Books Cast Jesus, Moses as Latest Management Gurus.

ATTENTION, Larry King!

Here's a great idea for your talk show: Invite Jesus and Moses to discuss two new management books based on their actions and beliefs. Or, if you can't book them, settle for the authors -- Los Angeles-based Rabbi David Baron, author of "Moses on Management" (Pocket Books, $23), and Ken Blanchard, co-author of "Leadership by the Book" (William Morrow, $20). I'm sure they'll be happy to appear on your show together.

It's no surprise that two revered spiritual leaders have been tapped to provide modern management advice. Business-book authors have already cashed in on the views of Attila the Hun, Winnie the Pooh and W.C. Fields. Even the Dalai Lama's "Ethics for the New Millennium" hit the best-seller lists.

"The best way to teach people is by telling a story," said Blanchard, a respected San Diego-based management consultant and co-author of "One Minute Manager," "Gung Ho!" and 11 other books.

Blanchard, with co-authors Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, and Phil Hodges, managing director of the Center for FaithWalk Leadership, explain the principles of "servant leadership" by telling a scary story with a happy ending.

"Michael," a hard-driving, workaholic executive who has neglected his family, friends and spiritual life, experiences a serious heart attack. His collapse brings two longtime friends back into his life: "The Professor" (a thinly disguised Blanchard) and "The Minister" (who we can assume is Hybels).

In separate interviews, Blanchard and Baron agreed that today's supercharged business climate and round-the-clock work schedules are pushing a lot of people into seeking solace and meaning through spirituality.

"The world is less certain and predictable now," said Blanchard, during a visit to New York. (He was promoting his book when "Religion in the Workplace" was Business Week's cover story). "When there's uncertainty, people raise spiritual issues."

It's no surprise that business books based on the teachings of religious leaders are climbing the charts. According to a recent Gallup Organization survey, 48 percent of Americans said they had discussed religious faith at work in the past 24 hours. According to the Business Week story, there are 10,000 Bible and prayer groups meeting regularly at work. Taking an even stronger personal stand, Chick-fil-A Inc. Chief Executive S. Truett Cathy hosts a prayer service on Monday mornings, and closes his 1,000 fast-food outlets on Sundays to observe the Sabbath.

Although "Leadership by the Book" features the teachings of Jesus throughout, Blanchard said his book is not just for Christians. He and his co-authors were convinced to leave the word "Christianity" out of the manuscript based on comments from people who read the early drafts. (To thank 80 members of his upstate New York country club for reading and commenting on the book, Blanchard treated them all to dinner).

Blanchard said it was OK to mention Jesus, because he's recognized as a religious leader by many faiths. "In fact," Blanchard said, "Jesus is mentioned 75 times in the Koran."

The basic premise of the simple, 197-page story is that true leaders think of themselves as servants to their customers and employees.

"Servant leaders must get personal satisfaction from watching the growth and development of those they lead," observed the Professor on page 66.

The characters also discuss the true meaning of the word ego; which they believe stands for "edging God out."

"A big ego can't co-exist with a servant heart, because it puts concern for self ahead of serving others and pleasing God," the authors write. "You start thinking that the sheep are there for the benefit of the shepherd. And that mind-set soon begins to negatively impact the rest of your life."

Rabbi David Baron, founder of Temple Shalom for the Arts in Beverly Hills, said he started writing sermons relating the Bible to business issues as a way to reach out to members of his busy congregation. He said many people really want the companies they own or work for to reflect "values they cherish."

"The more I got into it, the more these themes resonated with business people," said Baron in an interview. Baron, who has founded several small businesses, said his book has wide appeal because Christians, Moslems and Jews all respect Moses as a spiritual leader.

The book features 50 lessons, including "asking for what you want," the way Moses asked Pharaoh to free the Jews, and ways to "bring your staff out of the slave mentality."

Baron wonders why God chose Moses for such a tough leadership role when the poor shepherd was hardly management material.

"Imagine hiring a manager whose profile reads: reluctant to lead, a stutterer, distant, prone to long mountaintop vigils, temperamental to the point of smashing corporate mission statements, strikes out instead of speaking, settles disputes through swift, violent means, and never reaches his ultimate objective."

Unlike Blanchard's book, which is written as a parable, Baron's book includes anecdotes and examples from modern managers.

Try reading both of them, even if you haven't been to church or synagogue in years.

Reporting by Robin Wallace. Jane Applegate is the author of "201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business," and is founder of ApplegateWay.com, a multimedia Web site.