Benedict XVI Begins to Lead

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’ve used the child sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church for employment lessons. Though the Church isn’t a traditional employer, its employment lessons scream for attention. I’ve been critical of the Pope, the Church’s hierarchy and the Church generally for the way the crisis has been handled. It’s served as a model for what not to as an employer in crisis. (Click here and here.)

Pope Benedict XVI is now leading. Every CEO, executive, HR professional, and supervisor should take note. What Benedict has said recently isn’t only an example of strong leadership; it is truth applicable to every organization, every company, every employer. I wish he’d said it earlier, but he has said it and will hopefully follow through on it.

This is what he said: “Attacks on the pope and the church come not only from outside the church, but the suffering of the church comes from inside the church, from sin that exists inside the church. This we have always known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way, that the greatest persecution of the church does not come from the enemies outside but is born from the sin in the church. The church has a profound need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn on the one hand forgiveness but also the necessity of justice. And forgiveness does not substitute justice.”

Most problems, employment or otherwise, come from within. It’s a natural reaction to blame people on the outside or to blame others within. As I noted in a recent post, the acceptance of blame has all but vanished. Perhaps Pope Benedict is now listening to his heart, instead of his advisers. That almost always works best. It’s amazing that people, especially leaders, don’t do it more often.