By Joan Garvin

John L. Hennessy, president of Stanford University, spoke on how his religion and his core values inform his personal and professional life to an overflow audience at St. Nicholas Church in Los Altos last Thursday.

Hennessy succinctly defined his job: It’s about making decisions — difficult ones that can affect hundreds, even thousands; complex ones; those with long-term effects; and those that will disappoint someone. He said that few decisions get to the president level that don’t involve someone getting disappointed, which adds stress and challenge. A new dimension, not experienced in his previous leadership positions, has been the attacks on his personal character, not only on his judgment.

How does one make these critical decisions? After seeking the counsel of family (especially his wife Andrea), friends and staff, “In the end, (you have to) rely on core values. What won’t you sacrifice to avoid controversy?” Hennessy said.

“Integrity and honesty are fundamental for me. Once you make your mind up, stick to it,” he said. “Have the courage to say no to a colleague or employee.”

Hennessy roused the audience when he credited an unexpected source for teaching these values. “(I) first learned that from an elephant. Horton (’Horton Hatches the Egg,’ 1940) said, ‘I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. And an elephant’s faithful 100 percent.’”

Respect for people and their desire and right to be heard — even by the president — is important for Hennessy. He has an open-door policy for his office and his e-mail.

Social justice enters into every decision. The challenge of providing equity between the lowest-paid employee and the highest, compounded by the idealism of students and the long-term perspective, recently split the campus. “The university needed to take a stand. They instituted the living wage policy ensuring that everyone has some opportunities,” Hennessy said.

He allocated a major portion of the evening to questions, which ranged from how to ensure a 1-year-old will get into Stanford to ethical problems concerning stem cell research.

“The questions were insightful and worthy of attention,” St. Nicholas Spiritual Life Committee Co-chairwoman Mitzi Konevich said. “Dr. Hennessy fielded them with grace, poise and honesty.”

His advice about career choices: “Make a difference; make the world a better place. … Find something you love, not just a job, something that gets you out of bed Saturday morning.”

In response to a question about how Stanford teaches morality, Hennessy repeated what he tells parents: “If you haven’t taught them ethics and values by this time, it’s too late. Stanford can offer them a safe place for the next step.”

His respect for hard work as a fundamental core value came from an encounter with his high school math teacher, an Ursuline nun, who told him, “Johnny, you have a good mind but are a lazy boy.” He said she was right and he changed.

Hennessy’s Catholic high school education exposed him “not only to a greater understanding of my own faith but also other faiths and doctrines.” That background is tremendously useful in our diverse society, he said.