Catholic Standards for Excellence Forum

Sharing Church management best practices in the Catholic Church

Transformational Leadership

This is a great question. Burn-out is a major concern for all who work in the church.

Research on transformational leadership explains how leaders can intrinsically motivate and re-fuel their people in four ways:

inspirational motivation - infusing the mission, vision and values into the work;
individual consideration - fostering good relationships in the workplace or community;
intellectual stimulation - making the work fun and interesting;
idealized influence - building a positive, trusting relationship with the leader.

How we lead and manage can make all the difference.

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Comment by Dan R Ebener on February 27, 2013 at 4:36pm: There has been a lot of discussion about the Pope's "resignation" and whether it was the right thing to do. I would suggest that it took a lot of humility to admit that he was no longer physically able to keep up with the demands of the job. To be a Pope who can truly serve others, instead of being served (See Matthew 20:28) takes a lot of energy.

Transformational leaders transform themselves, others, their organizations and ultimately, they transform society. Leadership starts as an inner journey. It takes prayer, personal reflection and self-monitoring to build the character we need for leadership. Leaders live the virtuous life of wisdom, humility, prudence, temperance and patience. Virtuous living builds character. It builds trust among those we lead.

Let us hope and pray that the new Pope can bring new life and new energy to renew our Church.

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