If there’s one thing anybody in charge of anything has in common with each other it’s that leaders of any kind need to know where they’re going. So what do we do when we don’t know where we are going? The situation can even be harder for Christian leaders who are trying to become instruments of God. How do we do something that is entirely beyond our power? St. Paul gives an example of how to walk in the fog. His life was full of unknowing and yet he moved forward bravely and God used him as he w...
Jul 01, 2025•28 min•Ep. 316
Vision is certainly one of the greatest challenges to leadership. In many ways leaders are called to stare into the void where nothing seems possible and find a path forward. Already this is a terrific blessing for our world, because it allows for innovation and success. But God wants to do something even more with vision. He wants His leaders to accomplish His will and to work His plan. St. Paul teaches us just how to cooperate with God to make this happen.
Jun 23, 2025•28 min•Ep. 315
Christian leadership like anything else is an art and a science. Of course, there are many things we can do to increase our influence and to use it at the service of God. But foundationally there is something out of control in Christian leadership. Namely, the fact that God will use us as He desires. This requires that we learn a secret, the secret St. Paul knew so well and that he tells us about in 2 Corinthians 12. I’d like to help you learn that secret today.
Jun 16, 2025•28 min•Ep. 314
When we follow Jesus in our daily life we are faced with many challenges. Rising up to meet those challenges in accordance with his grace means that we will be making an impact changing the world around us. Instead of letting the world take its own course we are leading it in His name. Rising up to meet these challenges gives us a great opportunity to depend more on Jesus. This is something St. Paul definitely understood and embodied in his life. This is Part 2 in our series “In The Pattern Of P...
Jun 09, 2025•28 min•Ep. 313
The life of St. Paul provides Christians with a wonderful example of what it means to lead in Jesus Christ. In fact St. Paul had to face many of the same challenges we do. In my book, Coached by Paul the Apostle, I try to lay out many of these insights into leadership and in this series of podcasts I try and develop those insights in greater depth starting with this particular session where I develop the link between authority and freedom. This follows Chapter 1 of my book.
May 28, 2025•28 min•Ep. 312
As we bring this series of letters from St. Francis to a close I thought it fitting to finish with some letters in which the Saint references his own soul. What were the spiritual lessons that he himself learned on his journey as a Christian engaged in the affairs of the world? By looking at the themes that he evokes in letters about himself we can find lessons that we can apply to ourselves in our situations as leaders today. We can learn from him something of the love of God.
May 19, 2025•28 min•Ep. 311
One thing a Christian leader can be sure of is that they will be asked to carry the cross with Jesus. But carrying a cross isn’t easy for anybody and few of us embrace it as we should. St. Francis de Sales, and early master of the 1600’s, knew this very well and he wrote to the leaders of this world with encouragement to carry the cross that God gave them with Jesus. But what does this mean for us today? By reading letters that he wrote to persons of the world we can discover some of what he mea...
May 11, 2025•28 min•Ep. 310
The letters written by St. Francis de Sales to persons in the world represent wonderful examples of the application of true spirituality to those living amidst the cares of this world. All of us who carry the mantle of leadership in our families or in our businesses have to find ways to keep our spirituality alive and at the same time deal with the constant pressing needs around us. In this third segment of our series we pass on the advice of St. Francis: Love purifies all things.
May 06, 2025•28 min•Ep. 309
In his letter to Persons In The World, St. Francis de Sales writes admirable advice for those whose vocation it is to live in the world but not be of it. For some Christians involving ourselves in the world is a distraction and others disparage the vocation of business as a temptation that could threaten one’s salvation. But it was not so for St. Francis de Sales. On the contrary, he encourages those who are called to engage in the world but gives them great advice about avoiding vanity and ambi...
Apr 21, 2025•28 min•Ep. 308
St. Francis de Sales was the Bishop of Geneva in the early 1600’s. He wrote many wonderful texts of spirituality and is considered a Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church. He also wrote many letters, especially to people who were in the world, that is, lay faithful who were entrusted with the charges of family, business, and politics. These letters are treasures of wisdom and spirituality, and we begin the first of our series with a letter on inner peace.
Apr 14, 2025•28 min•Ep. 307
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 leader...
Apr 07, 2025•28 min•Ep. 306
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....
Mar 31, 2025•28 min•Ep. 305
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?
Mar 24, 2025•28 min•Ep. 304
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.
Mar 10, 2025•28 min•Ep. 303
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.
Mar 03, 2025•28 min•Ep. 302
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...
