The 15 Diseases of Leadership, According to Pope Francis

Over the next few weeks Johnnie and Daniel will be diving into the thoughts and ideas of Pope Frances on leadership. Reporter Gary Hamel with the Harvard Review delivered what Johnnie and Daniel believe to be one of the most progressive articles on the topic of leadership in the 21st century.

1. The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable,[and therefore] neglecting the need for regular check-ups. A leadership team which is not self-critical, which does not keep up with things, which does not seek to be more fit, is a sick body. A simple visit to the cemetery might help us see the names of many people who thought they were immortal, immune, and indispensable! It is the disease of those who turn into lords and masters, who think of themselves as above others and not at their service. It is the pathology of power and comes from a superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need. The antidote to this plague is humility; to say heartily, “I am merely a servant. I have only done what was my duty.”