Charles P. "Chuck" Finkbiner
Charles P. "Chuck" Finkbiner has been a zealous advocate of the Lead Like Jesus movement from its earliest days — and has fostered development of a version enriched by Catholic teaching and tradition for almost as long. He was especially eager to incorporate devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to highlight the example and teaching of Pope John Paul II. That vision helped inspire Dr. Owen Phelps to begin the research needed to develop The Catholic Vision for Leading Like Jesus and to launch the Yeshua Catholic International Leadership Institute.
When it came time for the Yeshua Institute to launch its first S3 Leading Like Jesus Encounter in October 2009, Chuck decided underwrite the cost of holding it at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis, where he grew up and served as an altar boy. As a result, 84 people were able to participate in the Yeshua Institute's first Encounter. "I'm just so grateful to Little Flower and to the archdiocese for providing me with a basic faith foundation that has served me well throughout my life," he explained at the time. "After a demanding career that has taken me around the world, I recognize that there is no better way to fulfill our Catholic destiny at work, at home, in our communities and in our parishes than to learn how to lead like Jesus. I just wish this program had been available at the start of my career."
Since his early Catholic formation, Chuck has compiled an impressive record of achievements. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, he launched his business career with the Proctor & Gamble sales and marketing management team. Leadership positions followed at Champion Products, Jostens (Artex), Beatrice Foods and SPM/Dynacast. He took on the mantle as business owner in 1981 when he and two partners bought SPM, a small manufacturing plant in southern California. Starting with 50 employees, one small plant and annual revenues of $1 million, in 15 years they grew that business to 2500 employees, 15 plants around the world and annual revenues of $250 million before the firm was purchased by Dynacast. In the process, Chuck developed business relationships in South America, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and eastern and western Europe.
While traveling the world building SPM's business, he was also appointed by Governors George Deukmajean and Pete Wilson to serve two consecutive terms on the prestigious State of California Economic Advisory Board in Sacramento, CA. Chuck was appointed to the Lead Like Jesus Board of Advisors in 2003, and was invited to write a foreword to Ken Blanchard's and Phil Hodges' 2005 book, Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time. He also serves on the Yeshua Catholic International Leadership Institute's Board of Advisors.
"Working in so many different cultures around the world, I've been exposed to just about every approach to leadership there is, and I'm convinced that nothing compares to the power of Lead Like Jesus to transform our lives and the world we live in," Chuck asserts. "To finally have an explicitly Catholic approach is a dream come true for me."
"When Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, told me he had come to the conclusion that Jesus is the greatest leadership teacher and role model in history, I was really intrigued. I think of Jesus in many ways — most important as my redeemer and savior — but I had never thought of him as a leadership model. However, as Ken outlined what he had learned from the scriptures, I was convinced, and so I became an ardent advocate of the Lead Like Jesus movement."
But as an active Catholic, Finkbiner wanted to see an explicitly Catholic version of the ecumenical program developed. "I wanted to see leading like Jesus presented in the context of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and of the teachings and examples of saints, especially our Virgin Mother Mary. We Catholics also have the opportunity for daily Mass and such a rich and broad tradition of devotions, and I wanted to see all that reflected in the program," he says.
Chuck had a special place in his heart for Pope John Paul II (whom he refers to as "John Paul the Great") even before he and his wife Debbie had private audiences with him in 2002 and 2003. The couple are founding trustees of the Pope John Paul ll Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.