October 5, 2015
Biz Money
Ten leadership lessons from Pope Francis
By Lori Valigra
U.S. Sen. Angus King couldn't help sharing some of the irony — and leadership lessons — he learned when Pope Francis addressed Congress on Sept. 24.
Speaking to the Maine Development Foundation's annual meeting in Bangor the following day, King explained the origin of the word “politics.” “In Greek 'poly' means 'many,' King said. “And 'tic(k)s' means blood-sucking insects.”
He went on to spell out the 10 things he learned from the pope about leadership.
- Start with a vision.
- Communicate the vision.
- Embody the vision.
- Have empathy: King noted that after the speech to Congress, the pope visited a homeless shelter.
- Be optimistic: King noted that Napoleon said a leader is a dealer in hope.
- Be creative: King said the pope is trying to move a 2,000-year-old organization forward. One example is his talking before Congress. Said King, “I'm Episcopalian, but I told people I'm a 'Catholic-lite.'”
- Do your homework: King said, “You can't 'sub-out' thinking. You have to do it yourself.” Referring to how new popes are chosen, with heads of the church sequestered in a 14th century building with inadequate plumbing until they make a decision, and white smoke emerges from a chimney, he noted that if it were possible to lock Congress in the same conditions, “we might actually get some things done.”
- Assemble a team: King added that the secret of good leadership is to “hire good people and take credit for what they do. You have to have people on your team who will tell you when you're wrong. You have to tolerate dissent. If two of you agree all the time, one of you isn't necessary.”
- Know history: Talking to Congress, the pope referred to great leaders in history, including Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Dorothy Day, a leader of the Catholic worker movement in the early 20th century, and Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, author and philosopher. King referred to his own job as “applied history with a minor in communications.”
- Have character: King said a person's principles and inner guidance should be consistent in public and private. Leaders must be principled, but not rigid, he said. “What came through [from the pope's talk to Congress] was a person of humility, principle and honesty,” King added.
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