Within the last few days we have seen a significant Change at the Top. I refer, of course, to the fact that 1.2 billion members of the Roman Catholic faith now have a new spiritual leader in Pope Francis I. What can those interested in Leadership learn from this?
I think the first thing that is worth commenting on is the fact that people actually perceive such a change to be significant. Technically, the Roman Catholic church is an organisation that is driven and shaped by firm doctrine and practices that are likely to be pretty consistent from Pope to Pope. No Pope, for example, is likely to choose to move Headquarters from the Vatican to a developing world country. Nor is any new Pope likely to shift the core business of the Roman Catholic church away from the perceived saving of souls through religious activities.
At one level, therefore, we might be entitled to opine that a large part of the role of the Pope is carrying on business as usual and this could simply be the job of an effective manager. Yet, clearly, the change of Pope is seen as being much more significant than that. There has been considerable interest in the previous history of Cardinal Bergoglio – what his interests were, what he focused on, how he carried out his previous duties within the church. From these indications commentators and the faithful are clearly attempting to detect what kind of a Papacy to expect. What shifts, priorities, focus, intentions etc can be inferred from a study of the man’s past?
This really illustrates very well the difference between Management and Leadership. A Manager to a large extent executes existing policy and practice, whereas a Leader (who may also manage) has the authority and desire to set out a vision and attempt to inspire and motivate others to follow. Clearly, in terms of authority, the new Pope has certain advantages in being able to push through new ideas and priorities in a way that is not usually available to other CEOs.
It is also worth noting the clear effect that the very personality of a Leader can have on those he or she is leading. Often these are communicated in terms of what we call ‘meta-messages’ in NLP. Meta-messages are communications that are delivered at a level higher than mere words. They are the unspoken communications that are implicit in behaviours and interactions. In a business context, what sort of meta-message is given by a Receptionist who does not make eye-contact with a visitor? A company that writes to its customers on re-cycled paper and appends to its emails a request that recipients only print the email if it is really necessary?
Let’s look at the meta-messages given within the first few days by Pope Francis. Firstly, there is the very choice of name – Francis. St Francis was well known for poverty, humility, championing the poor and challenging corruption. Many observers have already read great significance into what this may be hinting at for the new Pope’s pontificate. When Cardinal in Buenos Aries, the new Pope was known for travelling to his work by bus. Equally, shortly upon appointment to the Papacy, one of his first acts was to travel in person to his hotel to collect his cases and settle his bill. Again, these meta-messages conveyed through simple behaviours are consistent with a Papacy of humility and service.
Leaders can learn from this the fact that they will be carefully scrutinised by those they lead for signs of priorities, principles and intent that are far more subtle than the overt words and communications they issue. It is a wise choice for any leader to ask him or herself what could be inferred from or read into even the most casual of behaviours and actions.
For some observers, the meta-messages will be more telling than the more controlled and overt messages you may wish people to attend to.
