The Francis Effect

You can’t govern without loving the people and without humility.  ~Pope Francis

This past week marked Pope Francis' first anniversary.  Just over a year ago, I would dare say that the vast majority of the world would not have recognized the name Jorge Mario Bergoglio.  One year later, Jorge, who we now know as Pope Francis, has nearly single-handedly started a revolution not only for the Catholic Church but for all of Christendom. 

What fascinates me most is that his effect on us has not been because of his title, his title has merely introduced us to the man.  It's the man who has taken us by storm.  Borrowing from Chris Lowney, author of Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, said, "In Bergogilo's first days as pope, we were not watching someone trying to act like a pope.  We were watching a person unafraid to be who he was."

Lowney describes a Jesuits' years long training: "much of which revolves around self-examination and working among the people they seek to lead.  It's 'dirty-footed leadership' with a focus on understanding other people and their circumstances and putting their needs ahead of one's own."

Tribune journalist, Rex Huppke, said, "The issue here is not one of religion or faith, but of encouraging people to look outside themselves.  I would argue that's the right thing to do on a moral basis, but in the workplace, it's also the right thing to do pragmatically."

Lowney boils down Pope Francis' leadership to this: "Commit to yourself deeply, including your frailties, and come to some peaceful acceptance of yourself and your calling to lead.  Then, commit to 'get over yourself' to serve a purpose greater than self."

Shane Claiborne, visionary leader of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia, recently said this about Pope Francis.  "The most remarkable thing about the Pope is that what he is doing should not be remarkable.  He is simply doing what Popes and Christians should do – care for the poor, critique inequity, interrupt injustice, surprise the world with grace, include the excluded and challenge the entitled."

I agree with Shane, we shouldn't view what he's doing as remarkable, but it is simply what we all should be doing.  So why don't we?  Why don't more leaders follow Pope Francis' example of leadership?  It's clearly getting everyone's attention and creating a movement within the Catholic Church in a very short time. 

I think we don’t model his leadership style because like it or not, we don't want to admit just how ego-driven we really are.  We have not "come to some peaceful acceptance of ourselves, including our frailties."  We don't really look outside ourselves.  And maybe most significantly, we're not practicing 'dirty-footed leadership.'  We don't focus (and that takes intentional time and effort) on understanding other people and their circumstances.  

We can't lead without loving the people.