How ‘Superhabits’ Can Supercharge a Business

Andrew Abela is the founding dean and ordinary professor of marketing at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. He previously worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a brand manager at Procter and Gamble. He has spent the past 22 years in academia and is the author of a new book, Superhabits: The Universal System for a Successful Life, published by Sophia Institute Press. He has also been a member of Legatus’ Northern Virginia Chapter for 25 years.

Tell us about the Busch School.

The Busch School was founded in 2013. Even though we are relatively new, we have already established a firm reputation as the best faithfully Catholic business school in the country—if not in the world. We have approximately 750 students, mostly undergraduates, and our next major step is to launch an MBA program.

What inspired you to write Superhabits?

I realized that it’s not enough for our students to know the principles for how to be good in business—where by “good,” we mean both effective and ethical. It’s not enough to know those principles—they have to be in the habit of living those principles. And this is true of business people across the country and around the world: it’s not enough to know the right thing to do; you also have to be in the habit of doing it. Otherwise, when temptation arises, it’s too easy to give in.

What are some examples of these “superhabits”?

Practical wisdom, or prudence, is the superhabit of making wise decisions.
Justice is the superhabit of treating everyone fairly and respecting their dignity.
Courage, or fortitude, is the superhabit of moving forward even though you might be afraid.
Self-discipline, or temperance, is the superhabit of following your desires only when it makes sense to do so.

Each of these also has a number of related or allied virtues. For example, the virtue of courage is closely related to perseverance and resilience.

Why would these be important to business executives?

The virtues, in effect, are principles of living a good life turned into habits. Too many people—even some well-formed, faithful Catholics—don’t realize that a virtue is not just generic goodness; it’s a specific habit of excellence, like courage, self-discipline, and justice.

When you and your employees are in the habit of being self-disciplined, courageous, and just, then your business becomes more productive and ethical.

How do these habits correlate not only to leadership skills but also to an executive’s faith life?

I think business leaders and their employees would benefit tremendously from these superhabits because they aren’t just about morality—they’re about all of human excellence. The superhabit of courage, for example, isn’t just a moral habit. It’s also the right thing to do for the business, because businesses don’t grow if people aren’t courageous. The same applies to self-discipline, justice, and so on.

What these habits do is intrinsically bring your faith and your work together. To live the Christian life is to live the virtues. And to be a successful businessperson or entrepreneur is also to live the virtues.

How many long-term successful businesspeople do you know who are not self-disciplined, courageous, good decision-makers, or fair with their employees and customers?

Are there any major themes you’d like Legatus members who read your book to take away?

The single biggest contribution we can make as business leaders is to form our employees in virtue. It will make our businesses more productive and competitive—and also help our employees become better citizens. It’s a kind of pre-evangelization.