The Leadership Briefing

Leading in a challenging environment can test even the most experienced leader. Resources are limited. Expectations continue to rise. Employees are tired. Change seems constant, and every decision carries consequences for people who may already be carrying more than we realize. In that environment, leaders often hear that they need to “stay positive.” That advice is not wrong, but it can be incomplete. Remaining positive does not mean ignoring difficult realities, minimizing legitimate...

Organizations are under pressure to become faster, leaner, and less bureaucratic. In response, many are flattening structures, widening spans of control, and eliminating layers of management. I have expereinced this recently within my organization with the federal government. Some of this restructuring is overdue. Excessive approvals, duplicated reporting, and unclear accountability can slow good people down. Removing unnecessary bureaucracy can strengthen an organization. But there is a...

Be a Connector, Not a Collector The servant leader’s approach to building and stewarding relationships Most of us were taught to think about networking like collecting. Collect more contacts. Meet more “important” people. Grow your reach. Build a list of people you might call one day for advice, an intro, or an opportunity. And there’s nothing wrong with building a strong network. Relationships matter. They open doors, stretch our thinking, and create opportunities we wouldn’t find on our...

Charisma can attract followers. Only character can sustain their trust. We’ve been duped. Somewhere along the way, charisma became a shortcut for leadership. We started mistaking presence for purpose, confidence for competence, and volume for vision. Now we are promoting performers instead of stewards. We are hiring for energy instead of integrity. We are building teams around personalities instead of principles. That is not merely misguided. It is dangerous. Charisma can open a door,...

Young leaders rarely arrive fully formed. They are developed because someone chooses to see what they might become. Most organizations say they want to develop the next generation of leaders. But when the pressure rises, many leaders return to the same trusted people. They give important work to those who have already proven themselves. Younger team members are invited to observe, assist, and wait. That approach may feel efficient. It is also how leadership pipelines quietly disappear. St....

Feedback is not a weapon for correction. In the hands of a servant leader, it is a gift for growth. There is a kind of feedback that leaves people smaller guarded, discouraged, and uncertain. And there is another kind that brings clarity, restores trust, and calls people toward who they are capable of becoming. Scripture gives leaders a higher standard than simply saying what is true. We are called to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Truth without love can become harshness. Love...

Saint Benedict: Build Something That Outlives You Most leaders measure success by what they accomplish during their tenure. Revenue growth. Market share. Transformation initiatives. Strategic acquisitions. Awards. Promotions. These are all important. Every leader should strive to leave an organization stronger than they found it. But Saint Benedict measured success differently. He measured it by what continued after he was gone. That is a very different definition of leadership. And perhaps...

Leadership begins with showing up where it matters most. There’s a quiet kind of leadership that doesn’t trend, doesn’t shout, and doesn’t demand attention — but it changes everything. It’s the leader who shows up with steadiness when others scatter. The leader who brings clarity when tension rises. The leader who chooses presence over performance. In the monastic tradition, presence is the beginning of formation. “Before we lead others, we must let God lead us.”That line has shaped much of...

One Insight: Leadership Begins Where Comfort Ends Most leaders talk about courage. Father Emil Kapaun lived it. In the chaos of the Korean War, Kapaun ran toward danger, dragging wounded soldiers to safety, offering last rites under fire, and refusing evacuation so he could remain with the men who needed him most. Later, in the brutal conditions of a POW camp, he became a lifeline: giving away his food, washing the sick, and lifting morale when hope was collapsing. Kapaun shows us something...

Scripture “Be shepherds of the flock under your care.” — 1 Peter 5:2 Monastic Theme Stewardship of the Domestic Church In the monastery, leadership is not about authority. It is about responsibility, presence, and care. The same is true in the home. A father leads not by command but by consecration: shaping the spiritual, emotional, and relational climate of the family. This Father's Day, let's each of us relect and take stock of how we are leading our familes. A Father's leadership in the...