Page 2 of 40123...Last »

Story and symbol–how the pope links the two together
October 25, 2013

Leadership in the news, Leading by autobiography, Storytelling Leave a comment

  I often talk with my clients and seminar attendees about being acutely aware of symbol. In fact, we should all be very attentive to the images we project with every one of our actions, whether large or small. The stories that others will tell about our symbolic moments or acts will greatly affect our reputation, and our ability to lead or influence.  I am not sure if Pope Francis is consciously using the power of symbol as he goes about his daily business. It may well be that he is simply being himself, that he is speaking in his natural voice and embodying his natural persona. However, whether all … Continue reading →

Pope Francis and stories of collective identity
October 18, 2013

John's reflections, Leadership in the news, Leading by autobiography, Storytelling Leave a comment

  In the past few weeks, we have seen a variety of ways in which Pope Francis has employed personal storytelling in his communication. As for any leader, personal storytelling is the most effective manner to illustrate “who I am” and “why I do things the way I do.” The pope’s personal stories of identity display his values and beliefs loudly and clearly.  Effective leaders express themselves through various types of personal stories of identity. Some of these stories express directly “who I am”. These are tales of where I come from, the origins of my values and beliefs, why I do things the way I do them, and why … Continue reading →

A storytelling pope and why I stay interested in his story
October 11, 2013

leadership, Leadership in the news, Leading by autobiography Leave a comment

While the coming weeks will be busy with travel and client activity for me, I do plan to write more about one of the most compelling “storytelling and leadership”  events in recent history–Pope Francis and his use of personal stories of identity. Before doing so, though, I should make two confessions. The first one is that I had certainly never intended to write for so many weeks, even months now, about any one individual. My readers and friends have speculated that I have become a bit obsessed with the story of Pope Francis for the novelty of following the career of the first pope from the Americas. Others say that … Continue reading →

A story of “where my management style originates from”
October 4, 2013

leadership, Leadership in the news, Leading by autobiography, Storytelling Leave a comment

  This week, I continue about Pope Francis and how he uses his personal stories of identity to express who he is and why he does things the way he does. One of the elements I work on with my clients is their ability to tell stories from their past that demonstrate the origin of their values, beliefs or management philosophy. These stories explain to followers why a leader does things the way he or she does. The pope gives us a fine example of this type of story when he talks of why he likes a consensual approach to management rather than an authoritarian one. In fact, we see … Continue reading →

Pope Francis and his use of personal stories of identity
September 27, 2013

John's reflections, leadership, Leadership in the news Leave a comment

I had certainly never intended to continue my musings about Pope Francis for so many weeks, but forces seem to be pushing me to continue. As my co-author and I have been researching examples for our new book–and she is particularly keen to include leaders from outside the English-speaking world–I got stuck in on following stories about the pope in the press every day.  Reading about him has been enlightening, and it has also proven quite useful for our writing. One of our book’s major themes is he is how effective leaders use their personal stories of identity to inspire others, and now that I have read so much about … Continue reading →

Page 2 of 40123...Last »