Lately, I have been thinking a lot about leadership, its toll, impact, joy, and implied responsibilities. Then, for those weird things I cannot explain but have something to do with the power of algorithms, on my screen, I see images of Pope Francis’ funeral.
More than a quarter of a million people—many of them young people—flooded Saint Peter’s square to bid farewell and pay homage to the Argentine pope who loved empanadas, made a point about coming from a migrant family, and reiterated the need to see oneself in the face of others.
Current and former heads of State and Government were present, signalling their respect and—hopefully—pondering the Pope’s messages they had heard or read. Leaders from every religion and diverse walks of life joined, recalling the impact of this man on their lives—a man who taught us much about leadership, courage, and humility.
Following his faith, he spoke about the future, the present, and the past as a continuum that should be maintained by hope, generosity, and love for each other, despite, or perhaps because of, our differences.
The Pope understood the challenges of leadership. As a head of State and world leader, he warned his Cardinals about the ‘twelve diseases’ leaders must avoid, and I immediately pulled out some thoughts I had shared while the world was quarantined (https://jorgeballestero.com/are-you-vaccinated-against-the-main-leadership-diseases/).
But this post is not about the past. It is not even about today. This post is about tomorrow, about the future. It is about how the Pope saw the ‘Future me, and the future YOU’
In 2017, Pope Francis took over the TED platform to speak about how the future should be, sharing his take on what life is and what it is not. But if you thought I would summarise his presentation, I am sorry to disappoint you.
This should be your raw learning experience, if at all. I am here only to invite you, regardless of your faith or lack thereof, to pause and grant yourself eighteen (18) minutes, not even half an hour, to focus on how to build a better YOU!
Life is not merely the passing of time, but about interactions…”
May we all have a wonderful week!