Episodes
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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 world and its way of thinking and acting? What did our Lord do? How did He live?
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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 Summa, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us the three different ways that Jesus rested.
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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 Aquinas I lead you in a study of his treatise on the life of Christ to glean insights there.
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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 personal motto, “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.”
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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 leaders need to do. He communicated facts in a way that moved and promoted action. So, his leadership lesson from 1600 years ago remains true today.
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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. Because they believed in her – believed in her vision and saw her courage. She led from the heart and her leadership serves as an example for us today.
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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 day can strengthen us to do the challenges in front of us each day in the office and in the family.
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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 Christ but he described it as a virtue and a necessary component to anything that would call itself Christian leadership.
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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 several lessons from the life and teachings of this master of humanity.
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Of the many excellent texts on leadership in the Catholic Church’s tradition The Rule of Saint Benedict surely holds a pride of place. Written around 530 AD by St. Benedict of Nursia this text provided the foundation for the way of life of his monks. A way of life that shaped many of our traditions in Western Civilization. This is why his take on leadership is so important. And he provides us with a valuable lesson in our ongoing series on the lessons of leadership from the saints.
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It might surprise many of us to remember that the saints themselves were oftentimes leaders and as such had to shoulder the heavy burden of leadership just like we do. It can be helpful to learn from them; what did they do, how did they handle the daily stresses of life? In this first class of Leadership Lessons From The Saints I look at John XXIII’s ten rules for a day – rules that he practiced every day and which certainly could help us as well.
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Like anything stepping into leadership requires training. Stepping into Christian leadership requires that we not just be skilled but also ethical and holy. How to integrate these two worlds? How to integrate our spirituality, our faith, and the realism of the world of business? The Church’s Magisterium put forth a wonderful document that outlines a way forward. By educating Christians in the principles of Christ, and in the use of the virtues, she points forward a way for us to not only do business but to lead.
Register for the AUDEO Masterclass: https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/audeo-masterclass-business-owners-and-top-level-leaders/
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Without a doubt something that all leaders have in common is that we are men and women of action. Practically oriented, skilled in social settings, leaders tend to rise to the top because they engage their talents in their situations to make a difference. They are men and women of action. Does the Christian faith have room for them and do they have room in their hearts for Christianity? What about contemplation, receptivity, submission to God? In this second part of our series on applying the gospel we explore these actions and more.
Register for the AUDEO Masterclass: https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/audeo-masterclass-business-owners-and-top-level-leaders/
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It’s an amazing fact that we spend nearly half of our waking life at work. The relationships we form there are real, intense, and impact our overall vision of life. For the Christian this represents a real challenge. How can I live the relationships I have at work or in my social setting in a way that glorifies God and helps others to know him better? In this first of our series on Applying The Gospel we analyze the Catholic Church’s insistence that whatever we do serves to make communities of persons.
Register for the AUDEO Masterclass: https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/audeo-masterclass-business-owners-and-top-level-leaders/
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Whatever format it’s found in, teamwork has always played an essential role in getting anything done. It’s so important in fact that much of contemporary literature around leadership focuses on a leader’s ability to generate and maintain healthy teams. But isn’t the notion of a team something that is essential to the Christian religion? And if so shouldn’t Christianity offer a special advantage to a Christian leader? In this tenth episode of our series on the Christian advantage in leadership I take a look at this question.
Register for the Fit Women’s Hike: https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/fit-womens-hike-2/
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Most Christians charged with positions of leadership tend to separate what they have to do every day in a practical sphere from there growth as Christians. Spirituality and practicality are often looked at as opposites. When this happens though, two things occur: firstly, the world of practicality is left bereft of spiritual guidance and, simultaneously, our spirituality loses the strength that comes from our practical endeavors. By uniting the two the Christian has the advantage.
Register for the Fit Women’s Hike: https://saintjohninstitute.org/event/fit-womens-hike-2/
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The theme of putting your people first is popular today in leadership theory. Many studies are done and cited that conclusively show that focusing on company culture affects the bottom line in a positive way. But focusing on people and developing people has not always been the hallmark of western capitalism. In fact many of the advances towards more humane work come from Christianity. Why is this? And how can harnessing it give us an advantage?
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When it comes to leadership what we do on the outside flows from what we have on the inside. Our thoughts and our motivations drive the actions which determine our success. Here Christians have a distinct advantage. Ever since Christ rose from the dead Christians know the truth about our final victory over evil and therefore our daily victory over problems. In this seventh of our series on the Christian leadership advantage we explore the Christian power of positivity.
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The Catholic church has always taught that work was genuinely a human activity. Meaning that it was something that we did that made our lives better. But with the increase of technology, social media, and the changing demographics of the work force, work itself seems to be a different kind of experience. Nevertheless, the truth about work hasn’t changed. And God’s vision for work laid out in the Bible remains the same. This is a Christian advantage. By letting the truth of our faith inform our leadership Christians protect and enhance the working environment for all involved.
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In trying to understand the advantage that the Christian faith gives to us in our leadership, there’s no more powerful place to look than our perspective on heaven. Afterall, eternal life is the backdrop behind everything a Christian does, the ultimate goal of all our motivations. But what practical difference does this make in the perspective that we take at work. Well, in fact, it makes a big difference if we let it. In this fifth part of our series on The Christian Leader’s Advantage we explore the power of the idea of heaven.
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