Jesus Christ as a Project Leader

What can project leaders learn about project management from Jesus of Nazareth? In the four gospels describing the life and work of Jesus, one sees that his life was to spark widespread interest in the goal of both personal and social transformation. This paper takes a critical look at these sources, identifies relevant themes and shows how project leaders might enhance their own practices by using the teachings and management styles of Jesus. The paper also discusses the link between professional virtue and professional duty, the rigors of goal setting and their implication on work, by mapping the sayings of Jesus into nine project management categories. Finally, the paper illustrates how that knowledge can be interpreted for project management in modern times. In doing this, the paper will educate the reader about the need for clear focus, definite planning and strategic thinking. Furthermore, the paper presents what has been achieved so far in this area in the project management literature - especially in terms of leadership styles and emotional intelligence - and gives, for project management, an interesting practical reference to the ontological concept of sin.