Former ServiceMaster CEO advises students, community on faith and profit-seeking

William Pollard, former CEO and chairman of one of the largest corporations in America, shared his perspectives on serving God and seeking profits for Lipscomb University students and faculty and local businesspeople at a full-day of events hosted by the College of Business on Tuesday.

 

The college’s School of Executive Education and the Hilton and Sallie Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity, hosted several events featuring Pollard, former head of the multi-billion dollar company ServiceMaster and author of The Soul of the Firm and Serving Two Masters: Reflections on God and Profit.

 

Each event focused on a different aspect of “Serving God, seeking Profit: Passing on the Legacy of Faith in the Marketplace.”

 

On Tuesday morning, the School of Executive Education hosted a breakfast for more than 50 local businesspeople. It focused on the value of mentoring in the workplace.

 

Student-focused events followed with Pollard addressing questions from a student panel and speaking at Lipscomb’s weekly all-student chapel, The Gathering.

 

“When we excel at what we do, we live out our faith in a way that cannot be ignored,” Pollard told the thousands of students gathered at chapel.

 

Pollard described for Lipscomb business students how ServiceMaster lives out its top objective – “To honor God in all we do” – by eliminating corner offices and impressive views for leadership only and by eliminating special parking spots for top management. All private offices had glass walls, to further reinforce that all people are valuable and worthy of respect.

 

Also on Tuesday, Pollard had one-on-one time with Lipscomb’s senior leadership, faculty and staff and local leaders who attended at Dean Institute dinner at the Hermitage Hotel.

 

ServiceMaster provides commercial and consumer home services through companies such as Terminix, Tru-Green Chem-Lawn, and Merry Maids. It has been recognized by Fortune magazine as the #1 service company among the Fortune 500 and has been included at the top of its list of most admired outsourcing companies.

 

A graduate of Wheaton College and Northwestern University School of Law, Pollard is the author of, and contributor to, several books on leadership and business ethics. Pollard has been recognized for his leadership in business ethics with the Hesburgh Award for Business Ethics from Notre Dame University and was recognized as an “American business leader of the 20^th Century who helped shape the way people live, work and interact” by Harvard Business School.