The sun was up and the day was hot. It was early in the morning and while the Nile showered us with its magnificent opulence, it did very little to reduce the heat that had started to flow from every stone in Kom Ombo.
As I walked into the temple dedicated to two enemy gods -Horus and Sobek- a sudden vibration in my pocket -and a poorly dissimulated sound- interrupted Mohammed, the guide enthusiastically explaining the wonders hidden in this majestic and impressive two-thousand-year-old construction.
The culprit was a WhatsApp message sent from -literally- the other side of the world by a good friend of mine, inviting me to read a message from none other than the head of the Catholic Church. There I was, in a mostly Muslim country, entering a pagan temple in awe, and now intrigued by a 2014 message delivered by Pope Francis to the Cardinals, as part of his efforts to reform the church. Talk about an interconnected world!
My friend -who sent the message- retired from the UN system a couple of years ago, but his mind gets younger every year and I cherish his insight, particularly regarding leadership in the humanitarian world that he came to know intimately. I was intrigued why would he be sharing an ‘old’ message from the Pope provocatively stating: ‘many of these diseases remind me of an organization we know well’.
As soon as the visit to the temple ended, including the mummified crocodiles displayed in the museum next door, I hurried to read the article: The 15 Diseases of Leadership, According to Pope Francis.
Gary Hamel, the author of the article, states that Pope Francis is making efforts to “radically reform the administrative structures of the Catholic church, which he regards as insular, imperious and bureaucratic.” And with that summary, I started to understand what my friend was hinting at when he invited me to read the article. The 15 leadership diseases identified by Pope Francis for the Catholic church are indeed ailments that can affect any organization, particularly -but not exclusively- large and consolidated ones. I can only agree with professor Hamel when he states that “in a hyper-kinetic world, inward-looking and self-obsessed leaders are a liability.” How many of them do you know? Would you happen to be one of them?
I am convinced that a careful review of these ‘diseases’ might help us to prevent their spread. And I will venture to say that you and I have had enough with the spread of COVID-19 and therefore we should be more than ready to stop on its tracks any ‘leadership pandemic’!
What are these 15 diseases? We know them well, even if we have not heard of them before. Most likely we have suffered some of them, either from direct contagion or from their secondary effects. In any case, let’s list them:
- The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable;
- The disease of excessive busyness;
- The disease of mental and emotional petrification;
- The disease of excessive planning and of functionalism;
- The disease of poor coordination;
- The ‘leadership’s Alzheimer’ disease;
- The disease of rivalry and vainglory;
- The disease of existential schizophrenia;
- The disease of gossiping, grumbling, and back-biting;
- The disease of idolizing superiors;
- The disease of indifference to others;
- The disease of a downcast face;
- The disease of hoarding;
- The disease of close circles; and,
- The disease of extravagance and self-exhibition.
How many of these ‘diseases’ have you been ‘exposed’ to? Can you identify any ‘variant’? Is there any ‘vaccine’ available? Are you doing anything to stop, spread, or stir these ‘diseases’?
I invite you to read the article in its totality and join me on a daily reflection of each of these ‘leadership diseases’, and jointly explore ways to inoculate ourselves against them.
Your inputs, views, comments, and suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks for sharing, Jorge! Great read. Humbling too.
Leadership is a difficult and delicate calling. The lure of power can be deceptive and intoxicating. It is easy to get carried away and forget the far-reaching impact of ones influence as a leader.
The article tethers the reader to common sense from a deep fount of wisdom.
Thank you!
Thank you. Indeed, leadership is hard, particularly because it requires reigning in our own ego, insecurities, and fears. Looking forward to reading your insight and suggestions on how to overcome the pitfalls of leadership.
To start with, we are all leaders in our different capacities and have to be conscious of these leadership diseases as well.
As I commenced my moment of reflection on the first disease (The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable), the words immune and downright indispensable struck me.
Then, I started pondering in my mind about what could be responsible for the thriving of this disease.
Often time we think that as a leader we cannot be done without; hence every decision, opinion, and idea must emanate from us and nobody else. We see ourselves as vessels of knowledge and this precipitates the thought of ‘wholeness or wholesome’ in us making us think that we are supreme and can exist on an island.
Meanwhile, we are shrouded by the powers that are associated with leadership, hence myopic about the ills of the leadership disease eating us up.
Can we be freed from this disease, Yes!
Firstly, we need regular checks to acknowledge that the disease exists thereby finding solutions on how to shed them. Considering the following may be of great help:
Pride – Desist from having a feeling of deep satisfaction from one’s achievement. There is a saying in the bible that he that thinks he has a good standing should be on guard because pride goes first before a fall. Humility remains the key
Territorialism: Leadership is not a stand-alone principle hence should not be seen as a personal concept. Desisting from seeing people around as intruders and willingness to decentralize roles to other people will bring much-needed healing to the disease of immune and downright indispensability
Working in a silo: We should shun the mentality of being unwilling to share information and knowledge with our associates and people around us
Self-consciousness – being conscious of how we see ourselves and how others perceive us will aid our leadership wellbeing
Summarily, our attitude and style as leaders have a lot to say about our goals. Therefore, irrespective of the leadership style adopted, the focus should not be thwarted from humility and a good attitude. We should not forget that a leader is a servant in disguise; and since service ought to be rotational, no one person should be seen as indispensable, because too much of making oneself always available reduces one’s value.
Thank you
I could not agree with you more Sylvia, particularly on the fact that we all are leaders in one area or another. Thank you for reading and sharing your insight, much obliged.