In my many years of practice, I have heard dozens of times management experts list the qualities of great leaders. However, frank discussions about the ills of leadership are rare. It turned out that the Pope of Rome had more determination to start this difficult discussion. He understands that we all have our inclinations and habits — many of which do us no credit. But leaders are more in demand, as their status makes their ailments much more widespread.
The Catholic Church is a bureaucratic machine, a hierarchical structure populated by good but imperfect souls. In that sense, it is not very different from your organization. That is why the advice of the Pope is useful for any leader.
With this in mind, I spent several hours translating the Pope’s address into the language of management. (I don’t know if there is any prohibition against paraphrasing the Pope’s statements, but not being a Catholic, I’ll still take the risk.)
Pope Francis does not hide the fact that he intends to radically reform the administrative structures of the Catholic Church, which he considers far from life, unjustifiably powerful and bureaucratically blinkered. He understands that in our fast-paced world, leaders who are narcissistic and closed to the outside world create serious problems for any organization.
On the eve of the past Christmas, the Pope addressed the leaders of the Roman Curia — the cardinals and other church hierarchs, whose tasks include managing the intricate network of administrative bodies of the church. The Pope did not beat around the bush, but told his colleagues directly: modern leaders are subject to a whole range of shortcomings that interfere with their work — for example, pride, intolerance, myopia and pettiness. When left untreated, these ailments weaken the entire organization. To maintain the moral health of the church, we need healthy leaders.
So here’s what the Pope (roughly) said.
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