The Jesuit Way of Leadership
I was intrigued when I ordered this book. How can a book on leadership be heroic and what is it about. Turns out the author, Chris Lowney, is a former Jesuit who decided to go into the world of finances for J. P. Morgan and found that the leadership track for that company was woefully inadequate. In fact, his observations of “Raw talent and sheer ambition didn’t always translate into long-term success”[1] mirrored what I found while working for sixteen years in the computer industry. I cannot tell you how many people I saw fail in management or leadership positions in that time. Most of them, if you looked at them from the perspective of skill and talent in what they did where smart and talented, but they flamed out miserably in being leaders. So I was very interested in Lowney’s perspective in what makes a great leader.
The first thing to look at are the four pillars of leadership. These pillars are not some self help guru’s path to being a better leader. I have been in too many sales conferences where they have you chant mantras and say things like, if you aren’t in love with your job, do your company a favor and move on. These types of things, seem to me to be negative in their delivery and ideals. I never saw anyone putting the sales conference materials to use the next Monday. The Jesuit pillars are different though, they are as follows: 1. self awareness, 2. ingenuity, 3. love and 4. heroism.[2] First, self awareness, in eighteen years in corporate America, did I ever hear a manager say, you need more self awareness. To take a deep look at ones self as a role in leadership seems to be an obvious exercise, but I was never encouraged to do so. As a pastor, I appreciate the self introspection, but the Jesuits take it a step further. Lowney speaks of the trainees of “plunging into an ice-water bath of painfully frank self-assessment, ‘that I may perceive the dis order in my actions, in order to…amend myself, and put myself in order'”[3] The text goes on to describe a roller coaster rider through hell, imagining the actual bodies of sinners burning. I appreciate this idea, of knowing that hell is real, and that we as leaders of the church are fighting the enemy who is trying as best he can to take as many with him as possible. This is not some cartoon ideology but real as scripture tells us. Lowney ends the discussion of the first pillar with the statement “the sometimes painful process of dragging our weaknesses into full light of day by understanding them is the first step toward conquering them.”[4] The second of the pillars, is ingenuity. Lowney describes it as making yourself indifferent. This caught me off guard at first as the last thing I ever want to be in indifferent to the world around me. This pillar is about becoming free from attachment to a course of action or to money as a motivator. It is only at this point a person is free to make the best decision. The best course of action instead of making a decision based on a selfish point of view. This is a good path for ministers to follow, I have known too many pastors who became beholden to a group or an individual because of the money that can be lost if they make that person angry. In fact, it has cost me a position in a church. When we get attached to an idea or a way of doing things, we can also miss out on what God wants of us. In removing the attachment to a certain way of doing things we are freed to be able to make bold moves for God.
The next pillar is Heroism. So here we come to the heroic part of the title our our book. What is heroism in a leader? How does that play out. To be honest, when I think of hero, the only thing I think of is superhero’s which are in rich supply right now in the theatrical world (by the way, these are my favorite for those of you who care). Heroism in the Jesuit sense is tagged by the latin word magis or “more”[5] Jesuits are taught to make the decision or take the path that is “more” likely to end in success. A drive to be better, a drive to be the best. Again, this is something we as pastors should always strive for. Be more for God. It is to be personal, to be better than we think we can. I help coach my sons in football at their school. One thing I tell the linemen is to always reach down, and find that thing that they do not think they have. To find just a little more want, to find just a little more desire. This is at the heart of more. The last pillar is love. This is probably where the Jesuits would lose most corporate heads. The idea of love as a leadership tool can only stem from a profound understanding of one’s standing with God. The phrase “Fist. Love ought to manifest itself more by deeds than by words.” [6], is prevalent throughout the discussion of this pillar. It parrots what we are told in scripture. They will know you as my disciples by your love for one another. Love your enemy. God is Love. These are all things we are exhorted to understand in scripture. So, like the Jesuits, we should hang onto this idea.
