More About St. Benedict and Leadership
We're continuing our study of St. Benedict's teaching on leadership. Last time we provided the necessary background and context so we'll get the most out of the words he wroted 16 centuries ago. (16 centuries!) Today we dive into the details.
The best place to begin is with St. Benedict's admonitions about "What Kind of Man the Abbot Should Be." While those of us who lead or directly manage others aren't abbots in charge of monks living in monasteries, much about the abbot's role and responsibilities can be applied to us to help us do a better job in our particular roles. Let's start with what may the most important aspect of how we lead others. No matter your company or your particular leadership role, this should be your first guiding principle:
"...he ought to rule his disciples with a twofold teaching, displaying all goodness and holiness by deeds and by words, but by deeds rather than by words."
Of course, we in the modern work world don't have "disciples." We don't "rule" those who report to us in some fashion. But let's use our imaginations as we parce through St. Benedict's comments. Remember, he's describing an abbot in a monastery, so some of the language is specific to that. However, in this first admonition, we should be able to see how this applies to all of us who lead others. Both our personal lives and our professional interactions should be good and holy. Pretty simple and clear - but so critically important.
The next comment is related to the first. Here we see that it's important to understand the specific personalities and capabilities of those you lead. St. Benedict here distinguishes between two basic types of people whom you may lead: some have a higher degree of intelligence and emotional sensibility, some less. It's important to consider the capabilities of each and communicate with them appropriately.
"To intelligent disciples let him expound the Lord's commandments in words; but to those of harder hearts and ruder minds let him show forth the divine precepts by his example."
Let's say you have two people on your team. One is highly intelligent and is capable of handling the demands of your project in a mature fashion. The other is average or below average intelligence; maybe they lack some degree of emotional stability. Whether you chose these individuals to lead or they were assigned to you is beside the point. These are the cards you either chose or were dealt. A good leader knows his people. He communicates with them in a manner that they will easily understand. And the fact that one can handle pressure and deadlines better than the other means you take the time to explain things clearly and with enough lead time so that the slower one can perform their duties without being confused or anxious.
Yes, such an approach sometimes takes more time that you feel you have at your disposal. So it requires patience. You may have to hold your temper in check if your temperament inclines that way. But that's what you should do. The next statement considers the disparity between persons and urges us to treat each fairly and justly:
"Let him not make any distinction of persons in the monastery. Let him not love one more than another, unless he find him better in good works and obedience..."
Your preference may be for the sharper, more stable one. But it's incumbent upon you to not let your preference take precedence over what is right and just. And while your company may not have this emblazoned in bold in its HR manual, we are all equal in God's eyes. This doesn't only apply to those typical categories you find in corporate compliance manuals: race, creed, nationality, sexual or gender preference (whatever that means), etc. This has nothing to do with people's skills, talents, productivity, accomplishments. We're simply talking about seeing each person as an individual, a child of God. Once you do that, notice that St. Benedict does make provision for those who demonstrate good character or performance. But such distinctions only make sense after you have accepted the individual as such, as a creature of God.
Too much spiritual stuff here for the typical work environment? Maybe for some. But are we Catholics content with being "typical." Let's hope not. Besides, the point here isn't to dwell on this as you're going through your work day. When we're at work, we may well focus our attention most of the time on more mundane matters than the fact that God created us all, that we're all equal in His eyes, and that we should see and treat our fellow creatures in this light. The point here is to encourage us to build and maintain a strong spiritual life. Doing so allows us to grasp these points and behave accordingly. With a firm understanding of all that St. Benedict explains in his Rule, we can be more effective leaders in both the practical and - more importantly - the spiritual sense.
We continue our discussion next time...
The best place to begin is with St. Benedict's admonitions about "What Kind of Man the Abbot Should Be." While those of us who lead or directly manage others aren't abbots in charge of monks living in monasteries, much about the abbot's role and responsibilities can be applied to us to help us do a better job in our particular roles. Let's start with what may the most important aspect of how we lead others. No matter your company or your particular leadership role, this should be your first guiding principle:
"...he ought to rule his disciples with a twofold teaching, displaying all goodness and holiness by deeds and by words, but by deeds rather than by words."
Of course, we in the modern work world don't have "disciples." We don't "rule" those who report to us in some fashion. But let's use our imaginations as we parce through St. Benedict's comments. Remember, he's describing an abbot in a monastery, so some of the language is specific to that. However, in this first admonition, we should be able to see how this applies to all of us who lead others. Both our personal lives and our professional interactions should be good and holy. Pretty simple and clear - but so critically important.
The next comment is related to the first. Here we see that it's important to understand the specific personalities and capabilities of those you lead. St. Benedict here distinguishes between two basic types of people whom you may lead: some have a higher degree of intelligence and emotional sensibility, some less. It's important to consider the capabilities of each and communicate with them appropriately.
"To intelligent disciples let him expound the Lord's commandments in words; but to those of harder hearts and ruder minds let him show forth the divine precepts by his example."
Let's say you have two people on your team. One is highly intelligent and is capable of handling the demands of your project in a mature fashion. The other is average or below average intelligence; maybe they lack some degree of emotional stability. Whether you chose these individuals to lead or they were assigned to you is beside the point. These are the cards you either chose or were dealt. A good leader knows his people. He communicates with them in a manner that they will easily understand. And the fact that one can handle pressure and deadlines better than the other means you take the time to explain things clearly and with enough lead time so that the slower one can perform their duties without being confused or anxious.
Yes, such an approach sometimes takes more time that you feel you have at your disposal. So it requires patience. You may have to hold your temper in check if your temperament inclines that way. But that's what you should do. The next statement considers the disparity between persons and urges us to treat each fairly and justly:
"Let him not make any distinction of persons in the monastery. Let him not love one more than another, unless he find him better in good works and obedience..."
Your preference may be for the sharper, more stable one. But it's incumbent upon you to not let your preference take precedence over what is right and just. And while your company may not have this emblazoned in bold in its HR manual, we are all equal in God's eyes. This doesn't only apply to those typical categories you find in corporate compliance manuals: race, creed, nationality, sexual or gender preference (whatever that means), etc. This has nothing to do with people's skills, talents, productivity, accomplishments. We're simply talking about seeing each person as an individual, a child of God. Once you do that, notice that St. Benedict does make provision for those who demonstrate good character or performance. But such distinctions only make sense after you have accepted the individual as such, as a creature of God.
Too much spiritual stuff here for the typical work environment? Maybe for some. But are we Catholics content with being "typical." Let's hope not. Besides, the point here isn't to dwell on this as you're going through your work day. When we're at work, we may well focus our attention most of the time on more mundane matters than the fact that God created us all, that we're all equal in His eyes, and that we should see and treat our fellow creatures in this light. The point here is to encourage us to build and maintain a strong spiritual life. Doing so allows us to grasp these points and behave accordingly. With a firm understanding of all that St. Benedict explains in his Rule, we can be more effective leaders in both the practical and - more importantly - the spiritual sense.
We continue our discussion next time...
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