Mike Seashols works long and hard in a world filled with people determined to collect as many of those props as they can to affirm their power and success. So why does he do it? Why does he keep working even though he is wealthy enough to devote his days to studying the Bible, traveling with his family, serving his community?
"I want to help the people I work with become successes in every possible way," he says. "The culture of a company starts at the top. It reflects the style of the leader. You have to use humility, create a motivating environment, mentor as well as manage."
They are words the late Bob Miner might have spoken, even during Oracle's most severe ordeals. Yet they bear the stamp of Seashols's personal experiences and his own voice. He pauses. This is important to him. He's making a case for himself, for his principles and the company he is molding to reflect those principles. This is why he keeps working rather than doing the Lord's work full time. This is the Lord's work.
"To suggest I haven't changed would be untrue," he says. "I hope I have changed. I hope to continue to improve as a person. I hope I will learn how to share more in financial terms, career terms, knowledge, exposure to new ideas, the 'footprints in the sand' types of issues that will outlive us all."
There are certain things that don't change, however. Every year, Mike and Suzanne call a meeting with their sons Matt and Peter. Together, they review the family budget and determine how much their annual income exceeds their needs. It is a substantial amount, which is then divided four ways.
"We each allocate our shares according to what we believe in," Seashols says. The beneficiaries have been their church, neighborhood crisis centers, the Salvation Army, environmental causes. The list is long and diverse.
"If there is an argument for accumulating wealth, then this is it," he says. "I don't feel bad at all. I feel contented. It's freeing."
"Tom Siebel"
"Mike Seashols"
"Kathryn Gould"
"Jay Verkler"
"Oracle Intermission"
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