Nine Leadership Lessons From Pope Francis

By Dennis McCafferty

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Lead With Humility

Pope Francis avoids displays of luxury and spends time with ordinary people. Business leaders make a statement when they work near their employees instead of in a showy corner office.
Know Your Flock

Spend time with your staff so you understand their backgrounds, motivations and inner workings.
Don't Judge

Assess project progress and employee performance in a constructive, non-confrontational manner, while modeling ideal practices.
Don't Replace—Reinvent

Adjust to needed changes by building on existing strengths and knowledge, instead of constantly "tearing up the game plan."
Be Inclusive

The pope views the church as a home for all. The takeaway: Ensure team members' roles match their talents and interests, so they don't feel isolated or abandoned.
Be Pragmatic

It's tempting to get caught up in lofty ideas about technology. But the point is to come up with projects and solutions that actually produce desired results.
Incorporate Long-Term Strategies

With every speech and action, the pope advances his vision of a more accepting church. Similarly, every one of your decisions should serve the business goals of your organization.
Run IT Like a MASH Unit

The pope has compared the church to a MASH unit, and IT teams should think of themselves as mobile, agile groups that go where they're needed, with a decentralized system for problem resolution.
Embrace the Frontier

Who knew that the pope's "radical humility" would take him to the top of the Catholic church? You too can distinguish yourself by taking risks and blazing uncharted paths in IT innovation.
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By virtually any standard, Pope Francis has become a beloved and effective world leader. He lives in a modest guesthouse instead of the Apostolic Palace. He wears the same cross he wore when he was a cardinal. And he gave up the famed Mercedes-Benz Popemobile in favor of a 30-year-old Renault. More important, his words and actions have gained favor with a broad range of global citizens, regardless of their faith. The book Lead with Humility: 12 Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis (Amacom/available in September) frames the life and accomplishments of the pope in the context of today's business environment. Author Jeffrey Krames explains how the pope's humble yet candid approach can be easily adopted by business leaders who need to engage their staff in order to effectively accomplish organizational goals. While Pope Francis is a very likeable figure, history will ultimately evaluate him based on what he accomplishes. The following nine takeaways for IT team leaders are adapted from the lessons highlighted in the book. Krames is CEO and president of JK Literary Services, a publishing and literary agency specializing in leadership, management and business books.

This article was originally published on 2014-08-29

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.

Nine Leadership Lessons From Pope Francis

Lead With Humility

Know Your Flock

Don't Judge

Don't Replace—Reinvent

Be Inclusive

Be Pragmatic

Incorporate Long-Term Strategies

Run IT Like a MASH Unit

Embrace the Frontier