Boaz in the Boardroom: Why Benevolence is Your New Competitive Advantage

I’ve spent years in boardrooms where the air was so thick with ego you could cut it with a dull knife.

I’ve seen the Fortune 500 machines grind people into dust. I’ve sat through the "engagement surveys" that everyone knows are a joke. And I’m here to tell you: it’s a waste of time. It’s inefficient. It’s bad business.

Yes, I had my aha moment.

It didn’t happen while I was staring at a spreadsheet or auditing a multi-billion dollar balance sheet: though I’ve done plenty of that. It happened when I realized that the most successful, high-impact teams I’ve ever led (or served in, back in my Army days) weren’t held together by KPIs or quarterly bonuses. They were held together by something much older and much more powerful.

They were led by people who understood the heart of a leader.

I call it the BOAZ framework. And today, I want to talk about the first and most misunderstood part of that acronym: Benevolence.

The Boardroom Void

Let’s be real. Most corporate cultures treat "benevolence" like a four-letter word. It sounds soft. It sounds like something you save for your Sunday morning service, not your Monday morning stand-up.

But here’s the truth: your people are starving for it.

They are tired of being treated like "human capital" or "resources." They are tired of leaders who only care about what they can produce, not who they are. My urges to speak up about this weren't gas: they were a calling. I realized that if we don’t change the way we lead, we aren’t just losing productivity. We’re losing people’s souls.

We need a new model. We need to bring Boaz into the boardroom.

What is BOAZ?

For those who haven't heard me speak on this yet, BOAZ is the blueprint for the modern leader. It’s the framework I’m laying out in my upcoming book, and it stands for:

• B – Benevolence

• O – Ownership

• A – Advocacy

• Z – Zeal

Today, we’re focusing on the bookends that make everything else work: Benevolence and Advocacy.

B is for Benevolence: More Than Just "Nice"

Benevolence isn’t just being a "nice guy." Nice guys finish last because they lack backbone. A benevolent leader, however, finishes first because they build a culture of loyalty that money can’t buy.

In the corporate world, benevolence means having a genuine, active desire to do good for your team. It’s not just a feeling; it’s an action. It’s about removing obstacles. It’s about mentoring someone even when there’s nothing in it for you. It’s about solving their problems before they even have to ask.

Research actually backs this up (for my fellow accounting nerds who need the data). Studies show that benevolent leadership is strongly correlated with affective commitment. That’s a fancy way of saying your employees actually like coming to work and feel an emotional attachment to the company.

When you show benevolence, you trigger what we call Social Exchange Theory. You give care; they give effort. You give support; they give loyalty. It’s not a transaction: it’s a relationship. And relationships are the key driver for growth and efficiency in the workplace.

A is for Advocacy: The Backbone of Trust

If Benevolence is the heart, Advocacy is the backbone.

You cannot have a high-performing culture if your team doesn't feel safe. And they won't feel safe unless they know you have their back.

Advocacy means using your positional power to speak and act on behalf of those who can’t. It’s standing up for your team in the face of unfair workloads. It’s fighting for that promotion they earned but "the system" is trying to delay. It’s being their voice in the room where decisions are made.

I’ve seen too many "leaders" who are quick to take the credit and even quicker to pass the blame. That’s not leadership; that’s cowardice. A Boaz leader advocates. They protect. They provide.

When you advocate for your people, you create psychological safety. And when people feel safe, they take risks. They innovate. They tell you the truth when something is going wrong instead of hiding it until the building is on fire.

[Placeholder: Lionel's Story]

(Lionel, here is where we’ll insert your personal story from your veteran days or your time at a Fortune 500 company. I want to hear about a moment where you had to choose between the "easy" corporate path and the "benevolent/advocating" path for a teammate. That real-world proof is what makes this concept hit home!)

Why This is Your New Competitive Advantage

I know what some of you are thinking. "Lionel, this sounds great, but I have a business to run. I have targets to hit."

I hear you. I’ve been there. I’ve managed the books and the bottom lines.

But here’s the secret: A healthy culture is more productive than a toxic one.

When you lead with benevolence and advocacy, you aren’t just "being a good person." You are building a high-efficiency machine.

• Reduced Turnover: People don’t quit jobs; they quit bad leaders. If you advocate for them, they won’t want to leave.

• Increased Engagement: When employees feel cared for, they don’t just do the bare minimum. They go above and beyond.

• Better Problem Solving: Teams that trust their leader collaborate better. They help each other out. They share knowledge instead of hoarding it.

Efficiency isn’t just about faster software or leaner processes. It’s about the speed of trust.

Developing the World Changer Within

My mission at Lionel Moses is simple: I want to help you develop the "World Changer that lives within."

You weren’t meant to just punch a clock and climb a ladder. You were meant to make an impact. And that impact starts with how you treat the person sitting in the cubicle next to you or the team reporting to you on Zoom.

Every time you choose to be benevolent, you change the world. Every time you advocate for someone who is being overlooked, you change the world.

Leading like Boaz isn’t a strategy for the weak. It’s a strategy for the bold. It requires you to be vulnerable, to be consistent, and to put others before yourself. It’s the "heart of leadership" as an art form.

Resign from the Status Quo

Are you ready to stop managing and start leading?

The corporate world is changing. The old ways of command-and-control are dying. People are searching for practical ways to grow, to find passion in their roles, and to be part of something that matters.

You can be the leader who gives them that.

If you’re feeling stuck in your current role, or if you’re a business owner looking to transform your internal culture and reduce workplace stress, let’s talk. I offer coaching and training sessions designed to help you increase productivity while boosting morale. We’ll dive deep into these levity techniques and leadership facets together.

It’s time to bring Boaz into your boardroom. It’s time to become the World Changer you were born to be.

Are you in?

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Want to dive deeper into building healthy relationships, both in the office and at home? Check out my book, The Marriage Seed, or stay tuned for more in our BOAZ series.