Dare Great Things For Christ

In his letter to Persons In The World, St. Francis de Sales writes admirable advice for those whose vocation it is to live in the world but not be of it.  For some Christians involving ourselves in the world is a distraction and others disparage the vocation of business as a temptation that could threaten one’s salvation.  But it was not so for St. Francis de Sales.  On the contrary, he encourages...

St. Francis de Sales was the Bishop of Geneva in the early 1600’s.  He wrote many wonderful texts of spirituality and is considered a Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church.  He also wrote many letters, especially to people who were in the world, that is, lay faithful who were entrusted with the charges of family, business, and politics.  These letters are treasures of wisdom and spirituality, and we...

Let’s face it, most of our thoughts about leadership position leaders as folks on the top.  People who have pushed the envelope and have succeeded against great odds.  Is there anything to say for those who have not gone to the top?  People who for one reason or another are in second place.  In the life of John the Baptist we can’t help noticing that Jesus did not call him to be an Apostle.  In fa...

Anyone who leads in today’s world knows how important it is to stay in the middle.  After all if we want to have impact in our world we have to belong to it.  And yet are there times when witness is necessary?  Or at least an invitation to go deeper than our customary ways?  In the life of St. John the Baptist we have the example of someone who was extraordinarily successful in his leadership and...

The life of St. John the Baptist is a study in detachment.  From forsaking the goods of this earth and the relationships of natural human society to going without in his many forms of asceticism to finally letting go to his own claim to glory and his own claim to his disciples.  St. John the Baptist was poor in spirit.  And yet his influence was extremely powerful. What is the connection between h...

Leadership puts us in the spotlight.  Like it or not, leaders are out in front.  If we follow the ways of the world, the natural prominence of leadership can result in negative consequences like arrogance and self conceit.  It was just the opposite, however, for St. John the Baptist.  He used his prominence to promote Christ and he learned how to make himself disappear behind the glory of the one...

Most of us know the figure of John the Baptist but not all of us our familiar with his actual message.  At the heart of John the Baptist’s proclamation was the phrase “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  What does it mean to repent and how is this essential to our leadership today?  In this third part of our series on the bold leadership of John the Baptist, we explore the meaning and...

Like it or not being in a position of leadership means being at the forefront of change.  In many ways this can be intimidating, but if we look at it from a point of view of faith and a call from God the prospects given to us by leadership are exhilarating.  We can stand for and do amazing things, things that other people only dream of doing.  In many ways being a leader calls on us to be like Joh...

Amongst all the history of great leaders inspired by faith surely St. John the Baptist is at the top of the list.  Not only was his life recorded in sacred scripture as an example to us all but his leadership provides an amazing model for all of us who seek to serve God by the power and influence He has given us.  In this first of our series treating the bold leadership of John the Baptist we look...

Prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body, therefore, prayer is essential to everybody.  But even more so to those who will lead, who play a position that comes to them from God in our world.  Without a doubt each of us has their own way to pray and express their hearts to God, but the Catholic tradition holds many devotions which can help us to find discipline and regularity in our pray...

At its essence leadership is a question of vision and vision at its heart is a matter of creativity.   Although not always comfortable being in charge of an operations means finding an answer no matter what.  Great leaders do this in extraordinary ways.  But getting to the heart of how to innovate and find new answers means getting to the heart of the human person and their freedom and this is why...

Accepting to lead in the footsteps of Christ means extending the power of His salvific redemption into our world through our work.  In brief this means bringing healing bringing peace and doing good in a world that needs it.  Seeing our work in this light makes our occupations a mission and makes our duties and instrument of God’s peace.  One way we do that is by helping the people around us to gr...

Leadership is not done in a vacuum.  In fact the cultural situation we find ourselves in often influences the decisions we have to make.  This is why it is so important for Christian leaders to always remember the importance of their role as leaders in a world that is marked by sin.  In today’s episode, the second of our series of Leaders In A Broken World we develop the importance of Christian le...

Trying to improve our leadership requires a lot from us.  It requires study and thought and development of our skills.  But sometimes in the midst of all that we can forget why we’re called to lead in the first place.  What’s God’s plan for our leadership?  Why would he call us to do what we’re doing anyway?  Certainly there are many great answers to these questions but none strike as profoundly a...

When we are in a position of leadership law can sometimes seem cumbersome.  And as Christian leaders we’ve developed our sense of autonomy and freedom and love to the point where many of us wonder why do we need rules in the church at all?  Sometimes it can be tempting to say, “those in charge make the rules” and that’s why the life of our Lord can be disconcerting.  Because he followed the law. ...

The Christian tradition has always recommended that a minister of the gospel live a life of material simplicity.  Such a life would guarantee the virtues necessary for proclaiming the gospel in purity.  But what does the Church have to say for those engaged in the public sphere of commerce?  If a business leader tries to evangelize with their business or in the context of their leadership are they...

When we assume a role of leadership we set ourselves apart from the people that we lead.  By definition the leader is at the top or first in line.  And leaders in general play positions in society where power is a part of their lives.  But what do we do as Christians?  Shouldn’t we be the same as every other Christian?  And what if our position of leadership brings us a little too close to the wor...

All of us know that leadership is a demanding thing.  Physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Anyone who stands in front of the crowd and points the right direction will take a beating.  And yet strangely this is exactly what God asks us to do.  Maybe it’s for this reason that our Lord himself took times to rest.  In this second part of our series on Leadership Lessons From the...

Without a doubt leadership requires us to engage other people.  Whether it be in networking for new partnerships or interviewing new employees, we live an active life.  For many Christians this is problematic.  We can sometimes feel that being a leader and being active means that we can’t be as contemplative and prayerful as we should be.  In this lesson of leadership coming from St. Thomas Aquina...

Few saints exemplify the power of Catholic leadership more than a simple Italian nun named St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.  Although plagued with bad health and many restrictions in her life she found a way to be incredibly productive founding schools, orphanages, and hospitals on four continents.  She teaches us to overcome whatever lies in our way as we pursue God’s will – sharing with us her person...

Regardless of our positions and responsibilities communication is always a challenge.  How did the saints communicate when they needed to?  In today’s episode on Leadership Lessons From The Saints, I look at St. Patrick.  Not only did he manage to communicate foreign ideas to his audience, but he did so in a way that was persuasive.  He managed to do something with his communication that all of us...

Theodore Roosevelt said, “People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  It’s a fact that leadership is something that followers bequeath to the one that leads them.  Meaning that we who lead in the footsteps of Christ have to gain the trust of those whom we are leading.  Few saints embody this better than St. Joan of Arc.  She literally lead troops into battle.  Becau...

Anyone charged with leadership has to constantly confront difficulty.  In fact any leader will tell you that problems are their playing field.  But confronting difficulty and challenge is not always easy.  It takes courage and bravery.  Pope Leo the Great, the Bishop of Rome from 440 AD to 461 AD, gives us an example of tremendous courage in the face of controversy.  The example he gives in his da...

Leading with daring might sound glorious but in practice it’s actually difficult to define.  How do we know when our daring is not rationale?  And where can we look to find the surety that we need to dare great thing for Christ?  In this fourth Leadership Lessons From The Saints we take a look at some of the comments by Jose Maria Escrivá.  Not only did St. Jose Maria dare something great for Chri...

Of the many saints we could hope to emulate, Pope John Paul II stands apart for his excellence in leadership.  Not only was he Pope of the Catholic Church at a very difficult time in church and world history but his twenty-six year long pontificate was marked by incredible achievements, changes, and unique global impact.  In this third of our series on Leadership Lessons From The Saints we unpack...