All of us are aware of the cliché that says that business somehow causes poverty or that capitalism and charity are opposed.  This however is challenged by the document that the Vatican released in 2011 called “The Vocation Of The Catholic Business Leader.”  This document issues six principles that are to guide every business leader in their vocation and its second principle says that businesses are there to help the poor.  How can this be done? 

In 2011 the Vatican issued a guide for Catholic business leaders called The Vocation Of The Business Leader.  This is an amazing document, because in 33 pages it summarizes the whole teaching of the Catholic Church about business but does so in a way that is helpful to the Catholic business leader to read in a short time.  I want to go through that document and study it’s six practical principles for business, because in a short form it gives us a real guide for our real lives. 

There are many ways to define the secrets of success but Christians have their own definition.  St. Paul lays it out clearly for us in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 4, where he speaks about the crown that is laid up for him in the Lord.  Through all of his life and his many ups and downs, St. Paul witnesses that Jesus is faithful and has carried him through all his adversities.  His words of hope help inspire us in our own journeys as leaders.

St. Paul is surely one of the most famous leaders listed in the entire Bible.  His life reads like a passionate saga and is full of lessons for those of us, who being Christians, want to follow in his footsteps leading in our world.  That’s why his second letter to Timothy is so important.  It actually chronicles St. Paul’s final letter in the New Testament to one of his closest disciples.  Chapter 3 of this letter offers us wonderful insight into faith’s capacity to bring us endurance. 

The second letter to St. Timothy is one of St. Paul’s most important letters.  Written at the end of his life, St. Paul leaves a legacy in the heart of Timothy for how he sees good leadership.  It remains for us an amazing example of God’s teaching for us on the power and truth of our own leadership and gives us valuable insights on what it means to please Christ by being a good soldier for Him.

Without a doubt the life of St. Paul is one of the best places to study leadership in The New Testament.  Not only is his life an example of leadership, but in his first and second letters to Timothy St. Paul exposes his heart.  He writes to his beloved son, Timothy, whom he has formed in the faith, a letter of encouragement to go all the way to the end to mee the demands of leading God’s people.  His letter gives us many wonderful insights, especially in how to rekindle the fire.

Let’s face it, leading other people is always hard.  If we say the wrong thing in the wrong way, we can actually discourage the people we are supposed to encourage.  On the other hand if we just tell them the truth like it is, we can leave them without any motivation.  Speaking the word of truth correctly is the art and essence of good communication and leadership.  But how do we do this?  Pope St. Gregory the Great offers us some amazing insights in his book, “On The Rule of Shepherds – Book 3.”

The Bible has a lot to say about talking.  The Letter of St. James, for example, says the tongue is the key to all virtue.  The Lord Himself says that every idle word we’ll have to account for on the day of judgement.  And all of us who manage people know the power of words to edify and destroy.  But what is the value of silence?  Is it possible to talk too much?  How do we know when to speak and what to say?  Pope St. Gregory The Great has some valuable insights.

As anyone who has ever had to manage people can tell you, jealousy is one of the most dangerous passions to rule in the workplace.  Where people are jealous division will ensue and teamwork will corrode.  We who are in charge of our teams needs to watch for jealousy and ward against it.  Pope St. Gregory The Great in his “Rule Of Shepherds” Book 3 gives us some valuable insights we can apply as we try to lead our workplace with Christ. 

Anyone who has had to manage any kind of organization – from a business to a family – know that patience is called for.  But how do we build it up?  How do we grow in our patience?  How do we know when impatience actually could be a good thing?  Pope St. Gregory The Great gives us wonderful insights in his tenth admonition in his third book “On The Rule Of Shepherds” written for pastors of the Church but applicable for business leaders and family leaders alike.