-bye, she enveloped my hand in hers and looked deeply at me with those luminous brown eyes. She spoke softly and had a wonderful way of making you feel like the most important person in the world. “We all have a purpose in life,” she told me. “Some people are born to make a difference to one person, and some people are born to make a difference to their families or their countries.” Then she pressed her hands more tightly onto mine. “You, Ruma, are meant to make a difference to the world. Go find your vehicle, and don’t give up.”

Wow! I was so afraid of those words and the empowerment they gave me. How could I translate them into something meaningful for myself and the world? I couldn’t imagine that someone like me could possibly make an impact on the world. I was left speechless, but her message kept reminding me that I did have a purpose, and that if I took the time to explore it, it could manifest as something profound, transformative, and much greater than I was. The ingredients for success were always in my own experience, waiting to be discovered.

That time finally arrived a decade and a half later. A fire ignited in my soul, and I dared to dream again. I embraced the empowerment this time and decided that my vehicle was to start my own company in an industry that served those who were forgotten. I applied all the lessons learned from Mother Teresa and cofounded a floor-finishing company in the janitorial services industry. This began a new journey filled with passion, impact, and purpose. Everyone thought I was crazy—janitorial services? But for me, it was about what 80 percent gross margins could do for people if some of those profits were redistributed to workers. It was about valuing employees in an industry where no one did, and providing them with training and benefits and profit sharing. With passion and determination, my cofounders and I built a team and grew our operations to two hundred people and twenty-three offices nationally. My biggest rewards were watching people begin to believe in themselves and seeing people’s standard of living improve. At last I understood what Mother Teresa was saying. Like many startup stories that begin with great success, the ending was less favorable than we had expected. We lost sight of the principles and vision that drove us to start the company in the first place. I spent many years reflecting on that journey, so as to avoid repeating similar management mistakes in the future. The lessons I learned through this process were a gift to me, they impacted me tremendously and helped me in my future business career.

So why this book?

Almost twenty years after my time with Mother Teresa (where did the time go?), I was conversing over pasta with a small group of people, including Richard Murphy, then the editor of Fortune Small Business. He asked me about my background and what inspired me. My time with Mother Teresa was such a profound and meaningful experience, one cherished so deep in my heart, that I didn’t often bring it up in conversation. It was very private, something I could not share until the time was right. That time was between the salad and the ravioli on June 16, 2009. Richard asked me, “What was Mother Teresa’s leadership style like?” That question ultimately led me to write this book with my mentor, Lou Faust. Completing the book has proved to be an important part of my purpose. So, thank you, Richard, for shifting my lens to view Mother Teresa from a leadership perspective, which allowed this wonderful story to emerge and be shared.

LOU’S STORY: I was working late one night when my telephone suddenly interrupted me. Before I could finish saying hello, an excited voice yelled out, “Lou! Lou! You’ll never believe the conversation I had today! I was at lunch with the editor of Fortune Small Business and…” I don’t think she stopped to take a breath before she ended with, “He asked me if I’d be interested in writing an article on the management secrets of Mother Teresa! Can you believe that?” It was clear to me in that moment that a great idea had been born. I let her finish her story and catch her breath, and with a smile, I said, “Ruma, don’t write the article. Write the book.”

“Really? A book? That’s a great idea! But I don’t know the first thing about writing a book! Well, if I write this book, then you have to write this book with me. Deal?”

Her enthusiasm was so contagious that I didn’t realize what I was signing up for when I said “Yes.” But almost two years later, I’m glad I did. The result of that conversation is the book you are holding.

I have more than thirty years of business experience, including ten on Wall Street at Salomon Brothers. I’ve worked in New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, and many places in between. I have held management positions in large companies and have made my own photocopies in start-ups. I’ve been the CEO of three institutionally funded companies. I only wish I had had the leadership principles you are about to learn when I started my career. They would have made my life and the lives of the people I was trying to lead a whole lot easier and better!

This book will give you a leadership framework that you can use every day as you confront the challenges you face, both personal and professional. When you commit to these principles and apply them consistently, they will make a positive difference in your life and to your organization.

This book is not meant to be an exhaustive analysis of how Mother Teresa ran the Missionaries of Charity. That is a very different book and one we will leave for others. Instead, it is built around simple stories that we hope will inspire you and demonstrate the eight leadership principles that led Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity to build one of the most successful organizations in the world.

You, the reader, will now have the opportunity to hear the story that Ruma shared for many hours at lunch that fateful afternoon in answer to the question, “What was Mother Teresa’s leadership style like?”

Enjoy the journey.