From Forbes magazine:
Last week the Pope visited the United States for the first time in his life, and showed off many of his wonderful leadership attributes. Here are three lessons from this extraordinary leader:
Stay Focused: the Pope’s message, over and over again, to multiple audiences is the same: Show mercy to the poor and disadvantaged. And whether he was speaking to Congress or the United Nations or anyone else, the Pope urged the United States to be more open to immigrants. He urged both America and the UN to work on the refugee crisis. And he pushed his show mercy message by endorsing the protection of the environment. He also, at one point or another, talked about slavery, the global sex trade, the sexual abuse of children by priests, and international arms deal in pursuit of profit. What do these topics have in common?
Mercy is the answer to dealing with all of these ills.
Model the Behavior: Unlike many corporate CEOs and national leaders, Pope Francis doesn’t spend any time or energy worrying about the perks of his job. He doesn’t have a corporation-paid golf club membership or a private jet. He doesn’t live in the Papal Apartment in Vatican City instead living in community with other priests at Casa Santa Marta. When he’s not on the road or meeting with foreign dignitaries, he easts his meals in the casa’s cafeteria. When he meets strangers, he immediately introduces himself, offering his hand to shake and saying, “Sono Papa Francesco,” which is Italian for “I am Pope Francis.”
Francis is leading by modeling the behavior he hopes to see all the Catholic faithful adopt: be humble. It’s much easier to be merciful when you’re humble than when you’re worrying about your limo (as America saw, the Pope rides in a Fiat).
