Ruma Bose - Mother Teresa, CEO: Unexpected Principles for Practical Leadership

More Praise for Mother Teresa, CEO

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 are easy to understand and emulate.

William H. C. Chang, Chair, 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. Bose and Faust have captured the essence of her leadership success in a compelling read that gives each of us practical ideas for leading our organizations. If success is the scorecard, Mother Teresas principles are a must-read!

William S. Thompson, former CEO, PIMCO

This book is a wonderful addition to Mother Teresas 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 womans life, one that provides lessons any leader can benefit from. Profound, engaging, and packed with insight. I couldnt recommend it more highly.

Gloria Nelund, cofounder, Chair, and CEO, TriLinc Global, and former head, Private Wealth Management Division for North America, Deutsche Bank

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 Bose and Faust provide leaders in any organization a framework for ethical and effective leadership in todays 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

All CEOs require leadership skills; however, remarkable CEOs see every roadblock as a business ramp. Bose and Faust have identified a woman who was able to exemplify these leadership principles on the global stage. A required addition to any library.

Gary Schwartz, CEO, Impact Mobile, Inc.

MOTHER TERESA, CEO

Author Ruma Bose with Mother Teresa, Calcutta, 1992

Unexpected Principles
for Practical Leadership

by Ruma Bose and Lou Faust

Mother Teresa, CEO

Copyright 2011 by Ruma Bose and Louis Faust III

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the Berrett-Koehler address above.
Individual sales. Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.com
Orders for college textbook/course adoption use. Please contact Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626.
Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: customer.service@ingrampublisherservices.com; or visit www.ingrampublisherservices.com/Ordering for details about electronic ordering.

Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

First Edition
Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-60509-951-4
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-952-1
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-953-8

2011-1

Jacket designer: Cassandra Chu
Ruma Bose photo by Sandi Fellman. Lou Faust photo by Jill Vincent.
Copyediting: Lynn Golbetz
Interior design and composition: Leigh McLellan Design

This book is dedicated to the two angels in my life,
Mother Teresa
and my late father, Tapan Kumar Bose
RUMA

To my late mother, JoAnn Devane Faust
LOU

W HAT ORGANIZATION founded by a lone entrepreneur grew to become one of the largest enterprises in the world?

This organization was started in 1948 with a passionate leader at its helm and twelve loyal team members. Today, it:1

conducts operations in over one hundred countries;

has a loyal full-time workforce of four thousand;

has over one million volunteer team members;

is one of the most recognized brands in the world; and

has raised and deployed billions of dollars in capital.

Is it Hewlett-Packard?

Is it Coca-Cola?

Is it Disney?

No, its Mother Teresas Missionaries of Charity.

One woman used her drive, determination, faith, and singular management style to build one of the largest organizations in the world. It has delivered the kind of measurable impact that most companies can only dream of achieving.

How did this nun, with no formal business training, create a global brand, a powerful fund-raising entity, and a worldwide organization over the course of forty-seven years?

Mother Teresa did what many successful entrepreneurs with great ideas doshe applied her ethical principles and values to work she was passionate about. When we view Mother Teresa from a leadership perspective, a wonderful story emerges, one filled with inspiration and life lessons.

Ruma Bose spent time in Calcutta (now Kolkata) working as a volunteer with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity in 1992. Over time, Ruma discovered that their operational success resulted from the careful application of simple but unexpected principles. Scaling an organization into over one hundred countries is not easy and doesnt happen by accident. What Mother Teresa accomplished ranks among the great business achievements in human history.

Mother Teresa did not fit into a typical box, and she did not have a traditional leadership style. As a result, this book is not a typical business book. Nor is it a religious book. Instead, it will give you the unique opportunity to live Rumas experience with Mother Teresa, learn the universal principles employed by her and her Missionaries of Charity, and discover how these principles apply, whether you are running an organization, a single project, or your everyday life.