Service.Transformation.Humility. Inclusion.

2 months have flown by since JMJ Lisboa 2023, where hundreds of thousands were deeply impressed by the simplicity and the inclusive challenge of Francisco's emphatic call, 'todos, todos, TODOS!'".

While wandering through a bookstore, I stumbled upon this amei-zing book in the marketing and management section - far from the usual shelves of religious texts or personal growth literature.

Released in 2014, it remains quite up-to-date and in line with the urging words at JMJ. Here's a summary of the “Lead with Humility - 12 Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis” by Jeffrey A. Krames:

1. Lead with Humility.

Humility is a particularly powerful leadership quality, exemplified by Pope Francis through actions like working alongside employees and curbing extravagant spending on corporate perks.

2. Smell Like Your Flock.

This is a much-quoted Pope Francis directive that means immersing yourself in whatever group you are leading. The Pope was known as “The Bishop of the Slums” for the time he spent in Buenos Aires’ poorest districts and business leaders can apply the principle through such practices as Managing By Walking Around and spending time really getting to know employees (#HPway #MBWA)

3. Who Am I To Judge?

Just as Pope Francis says he does not see it as his role to judge those different from others, business leaders should – instead of judging their employees – listen to them, assess them and focus on their strengths.

4. Don’t Change – Reinvent.

Keep your organization relevant by shedding outdated ideologies, eliminating those who don't share your values, and reducing bureaucracy, much like Pope Francis has shaken up the Catholic Church.

5. Make Inclusion a Top Priority.

The Pope has stressed the importance of open dialogue and communication, and in industry leaders can take a similar line by including employees in decision-making.

6. Avoid Insularity.

Pope Francis has always made it clear that he does not think he can achieve everything on his own. Among the ways that business leaders can avoid insularity are by looking outside the organization to see if things can be done differently and seeking advice from outsiders as well as ensuring that people in different departments understand what their colleagues elsewhere contribute.

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7. Choose Pragmatism over Ideology.

This is perhaps the oddest lesson from a church leader. But looking at things and deciding on what to do on their individual merits is at the heart of the Pope’s approach. For business people, this means embracing the real world rather than lamenting one that has passed and being prepared to try new ideas and approaches.

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8. Employ the Optics of Decision Making.

For all his professed humility and championing of the underdog, Pope Francis has become an accomplished practitioner of organizational politics. He knows that how leaders decide is as important as what they decide. Decision-making processes matter as much as the decisions themselves. Improve them by prioritizing people's decisions, avoiding haste, and ensuring decisions align with your strategy.

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9. Run Your Organization Like a Field Hospital.

Pope Francis sees a key role for the Catholic Church in “healing the wounds and warming the hearts” of the faithful. This is an encapsulation of his belief that the church should be involved in the nitty-gritty of people’s lives. And business leaders can follow the approach by ensuring employees spend time on the front line – with customers, potential customers and suppliers; encouraging managers to be available for those for whom they are responsible; and decentralizing decision-making.

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10. Live on the Frontier.

Francis urges not just his clergy but all people to widen their experiences by spending “time walking on the periphery” so that they understand the reality of other people’s lives and so avoid the risk of being “abstract ideologists or fundamentalists”. Business leaders need to do the same – and also encourage their employees to follow suit.

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11. Confront Adversity Head-on.

Pope Francis went through many struggles on his way to the top of his church. Business people, too, can learn to turn adversity into an advantage. Doing this requires confronting adversity head-on rather than pretending it is not there.

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12. Pay Attention to Noncustomers.

Like Pope Francis reaching out beyond churchgoers, business leaders should extend their reach to noncustomers. He wants to bring people closer to God regardless of religion, race and sexual preference. Business leaders should have a similar goal. Without forgetting existing customers, they must reach out to outsiders in order to be successful.