Shalom as telos for responsible leaders

Biblical portrayals of shalom offer two important contributions to responsible leadership theory and practice. Responsible leadership theory arises out of the demands that socially responsible businesses place on their leaders. As these businesses become more serious about their impacts on society and on nature, they come closer to the vision of shalom found in the biblical narrative. The first contribution of this vision is that it provides a telos for human flourishing, which orients the virtues necessary for responsible leadership. In addition, this vision contextualizes human attempts to build virtuous business communities by situating these attempts within the framework of God’s redeeming activity.