Corporatology 003: James vs. The Corporate Ladder

“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” — James 2:1
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” — James 2:8

Beyond ambiguity, there's another undercurrent vernacular of Corporate America. The language of the deep, like when Ariel hunted for human things... an undertow.
It's not in the handbook — but we all know it. It's whispered in conference rooms, embedded in performance reviews, and written between the lines of who gets access.

Favoritism is the unofficial equity of the workplace. The social capital.

But we don’t call it by that name - its proper name -
we call it visibility, potential, culture fit, executive presence, star talent.

A curated vocabulary designed to ease the conscience while keeping the hierarchy intact. Ave Hierarchia.

But James?
James calls it what it is — a violation of love.

If you didn’t grow up in church — which I didn't — or if your only Bible exposure was the Gideon New Testament in a hotel drawer once upon a time — here’s what you need to know: James was Jesus's half-brother... but he did not believe Jesus was the Son of God… until after the resurrection. (I mean, I'd never for a single second believe any of my brothers if they tried to convince me they’re God? As if, right?!)

Yet, when Jesus rose from the dead, James went from family skeptic to full-on believer. Not just a believer — a leader.
He eventually became the head of the church in Jerusalem.
Think: wise, steady, respected… a Chief Spiritual Officer (CSO) of the early church.

The book of James is his letter — short, practical, and sharp as paper.

It’s blunt.
It’s not pixies and posies.
It’s not theory and brains.
It’s not “thoughts and prayers”.

James writes like someone who has seen the real thing and won’t settle for counterfeit. Which makes his warning about favoritism bloody my mouthy lip.

The kicker is that human behavior hasn’t changed one bit. We haven't changed in thousands of years, no matter the fancy tech, tide pods, or masked up masks we don.

And certainly not since James wrote to the early church, not since Jesus sat with the overlooked.

The outfits may be different, the org charts more complex, the language more corporate — but the heart issues are identical.

The System elevates the shiny ones — the charismatic, the connected, the effortlessly impressive.

Meanwhile, the quiet ones —
the steady, the unseen, the ones carrying the real weight —
work twice as hard for half the acknowledgment.

In the Corporate Gospel, value is assigned.
In the Kingdom, value is intrinsic.

James draws the line so clearly:
If your honor is selective, your love is not love.

Field Note 003

Last year, I finally let myself believe that love and work don’t have to live in separate worlds. I stepped away from the hypercritical review style The System trained me for and wrote assessments that sounded like actual humanity. Bravo — you worked your tail off, and I see you. Scripture says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8). I decided that meant my team, too.

Marcus Buckingham’s Love & Work confirmed what Scripture already said; Somewhere along the way, the workplace declared love “unprofessional,” as if caring was a liability (wait, I thought we were 'family'?).
But - come on, guys - people build corporations, and people are made in the image of a God who is Love (1 John 4:8).

Remove love from the workplace, and you remove our very design. You dismiss our very nature. You make success mechanical instead of meaningful.

I tried to lead with love even when it wasn’t the norm, even when expectations from above said “be efficient, not emotional.” I stepped outside those unspoken boundaries. I kept choosing love because my team needed more than productivity—they needed presence.

Leading with love looked like simple things: saying good morning, checking on people, connecting with them as actual humans - learning their favorite movie or superhero or Hogwarts House (Hufflepuff for life) or how they take their burger.
It looked like making room for real life, protecting margin, creating pockets of joy, insisting on breaks, or playing a near-violent game of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza during lunch.

Make no mistake, love isn't fragile or soft or some kind of wishy washy simple path - it's tough, gritty, and entirely on purpose.

And here's the truth James keeps whispering through the centuries:
Favoritism fractures, but love restores.
Partiality shrinks people; love expands them.
Detachment may keep a leader safe, but love makes a team whole.

I wasn’t perfect. I’m human. I had favorites. But I learned this: even imperfect love produces healthier teams than flawless detachment ever will.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” — 1 Corinthians 8:1

Reconcile the Expense

• Nearly 90% of employees say they’ve observed favoritism at work.
  (Forbes, Apr 2025)
• 43% of employees report that favoritism has influenced promotions, raises, or recognition. (ASE, Mar 2024)
• Favoritism and nepotism consistently correlate with lower job satisfaction, reduced organizational commitment, and higher turnover intention.
  (JLLS, 2023)
• Favoritism increases knowledge-hiding behaviors and reduces psychological capital (optimism, resilience, confidence), weakening long-term workforce sustainability. (MDPI, 2022)
• Employees with personal or hometown ties to decision-makers were twice as likely to be promoted, even when performance was controlled.
  (Cullen & Pakzad-Hurson, 2018)

How to Lead Without Favoritism

A Checklist for the Courageously Compassionate

⬜ 1. Audit Your Lens

“God does not show favoritism.” — Romans 2:11
Before you lead people, examine your lens.
Bias isn’t always loud — sometimes it’s who we overlook.

