Unit 16: Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Unit 16: Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership"

George Harvey
5 years ago
Views:

1 Unit 16: Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY AND LEADERSHIP

Page 2 of 10 A. INTRODUCTION If you have persevered thus far, you may be feeling that having got plenty of the theory and some of the practice of Ignatian spirituality.

2 Page 2 of 10 A. INTRODUCTION If you have persevered thus far, you may be feeling that having got plenty of the theory and some of the practice of Ignatian spirituality. It is now time to get your feet wet! Perhaps the vista opened out by Unit Twelve, on corporate and social discernment, appeals to you, and you are asking: How can I make a difference in my world? Perhaps you are called into a leadership role in an Ignatian work or elsewhere... You may then be wondering what practical help Ignatian spirituality can offer you in such a role. B. UNIT CONTENT Leadership: What is Leadership? Is it a natural talent reserved to the few, or something we all can learn to some degree? These are not easy questions: a considerable literature exists on the subjects of Leadership and Management: a trawl of bookshops will produce any number of texts. A small number of articles and some texts are available below. Most of us in our daily lives experience the leadership of others, and get drawn into leadership roles ourselves. Promotion at work can involved increased responsibility for the leadership of others, however, people often find themselves almost unwillingly propelled into this type of role through circumstances! We may be required to exercise leadership in some areas of our life apart from our employment, whether in the family or in work undertaken in the voluntary sector.

3 Page 3 of 10 When we think about leadership, great political figures spring to mind: Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Churchill, but also Stalin, Hitler and others. In religious circles, Moses, Jesus, Paul, Mohamed, Luther, Pope John XXIII come to mind. In essence, leadership is the capacity to bring others forward, and in this sense it is a talent that anyone can cultivate. It requires a vision of a future situation, and the capacity to persuade others to work towards it. Chris Lowney, author of the Heroic Leadership encourages his readers to consider themselves, first and foremost as such a leader pointing out that in all of our lives there is the complex mix of occupational, vocational, social, family and community obligations. We normally have to participate as leaders in at least a number of these areas. To keep within the bounds of our topic - Ignatian Spirituality - we shall look briefly at Jesus, the exemplar of Christian Leadership, and then at Ignatius, who took his cue from Christ, the supreme leader and lord (Exx 136). Be warned against discouragement, however! Listing even some of the the qualities of leadership which they both demonstrated can become a recipe for despair of ever measuring up. It is better to say: what can I learn from them which will make me a little less inadequate? After all, Ignatius first experience of leadership, Pamplona, was not a shining success! Jesus as Leader If we look at one evangelist alone Mark and omit the wealth of evidence that lies elsewhere in regard to Jesus as leader, what do we find? Jesus is characterised by his breadth of vision the Kingdom of God, which is allinclusive. He is willing to give himself totally to its service, even to the point of death. This alone would place him among the Hebrew prophets, but he also had a capacity to identify those he wanted and they came to him (3:13). They were to be with him and they would be sent out to preach (3:14). He also gave them authority (3:15). He took care of them: he said, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest (6:31). He instructed them privately (7:18-23); admonished Peter (8:33), warned them that greatness consists in service (10:43-45), taught them endlessly by word and example, rebuked them for their lack of faith in his resurrection (16:14) and then sent them out into the whole world (16:15) to continue his work. Here is

4 Page 4 of 10 a few words we have plenty to ponder on in regard to the supreme Leader and Lord! Ignatius as Leader The qualities he demonstrated include: Vision: Ignatius vision is nothing less than the Kingdom of Christ, as shown in his presentation of the Call of the King (Exx 91-98). He had an unfettered consciousness: no part of the world and no situation was unimportant to him. Attractiveness / Inspiration : Wherever Ignatius went, he had the capacity to attract women and men, young and old, of all classes: they came in crowds to listen to him teach and preach, they made the Exercises with him. He gathered three sets of companions in his pilgrim period, though only the last set, the Paris group, persevered. He won people over to his aims not by focussing on himself but on Jesus, by whom he himself had been captivated. People found in him a person who was interested in them, who respected them, and had a huge capacity to listen well and deeply to what they said. They knew he loved them, so they felt safe and at home with him, and he evoked the best in them. Imagination: An unpublished study on Leadership traces the qualities exhibited by Napoleon, Nelson, Trotsky and Ignatius which gave them their power over people. It is argued there that Ignatius had the capacity to identify persons of rich imagination. He would cultivate this quality in them until they were ready to make the Exercises, and then engage in imaginative contemplation of the Jesus of the Gospels to the point where they were won over to the Lord and his cause. This transformation occurred not only in the exercitant s mind and will, but in desire, emotion, physicality and affectivity. Then he would send them

5 Page 5 of 10 out across the world, confident that they would be true disciples, and that they would manage well whatever came their way. He pointed his followers, not to himself, but to Christ. He was even reluctant to be named general, and after ten years tendered his resignation (Alone and on Foot, ch 62). Determination: This word had strong resonances for Ignatius. When he uses the Spanish verb determinar you know his mind is made up and that difficulties won t budge him from what he believes God wants him to do. This gave him his courage in difficult enterprises which included the capacity to start all sorts of projects. He seems never to have given way to panic nor erred on the side of prudence when a legitimate risk was called for. Openness: Ignatius is a supreme example of someone who learnt from experience. T S Eliot laments that we had the experience but missed the meaning but this was not so for Ignatius. From his conversion onward he attended to his inner as well as his outer experiences, which gave him this quality of openness. If the first decade of the young Society ( ) were turbulent and unpredictable, it was because Ignatius considered all the requests made to him for help, and responded as best he could by guiding his ship through uncharted waters. He let himself be taught both by failures and successes, both his own and those of his followers when they reported back to him on the carrying out of their tasks. He was aware, more than most leaders, perhaps, of his capacity to spoil the work of God by getting in the way (see Personal Writings, Letter 13.4 ed Munitiz and Endean). Prayer/ Conviction: Believing that the founding of the Society was God s work rather than his own, Ignatius kept constantly in touch with God, asking to be shown what God wanted done. In asking his followers to keep God always before their eyes Ignatius led by example, as his Spiritual Diary makes clear. He prayed his way to his decisions, and he proposes that the general of the Society should divide his daily time partly with God, partly with his advisors, and partly with himself (Const

