James Raymond Lucas
James Raymond Lucas was born March 9, 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri. Jim's father James was a veteran of WWII where he served as a medic. After the war, he worked for the United States Postal Service before starting his own business. Jim is the eldest of 5 children, all born to his father James and mother Anna. In 1969 while on Christmas break in Kansas City with a friend from school, Jim met Pamela Petersen. The two were married in June 1972. Jim and Pam made their home in Kansas City and had four children, Laura (1975), Peter (1978), David (1984), and Bethany (1987). From 1983 until 1996, Jim was pastor of Living Faith Church, a Christian non-denominational church in Overland Park, Kansas.
Education & Credentials
Jim attended St. Louis University High School and graduated in 1968. He then enrolled at the University of Missouri, Rolla, where he was among the first graduates of the Engineering Management track in 1972. After completing his BA in Engineering Management, Jim became the first Engineering Management graduate to become a registered engineer in both Kansas and Missouri. In 2007, Jim received his Ph.D. (h.c.) in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri, Rolla. Jim has been continuously listed in the Marquis Who's Who in America (1999–Present), Marquis Who's Who in the World (1989–Present), and Marquis Who's Who in Finance and Industry (1989–Present).
Experience
Jim's corporate career began in 1972 with VF Corporation, followed by stints at Hallmark Cards where he managed projects for the Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation, Black & Veatch Corporation where he managed construction of chemical processing and power plants, and EMCI, a manufacturing firm in the aerospace and medical device fields. In 1983, Jim founded Luman Consultants International, a leadership development and cultural design consulting firm whose mission is "Building Passionate, Thinking, Pure-Performance Organizations." In the 1990s, Jim became an award-winning senior faculty member for the American Management Association, where he taught their premier course, the Course for Presidents. Jim is the overall highest-rated faculty member in the history of the AMA. In the early 2000s, Jim taught Master's courses in Leadership at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. In 2006, in addition to his role as President and CEO of Luman Consultants International, Jim became the President of EMCI which he had previously managed in the mid 1980's.
In his work at Luman Consultants International, Jim has worked extensively with a wide range of industries and companies.
Published works
Jim is the author of 19 books. His first book Weeping in Ramah (out of print), a fictional story that deals with the ethical dilemmas inherent in medicine, was published in 1985. The Parenting of Champions was published in 1990, and Noah: Voyage to a New Earth in 1991. Proactive Parenting was released in 1993, and Walking through the Fire was published in 1996.
In 1997, Jim's first business book Fatal Illusions: Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that can Keep Your Business from Success was published by Amacom Publishers. Balance of Power followed Fatal Illusions in 1998.
Jim's award-winning book, now in its 5th printing, The Passionate Organization: Igniting the Fire of Employee Commitment was published in 1999. The Library Journal says of the book "In the face of nonstop newness and constant changes, Lucas, president of Luman Consultants and faculty member of the American Management Association, instructs readers on how to find and inspire passionate employees who focus on diversity, originality, and feistiness. These workers must also share deeply held core values, mutual trust, and a common vision. Real-world stories and practical strategies illustrate passion from a business perspective as a "hard" skill. Lucas lists ten clues to whether workers are passionate about their company and their desire to make a difference. He tells how to align organizational goals with employee passions, pick and prepare passionate employees, and cut the deadwood or nonbelievers. This unique and thought-provoking book walks a fine line, daring to be spiritual while not treading on employees' religious beliefs. Lucas really believes that 'the game is people and the formula for winning it is involvement.'"
In 2001, Jim returned to the topic of ethics with his novel A Perfect Persecution, followed in 2003 by a new parenting book, 1001 Ways to Connect with Your Kids. His 2003 book Am I the One guides teens through the process of finding a person to marry. Also released in 2003, The Paradox Principle of Parenting tackles the "both-and" questions of raising children.
At the end of 2003, Jim's award-winning book on faith, Knowing the Unknowable God: How Faith Thrives on Divine Mystery was released by Waterbrook Press.
In 2005, Jim returned to his business writings with his academic book published by Praeger, Broaden the Vision and Narrow the Focus: Managing in a World of Paradox. The book received strong reviews from a variety of sources. Jim joined Wes Cantrell, former CEO of Lanier Business Systems, to write High Performance Ethics: 10 Timeless Principles for Next-Generation Leadership in 2007.
Beginning in 2009, Jim Lucas and Phil Hotsenpiler began a collaboration to write an 8 book series, Passionate Lives and Leaders. This series explores the four underlying facets that Jim believes are necessary for a business to achieve pure performance, and includes stories and commentary by dozens of high-profile leaders. The first two books were released by Quintessential Books in 2009, The Passion Principle and The Attraction Principle. Books three and four, The Thinking Principle and The Paradox Principle, were released in April 2010.