This was a question posed by CNN this morning. It has been asked of other belief systems before. Does being a Christian make you a better leader, or a better spouse? Does being Jewish make you a better businessperson? Does being (fill in the faith of your choice here) make you a better (fill in your choice of a desirable skill or job here)?

I believe that being a person of faith first and foremost makes you a better person. While faith traditions vary, one commonality is the belief that there is a spiritual dimension to life, that the immediate the material is not all that there is. Unless your belief system causes you to be more violent or less loving, it follows that as a better person, you’ll bring more to your work and position.

But I would still stop short of saying it makes you a better leader, more successful or increases your networth.

Mother Theresa was arguably one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. We should note, however, that when inquired about how she felt about her lack of material gain, recognition and financing (”think how much more you might have been able to do!”), she responded by saying, “God has called me to a ministry of mercy, not a ministry of success.”

I’m reminded of a story my stockbroker told me years ago. Someone in his office was struggling to make it as a broker. He found faith and became a top producer. I asked my friend this question: What would have happened if the broker found faith, and continued to struggle as a broker? Would you still be telling me the story?

I don’t believe in using faith primarily as a means to an end–faith as winning lotto ticket in the sky. I believe that true faith is about doing the hard work of finding out what is true, and then believing and practicing those things. Often that means not “because of” but “in spite” of our circumstances.

I don’t know why God lets some people of great faith struggle and some miserable people live large. When you start questioning God, you might want to read the book of Job. When Job goes down that path, God basically says, “Who are YOU to question ME?” Can you create life? God asks.

Consider: would you want to believe in a “god” so small you could understand him? I believe we can know God, but I don’t believe we can completey understand God. I believe in physics and I don’t completely understand that subject, and furthermore the smartest physicists don’t complete understand it either. We know a great deal about physics, but we don’t know everything. It would be a small god and limited creator indeed if my human understanding were enough to figure him out. In effect, that would make me equal to God in at least one dimension, and believing oneself to equal to God is delusional.

I think CNN could pick just about any belief system and find some high level leaders or CEOs who buy into it. Being successful doesn’t necessarily make one right or even smart.

So to me, the question of faith is more importantly about what kind of person it makes you. And being a better person is, I hope, a worthwhile goal we can all agree upon.

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