Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius May 21, 2017 Spiritual Ponderings 15th Diseases of Leadership
Let us continue our look at Pope Francis’s “15 Diseases of Leadership”. Pope Francis’s diseases are in bold and my commentary in normal font.
8. THE DISEASE OF EXISTENTIAL SCHIZOPHRENIA. This is the disease of those who live a double life, the fruit of that hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and of a progressive emotional emptiness which no [accomplishment or] title can fill. It is a disease which often strikes those who are no longer directly in touch with customers and ordinary employees, and restrict themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality, with concrete people.
Church leaders must be careful not to develop a “cult of personality” around them. People who are more interested in being their friend then in getting to know Jesus. This can happen if we are not living what we preach. If we are not living a life of constant conversion we can lead people astray because of our love of their praise and attention.
9. THE DISEASE OF GOSSIPING, GRUMBLING, AND BACK-BITING. This is a grave illness which begins simply, perhaps even in small talk, and takes over a person, making him become a “sower of weeds” and in many cases, a cold-blooded killer of the good name of colleagues. It is the disease of cowardly persons who lack the courage to speak out directly, but instead speak behind other people’s backs. Let us be on our guard against the terrorism of gossip!
The best way to deal with this is first refuse to participate in gossiping, grumbling, and back-biting. The second thing we can do is practice what psychologists call Positive Sentiment Override. This simply means we intentionally think more positive thought about someone than negative ones. When I was newly ordained I was assigned to a parish where there was a staff person who I did not get along with. We often spent a lot of time talking bad about each other and thus not getting anything accomplished. I decided therefore to say a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the person before we would meet naming three of her positive qualities and sure enough over time I began to treat her better and eventually she began to treat me better and we began to accomplish things. Negativity can also slow things down and so getting rid of it makes us more efficient.
10. THE DISEASE OF IDOLIZING SUPERIORS. This is the disease of those who court their superiors in the hope of gaining their favor. They are victims of careerism and opportunism; they honor persons [rather than the larger mission of the organization]. They think only of what they can get and not of what they should give; small-minded persons, unhappy and inspired only by their own lethal selfishness. Superiors themselves can be affected by this disease, when they try to obtain the submission, loyalty and psychological dependency of their subordinates, but the end result is unhealthy complicity.
We should remember that our Church is a “hospital for sinners and not a hotel for saints.” (I think St. Augustine said this). This means that individuals in our Church can make mistakes while the Church as a whole cannot error because of the Holy Spirit. I know that I have been wounded by the Church’s leadership but this does not shake my faith because I don’t give them that much power.
11. THE DISEASE OF INDIFFERENCE TO OTHERS. This is where each leader thinks only of himself or herself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of [genuine] human relationships. This can happen in many ways: When the most knowledgeable person does not put that knowledge at the service of less knowledgeable colleagues, when you learn something and then keep it to yourself rather than sharing it in a helpful way with others; when out of jealousy or deceit you take joy in seeing others fall instead of helping them up and encouraging them.
We have to realize that the person we proclaim to be the best leader is Jesus Christ and not Caesar Augustus (or other worldly leader). Jesus was concern with others while Caesar Augustus was concern only with his own advancements, fame, needs, and wants.