⬜ 2. Reject Optics, Choose Insight

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at… the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7
The world values polished, loud, impressive.
Look past performance optics and see the actual person.

⬜ 3. Let Love Level

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” — James 2:8
Favoritism sorts people into useful and inconvenient.
Love refuses to categorize.

⬜ 4. Elevate the Overlooked

“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith?” — James 2:5
God builds with the ones the world underestimates.

⬜ 5. Interrupt the Hurry

“Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak…” — James 1:19
Speed produces partiality.
Slow down. Notice who’s shrinking in the room.

⬜ 6. Default with Honor

“Show proper respect to everyone.” — 1 Peter 2:17
Praise publicly. Correct privately.
Listen without rushing.

⬜ 7. Break the Closed-Door Culture

“Believers… must not show favoritism.” — James 2:1
Bring people into meetings they’ve never been invited to.
A guarded table is corporate.
An open table is Kingdom.

⬜ 8. Break the Bias

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” — James 2:13
When you catch favoritism in yourself — shut it down.
Apologize. Adjust. Make room.

⬜ 9. Lead Like Jesus, Not Like the System

“In humility, value others above yourselves.” — Philippians 2:3
Jesus washed feet, sat with sinners, and welcomed the least impressive.
Let that become your operating system.

⬜ 10. Work Your Faith

“Faith without works is dead.” — James 2:26
Equality is not a sentiment — it’s a discipline.
Small choices build holy culture: who you greet, who you mentor, who you invest in, who you defend.
Do the work of love.

Lessons Learned

Favoritism is as common as dishes in the sink.

And I've seen it everywhere. No industry is exempt.
I've seen others be the favorite, I've been the favorite, and I've had my favorites.
Hey, I'm human... favorites are pretty normal, especially the ones you vibe with just a bit more than others... maybe you'd even be friends outside of the office.
The problem arises when you see others get paid more, recognized more, and more and more and more and more simply because of who they're connected to. That dual perspective changes you. It sobers you. It makes James’ words feel less ancient and more like a mirror: “Believers… must not show favoritism.” (James 2:1)

How the heck do we simmer down?

In a high-pressure environment, “easy” can masquerade as wisdom. But Scripture pushes back: God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), and leadership must do the same. Even when I tried to balance it out — checking on everyone, being intentional, keeping the optics clean — some people likely didn’t trust me. Favoritism, even accidental, leaves a shadow.

Watching those moremoremore people get opportunities, promotions, and salaries that didn’t match their output but matched their proximity... that kind of partiality is full-on slasher. It destroys morale, fractures trust, and tells people they matter less. James wasn’t being dramatic. He was naming a human pattern as old as the early church: we elevate the impressive and overlook the inconvenient. The systems have evolved, but the behavior hasn’t. Tale as old as time, innit, Mrs. Potts?

But here’s the part I keep coming back to: I still believe love and work can co-exist. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8) is the original leadership framework.

This is what James has taught me: favoritism fractures, but love — even imperfect love — heals. Leaders don’t drift into fairness. We choose it deliberately. We practice it intentionally. We say so when we miss it.
And we keep lengthening the table until everyone has room to belong: those who have been overlooked and those who overlooked us.

Internal Review

• Who do I naturally gravitate toward, and who do I quietly avoid — and why?
• Where has my speed prevented me from seeing people the way God sees them?
• How can I pursue healing instead of resentment, so I don’t repeat the same patterns when I lead?
• Where might God have been protecting me by keeping me out of certain rooms or circles?
• What practical act of love can I extend this week to someone who is not in my natural circle?
  

Action Item

We still gravitate toward the impressive. We still overlook the inconvenient. We still assign value based on comfort instead of calling. The Bible isn’t outdated; it’s uncomfortably accurate.

The one thing we all can do today is this: see someone you’ve overlooked. 
Whether favoritism is something you’ve practiced or something that’s wounded you, healing begins with choosing to see people the way God does. Slow down long enough to see the unseen, the wallflower, the quiet. Offer a word, a question, a moment of presence. Scripture says, “The Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7), and when we choose to look that way too—even imperfectly—we begin breaking the cycle.

May our leadership refuse the hierarchy of hype.
May our hearts be cleansed of subtle bias.
May our tables get bigger.
May our love get louder.
May the people with no spotlight find sanctuary in our presence.

Because favoritism is the language of the world.
But love — real love — is the language of God. 🤍