Feb 16, 2025•28 min•Ep. 301
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....
Feb 10, 2025•28 min•Ep. 300
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 e...
Jan 27, 2025•28 min•Ep. 299
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 o...
Jan 20, 2025•28 min•Ep. 298
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.”
Jan 15, 2025•28 min•Ep. 297
Leadership is not done in a vacuum. In fact the cultural situation we find ourselves in often influences the decisions we have to make. This is why it is so important for Christian leaders to always remember the importance of their role as leaders in a world that is marked by sin. In today’s episode, the second of our series of Leaders In A Broken World we develop the importance of Christian leadership for providing true unity and creating true harmony for the betterment of all.
Dec 16, 2024•28 min•Ep. 296
Trying to improve our leadership requires a lot from us. It requires study and thought and development of our skills. But sometimes in the midst of all that we can forget why we’re called to lead in the first place. What’s God’s plan for our leadership? Why would he call us to do what we’re doing anyway? Certainly there are many great answers to these questions but none strike as profoundly as seeing our work as an extension of the work of Christ himself; an extension of the power of the cross, ...
Dec 10, 2024•28 min•Ep. 295
When we are in a position of leadership law can sometimes seem cumbersome. And as Christian leaders we’ve developed our sense of autonomy and freedom and love to the point where many of us wonder why do we need rules in the church at all? Sometimes it can be tempting to say, “those in charge make the rules” and that’s why the life of our Lord can be disconcerting. Because he followed the law. In this final part of our examination of Aquinas’ teaching on the life of our Lord, we draw valuable ins...
Dec 02, 2024•28 min•Ep. 294
The Christian tradition has always recommended that a minister of the gospel live a life of material simplicity. Such a life would guarantee the virtues necessary for proclaiming the gospel in purity. But what does the Church have to say for those engaged in the public sphere of commerce? If a business leader tries to evangelize with their business or in the context of their leadership are they obliged to embrace poverty? What role does poverty play in the life of a non ordained Christian leader...
Nov 18, 2024•28 min•Ep. 293
When we assume a role of leadership we set ourselves apart from the people that we lead. By definition the leader is at the top or first in line. And leaders in general play positions in society where power is a part of their lives. But what do we do as Christians? Shouldn’t we be the same as every other Christian? And what if our position of leadership brings us a little too close to the world and its way of thinking and acting? What did our Lord do? How did He live?
Nov 12, 2024•28 min•Ep. 292
All of us know that leadership is a demanding thing. Physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Anyone who stands in front of the crowd and points the right direction will take a beating. And yet strangely this is exactly what God asks us to do. Maybe it’s for this reason that our Lord himself took times to rest. In this second part of our series on Leadership Lessons From the Summa, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us the three different ways that Jesus rested.
Nov 04, 2024•28 min•Ep. 291
Without a doubt leadership requires us to engage other people. Whether it be in networking for new partnerships or interviewing new employees, we live an active life. For many Christians this is problematic. We can sometimes feel that being a leader and being active means that we can’t be as contemplative and prayerful as we should be. In this lesson of leadership coming from St. Thomas Aquinas I lead you in a study of his treatise on the life of Christ to glean insights there.
Oct 28, 2024•28 min•Ep. 290
Few saints exemplify the power of Catholic leadership more than a simple Italian nun named St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Although plagued with bad health and many restrictions in her life she found a way to be incredibly productive founding schools, orphanages, and hospitals on four continents. She teaches us to overcome whatever lies in our way as we pursue God’s will – sharing with us her personal motto, “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.”
Oct 21, 2024•28 min•Ep. 289
Regardless of our positions and responsibilities communication is always a challenge. How did the saints communicate when they needed to? In today’s episode on Leadership Lessons From The Saints, I look at St. Patrick. Not only did he manage to communicate foreign ideas to his audience, but he did so in a way that was persuasive. He managed to do something with his communication that all of us leaders need to do. He communicated facts in a way that moved and promoted action. So, his leadership l...
Oct 15, 2024•28 min•Ep. 288
Theodore Roosevelt said, “People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It’s a fact that leadership is something that followers bequeath to the one that leads them. Meaning that we who lead in the footsteps of Christ have to gain the trust of those whom we are leading. Few saints embody this better than St. Joan of Arc. She literally lead troops into battle. Because they believed in her – believed in her vision and saw her courage. She led from the heart and her lead...
Sep 30, 2024•28 min•Ep. 287
