Written by “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues”. –Confucius
“If you lead, or aspire to lead, people in an organization, then you must make many assessments every day. Think of the job you have right now. Before deciding to join your organization, you had to assess the company or organisation – the location , pay package, and opportunity for advancement. However, it is unlikely that any of the assessments that you made – or continue to make – are more important than the assessments you make of people. That is the Pope Francis imperative; people first, and then everything else follows”.
Jeffrey A Krames is a bestselling author and has written; Lead with Humility. This is a book about Pope Francis leadership style. The author translates the popes key issues as well as his ideas and practices into practical tactics which anyone can copy.
Pope Francis is a great man with a big heart and is a leader among leaders, and has also proven that he is a man of the people. Francis makes us aware that we need to understand that leaders lead people and not institutions. Francis; “Unfortunately, too few people understand this in an increasingly impersonal, high-tech working environment”
Krames, makes us aware that fewer leaders roam the halls of our largest corporations as well as setting positive examples of effective leadership. Pope Francis is a great example with his unique leadership style in action and his genuineness which people can see from the Pope.
Kramer; “However, leadership is not about perfection; it is about espousing a new vision and getting others to live that vision. In that respect, Pope Francis has been incredibly successful. Peter Drucker would call him a ‘natural’, a ‘born’ leader”.
Pope Francis would be the last person to call himself a natural leader or a born leader, such self-praise would be completely out of character for him.
Krames refers to a Harvard Business Review blog post that makes us aware of the amount of scores of books, articles, and studies that warn us of the perils of hubris – and yet the attribute of humility seems to be neglected. The blog post inform us that the attribute of humility seems to be neglected; in leadership development programs; “Perhaps this owes to some feeling that humility would hold a leader back, these mavericks and sui generic leaders who dislike being restrained” Others may feel they are humble enough, and many might feel that humility can’t be taught or learned. “You have it or you don’t, so reading a book on it would not add to their ‘humility quotient’.
Krames refers to what Bergoglio wrote before becoming pope; “If we can develop a truly humble attitude, we can change the world”. Krames; “And he misses no opportunity to show that a person can never be too humble and that people can learn to be more humble.
Leadership is all about people stuff. A key element of a leader is to set goals and create performance indicators. The employees should be empowered to solve problems as well as achieving results. This will enable innovation and create trust. A prerequisite of a leader, is an open dialogue with their employees to clarify what goals are, and equally important, what they are not. Open communication will help visualize the expectancy the leader has of the employees and avoid misunderstanding. ( My blog)
Francis; “We have to be humble, but with real humility, from head-to-toe”.
Here are some of Francis important leadership lessons;
– The first one if you are fortunate to be a leader, do not to use your position for selfish reasons.
– Do not signalize to workers or colleagues that you are above them
– Move out of your corner office to an inside office or even a cubicle
Krames; “Engaging people in an in-depth conversation is near the top of Pope Francis’s leadership to-do list. Bergoglio; “Dialogue is born from a respectful attitude toward the other person, from a conviction that the other person has something good to say. It supposes that we can make room in our heart for their point of view, their opinion, and their proposals. Dialogue entails a warm reception and not a preemptive condemnation. To dialogue, one must know how to lower the defences, to open the door’s of one’s home and to offer warmth”.
Kramer makes us aware of Bergoglio’s pragmatism which makes him capable of understanding the roadblocks to successful communication. “There are many barriers in everyday life that impede dialogue; misinformation, gossip, prejudices, defamation, and slander.”
Warren Bennis; “Leaders come in every size, shape, and disposition-short, tall, neat, sloppy, young, old, male, and female. Nevertheless, they all seem to share some, if not all, of the following ingredients; The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision, passion, integrity, trust, curiosity and daring.
Integrity in Bennis mind, consists of three essential parts; self-knowledge, candor, and maturity.
Bennis; “Know thyself, was the inscription over the Oracle at Delphi. And it is still the most difficult task any of us faces. But until you truly know yourself, strenghts and weaknesses, know what you want to do and why you want to do it, you cannot succeed in any but the most superficial sense of the word”.
Inclusion means leaving no one behind. In todays world, people works together with people from different cultures, and you have to adapt to each other. Many organizations has a challenge in getting better to open up for inclusion. “Leaving no one behind” is the essence of Francis.
Krames;” That is the difference between Pope Francis and so many other leaders in our society. Leaders in government and business often say something because they know that it is what various constituencies want to hear. But when Francis says something, he speaks from the truth of personal experience, and he operates not by appealing to influential minorities but by empowering the people he serves”.
Humility in leadership is all about their people.
Human self-understanding changes with time, and so also human consciousness deepens. Pope Francis
Inger Lise E. Greger, MSc. Change Management
Leadership Challenges 