6 Page 6 of ). He was led by Another and his trust in that Other was absolute, even when the very existence of the Society was threatened. Development /Formation: Ignatius believed in a strong formation of his followers; they had to go through the experiences which he himself had found helpful the Exercises, pilgrimages, work in hospitals and menial tasks, and later, studies. He respected each person s unique blend of strengths and limitations, and worked to bring out the best in each person. He required that the leader or superior should know what was going on in the hearts of those in his charge; hence the manifestation of conscience in which those being considered for various tasks or missions revealed their inner dispositions. [See the Constitutions, Part I, Admission; Part III; Formation; Part IV, Studies; Part V, Incorporation into the Society]. Positive: Rather than complain about the abuses in society and in the Church of his day, Ignatius lit small candles everywhere. He went in the opposite direction to Luther: instead of public protest about the woes of the Church, he supported it as best he could. Believing that the heart-toheart approach was the best way to help people so that they could then change their situations, his favourite task to give the Exercises to selected persons on a one-to-one basis. Ignatius was optimistic rather than pessimistic about people: he placed extraordinary trust in his men; he empowered them and they responded. In Summary, when we look at the qualities that Ignatius demonstrated by his personal example, his writings and advisory commentary, we find most of the leadership attributes discussed in today s literature. These include vision, positivity, the ability to inspire, openness & humility, determination, a deep personal conviction, a belief in the development of self and of his followers.] A prerequisite for your success as a leader is to have the necessary qualifications and professional expertise to succeed in your chosen area. Ignatius encouraged all his followers to achieve the more ( magis in

7 Page 7 of 10 Latin). The drive to achieve excellence is consistent with effective leadership. LEADERSHIP AND IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY In your studies so far you have encountered the characteristics associated with Ignatian Spirituality : the belief that we are each gifted with a unique value in the overall plan of creation, the belief that we can all play a part in the unfolding of life around us and in our work and culture, a positive appreciation of the good in our world and a realistic belief in the future the value of reflection on past experience and listening to experience so as to adapt to our future reality the conviction that we do not work alone, but can be of real service to others and make a difference through our personal intevention, with Christ as our role model, showing our faith through deeds more than words The focusing of energy on what is of greatest value The practice of stopping to think before we act. This includes opening our minds to the possibility that the answer may not be obvious, inviting others to contribute their experience and wisdom, and the belief that new possibilities will emerge if we have faith in the process of allowing openness into our lives

Page 8 of 10 All of these characteistics are helpful and material to good leadership. Stephen Covey when studying the habits of effective people / leaders found that a common (and encouraging!

8 Page 8 of 10 All of these characteistics are helpful and material to good leadership. Stephen Covey when studying the habits of effective people / leaders found that a common (and encouraging!!) trait that they all shared was that they were prepared to work on their development of skills. None of the above happens overnight! Ignatius, as you have read in the account in Alone and on Foot toiled for many years to adjust his personal approach so as to facilitate his growth. Slowly, with constant effort, he made progress! Another point to remember is that we do the best we can in the circumstances and with the resources available to us what is important is that we aim for the best but don t expect perfection. No one person embodies perfection, all have strengths and weaknesses, a good leader is aware of their strengths and has enough insight to use the support of others to compensate for their shortcomings. C. REFLECTION To which of Ignatius leadership qualities do you feel drawn? Which characteristics do you think you might already share with Ignatius? Whichof his qualities do you think might benefit you? Can you pray for that gift? Good Leaders adjust their approach to differing persons and situations. What flexibility and inner freedom do you need to develop? D. RECOMMENDED READING Revisit Alone and on Foot by B Grogan SJ, especially chs to notice for yourself some of the leadership qualities of Ignatius which you might feel are within your grasp

9 Page 9 of 10 -Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership; Martin Scroope and Deirdre Duncan E. LINKS F. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES A familiarity with some of the main qualities of Ignatius as leader G. ASSIGNMENT Write a page on your own current leadership qualities, using those of Ignatius as a checklist If you are interested in more articles on Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership please resources@jesuit.ie Helpful references: Drucker Managing Oneself Goleman What makes a Leader Kotter What leaders really do CRI Course Australian An Ignatian Leadership Framework An Ignatian Leadership portfolio Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership a way of living and leading, Duncan and Scroope

10 Page 10 of 10 END OF MODULE ONE, UNIT SIXTEEN You have now completed the whole of Module One. Congratulations!

THE IGNATIAN 'EXERCISE' IN DAILY LIFE

88 THE IGNATIAN 'EXERCISE' IN DAILY LIFE By MAURICE GIULIANI T HE EXPRESSION 'Exercises in daily life' is probably already familiar to readers of this article. However, it is normally used by putting into