Let’s face it, most of our thoughts about leadership position leaders as folks on the top.  People who have pushed the envelope and have succeeded against great odds.  Is there anything to say for those who have not gone to the top?  People who for one reason or another are in second place.  In the life of John the Baptist we can’t help noticing that Jesus did not call him to be an Apostle.  In fact, He let him die as a martyr in prison without ever publicly following him.  What’s the place for leadership that’s both humble and deep?

Anyone who leads in today’s world knows how important it is to stay in the middle.  After all if we want to have impact in our world we have to belong to it.  And yet are there times when witness is necessary?  Or at least an invitation to go deeper than our customary ways?  In the life of St. John the Baptist we have the example of someone who was extraordinarily successful in his leadership and then put it all on the line to bear witness to the truth.  In this episode we let him inspire us.

The life of St. John the Baptist is a study in detachment.  From forsaking the goods of this earth and the relationships of natural human society to going without in his many forms of asceticism to finally letting go to his own claim to glory and his own claim to his disciples.  St. John the Baptist was poor in spirit.  And yet his influence was extremely powerful. What is the connection between his poverty of heart and the incredible influence that he gave as a Christian leader?

Leadership puts us in the spotlight.  Like it or not, leaders are out in front.  If we follow the ways of the world, the natural prominence of leadership can result in negative consequences like arrogance and self conceit.  It was just the opposite, however, for St. John the Baptist.  He used his prominence to promote Christ and he learned how to make himself disappear behind the glory of the one who came after him.  This is Part 4 of our series on The Bold Leadership of John the Baptist.

Most of us know the figure of John the Baptist but not all of us our familiar with his actual message.  At the heart of John the Baptist’s proclamation was the phrase “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  What does it mean to repent and how is this essential to our leadership today?  In this third part of our series on the bold leadership of John the Baptist, we explore the meaning and significance of his proclamation and show how it impacts us even today.

Like it or not being in a position of leadership means being at the forefront of change.  In many ways this can be intimidating, but if we look at it from a point of view of faith and a call from God the prospects given to us by leadership are exhilarating.  We can stand for and do amazing things, things that other people only dream of doing.  In many ways being a leader calls on us to be like John the Baptist – a prophet, standing in the wilderness, making a bold proclamation, and allowing our own voices to echo the Word.

Amongst all the history of great leaders inspired by faith surely St. John the Baptist is at the top of the list.  Not only was his life recorded in sacred scripture as an example to us all but his leadership provides an amazing model for all of us who seek to serve God by the power and influence He has given us.  In this first of our series treating the bold leadership of John the Baptist we look at his life and background and begin to understand the significance of his powerful preaching.

Prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body, therefore, prayer is essential to everybody.  But even more so to those who will lead, who play a position that comes to them from God in our world.  Without a doubt each of us has their own way to pray and express their hearts to God, but the Catholic tradition holds many devotions which can help us to find discipline and regularity in our prayer.  One of these is the Breastplate of St. Patrick. – an excellent prayer to say at the beginning of each workday.

At its essence leadership is a question of vision and vision at its heart is a matter of creativity.   Although not always comfortable being in charge of an operations means finding an answer no matter what.  Great leaders do this in extraordinary ways.  But getting to the heart of how to innovate and find new answers means getting to the heart of the human person and their freedom and this is why it’s important to talk about the power of grace to create new ideas and innovation.  This is part 4 of our series on Leaders In A Broken World.

Accepting to lead in the footsteps of Christ means extending the power of His salvific redemption into our world through our work.  In brief this means bringing healing bringing peace and doing good in a world that needs it.  Seeing our work in this light makes our occupations a mission and makes our duties and instrument of God’s peace.  One way we do that is by helping the people around us to grow and develop.  Today is our third in our series, “Leaders In A Broken World.”