Janet Fearns, in her discussion of Heroic Leadership, reminds the reader that this book “not a ‘warm, fuzzy’ piece of pop-psychology. Neither is it meant to be a ‘spiritual reading book’.”[7] It is a book that will challenge you as a leader to introspection on why you want to lead and how you would be seen as a leader. In fact she goes on to argue that this book, while effective for leaders in the business world, shows one how to live the Gospel more effectively. I love the idea of being able to live out the gospel as a leader and a follower. Robert Bogue in his review reminds us this book is not about working on techniques, but it focuses on principles. I love how he describes it ” it’s not a book about with “how to” for other people, it’s a “how to” book for yourself. It’s a guide to the process of discovering yourself and your values. It’s an inside-out approach to leadership.”[8]
It is my opinion that this book should be required reading for any person who wants to be a ministry leader, whether clergy or lay person. The ideas contained in this book will be a helpf for anyone who takes it seriously.
[1]Lowney, Chris. 2005. Heroic leadership: best practices from a 450-Year-Old company that changed the world. Chicago: Loyola Press. p 2.
[2] Ibid p 9.
[3] Ibid p 116.
[4] Ibid p 118.
[5] Ibid p 121.
[6] Ibid p 122.
[7] Fearns, Janet. “Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-year-old Company that Changed the World.” Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain. July 21, 2008. Accessed November 09, 2017. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/book_20080721_1.htm.
[8] Bogue, Robert. 2015. “Book Review-Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World.” Thor Projects. Robert Bogue /wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Thor-Projects-Invert-Transparent-Logo.png. December 16. https://www.thorprojects.com/blog/archive/2012/03/07/book-review-heroic-leadership/.
About the Author
Jason Turbeville
A pastor, husband and father who loves to be around others. These are the things that describe me. I was a youth minister for 15 years but God changed the calling on my life. I love to travel and see where God takes me in my life.6 responses to “The Jesuit Way of Leadership”
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Hi Jason,
Great application of the book to your own experience of leading in ministry. You even believe it should be read by all those entering the ministry. Did you find any criticism of the book through reviews? If so, how do you respond to those?
Jean,
I actually did not succeed in finding negative reviews. That disappointed me that I was not able to do that. I do find myself being wary of someone using this process without a good understanding of God and how He has to be in the middle of this but other than that I appreciated the book.
Indifference in an Ignatian theme that has revolutionized my life. I think this idea is at the core of Paul’s “secret of being content.” It is a very liberating practice, helping me to fully embrace God’s plan and God’s will for my life, while letting go of all else. Thanks for sharing your experience with your need for indifference with certain church members. Are there other things in life to which you have inordinate attachments and could benefit form greater indifference? For me, I am always working on holding my ministry plans and visions with indifference. I can tend to force my way and cling to my own agenda, but I find that as I hold loosely to these things (even these good things) I am more open to the ingenuity of the Spirit and the peace that passes understanding.
Jennifer,
Great question, my greatest fear in being a leader is “bullying” others into my way of thinking. I tend to have a self inflated sense of importance so I have to work hard to keep myself in check.
I agree that the term ‘indifference’ is a surprising one. And yet as Jenn describes in her comment, it is an empowering quality to cultivate in ministry where one lets go and surrenders agendas to God.
I don’t know enough about it, but it strikes me that it is also a quality one cultivates in Buddhism as well. What do you think? Could the way of Christ also have resonance in other faiths? While in seminary I took a Chinese ministry course entitled “The Cultivation of Sagehood” which borrowed themes from Buddhism and contextualized them into a ministry context. Blew my mind…
Lowney suggests that indifference is the way to nurture ingenuity. The freedom from attachment is empowering because one doesn’t need to pander to interest groups, but rather is free to follow Jesus’ voice in leading the community. Thanks for offering this concept in your post for our reflection.
Jason,
Lowney’s focus on “dragging our weaknesses into full light of day” seems out of date don’t you think? Where do the Jesuit’s land with contemporary leadership themes that produce results by balancing the needs of the people and mission? Rather than highlighting weaknesses, it seems that focusing on strengths and leveraging ministry friends and colleagues to cover our lesser talented areas seems to work well in today’s ministry and marketplace.
I continue to struggle with Lowney’s goal to rationalize the Jesuit “hero” model and make it fit our contemporary Christian values. The ministry leader theme that I know works is one of absolute dependence, submission, and trust in the supernatural power and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, everything else eventually leads to pride, arrogance, and a spiritual fall.
Stand firm,
M. Webb