Do Mormons Make Better Managers?

An article today in Bloomberg Businessweek carried this provocative headline and the following: “Many highly successful leaders—such as presidential candidate Mitt Romney, JetBlue founder David Neeleman, Credit Suisse CEO Eric Varvel, and former Harvard B-School dean Kim Clark—are Mormons. The key, experts say, is the church’s highly involved managerial structure and the two-year overseas missions on which young Mormons learn self-reliance, organizational skills, and a global perspective. ‘The mission is like a crucible experience [and] a lot of people come out with the capacity to lead,’ Clark says.”

This headline certainly got my attention, perhaps because I think religious faith is important. But as I read the brief write-up, it seemed to confirm an observation I have had for some time from the world of pharmacy: Residency-trained pharmacists are better leaders. I wonder if a pharmacy residency could be like a “crucible experience.” Is this one more reason why we should suggest that graduating pharmacy students should do a residency if they can? I think so, what do you think?