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Benedictine Leadership

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 Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
ISSN: 2391-6087

Cabell’s Listed

Benedictine Leadership
William J. Hisker
Michael J. Urick
Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government,
Saint Vincent College, USA

ABSTRACT
This paper suggests the importance and usefulness for leaders to leverage the philosophy of St. Benedict to inform their actions and develop
their characters. In doing so, we note how the Rule of St. Benedict is linked to a few academically supported leadership theories, though many
more connections can be made between the Rule and other theories.
Keywords: Benedictine Leadership, spirituality, philosophy, leadership theories

Michael J. Urick, Ph.D., MBA, MS Article info: Journal information:

Associate Professor Available online: 01 February 2018 Published by Institute
Alex G. McKenna School of Business, 2019 of Management and Leadership Inc.
Economics, and Government, Editor: Adam Szpaderski Journal homepage:
Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, www.leadership.net.pl
USA
e-mail: michael.urick@stvincent.edu

1. Introduction Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching including: Human

St. Benedict of Nursia (circa 480-543) is the founder of the
Order of St. Benedict and the Catholic Church’s system of
monastic tradition (Catholic Online, n.d.). Upon close exam-
ination of the Rule of St. Benedict, which he wrote to guide his
monastic community, Benedict’s statements are foundational
to Catholic Social Teaching (Marett-Crosby, 2003) and align
closely with academically supported theories of leadership1.
2. Foundational Principles for Ethical
Leadership Based on Catholic Social
Teaching Grounded in the Benedictine
Tradition
Ethical leadership based on Catholic Social Teaching
grounded in the Benedictine Tradition is a value-based,
ethical structure for the study of leadership. The organiz-
ing structure of this particular ethical system is ground-
ed in a Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine worldview.
It is rooted in the core values derived from the Christian
Dignity, The Common Good, Subsidiarity, Solidarity and
Universal Destination of Goods and the Preferential Op-
tion for the Poor (Byron, 1998; Curran, 2002; Himes, 2005;
Massaro, 2015). Taken together, these core values represent
the basic principles of the life and dignity of the human
person, the call to family community and participation,
the linking of rights and responsibilities, the insistence on
the option for the poor and vulnerable, the argument for
the dignity of work and rights of workers, a call to solidar-
ity, and care for God’s creation.
While these core values have a broad meaning and range
of application, they can be operationalized through a set of
principles distilled from the Rule of St. Benedict (Associa-
tion of Benedictine Colleges & Universities, 2007).
3. The Rule of St. Benedict
Ten core values distilled from the Rule of Benedict are:
• Love (evidenced by care and development of others).

1
Note that for citations below RB refers to the Rule of St. Benedict and Scriptural passages are taken from the New American Bible translation.

2019 Published by Institute of Management and Leadership Inc.

 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
• Prayer (evidenced by mindfulness, faithfulness and
deep reflection).
• Stability (evidenced by commitment to a community
and the common good).
• Conversatio (evidenced by learning, integrity and
openness).
• Obedience (evidenced by listening, knowledge of obli-
gation and follow-through).
• Discipline (evidenced by sustained hard work).
• Humility (evidenced by wisdom, balance and modesty).
• Stewardship (evidenced by responsibility, frugality and
creation).
• Hospitality (evidenced by welcoming and collaboration).
• Community (evidenced by teamwork and reverence to
tradition).
Source: adapted from Association of Benedictine Col-
leges & Universities, 2007: 4-12.
While we will detail each below, it is important to under-
stand that from the standpoint of leadership, these values
are not discrete concepts. They form an integrated and mu-
tually reinforcing whole that constitutes the foundational
structure of what we label as “Benedictine Leadership.”
A helpful image (see: Figure 1) for visualization of how
Benedictine Leadership functions with respect to oth-
er models of leadership is a lattice. In a garden, a lattice
Figure 1. Benedictine leadership lattice
257
provides a basic structure for many different plants sup-
porting their growth. While a lattice is a sturdy structure, it
has many openings encouraging, rather than constraining,
the development of each plant while at the same time let-
ting in light and air. As a lattice, the Benedictine approach
to leadership is designed to encourage and support a space
for the light and air of a wide range of leadership models as
long as those models can attach themselves in some way to
the “lattice work” detailed below.
3.1. Love
Love is a term that is very rarely found in the discus-
sion of leadership theory. But for the person formed in the
Benedictine worldview, it is absolutely central. Love begins
with the core belief that each person is created in the im-
age and likeness of God. As such he or she is both unique
and unrepeatable. Benedictine Leadership would oppose
leadership theories or practices that seek to reduce an in-
dividual’s status by forcing him or her into preconceived
categories or power systems, whether ideological or oth-
erwise. Benedictine leaders strive for more than simple
respect for the individual. While Benedictine Leadership
begins with respect, it is proactive, seeking to promote the
actual development and well-being of the other person.
The Benedictine leader is guided by the principle that
the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of per-
sons, and not the other way around (Gaudium et Spes,
1965: 1046-1047). It is necessary for the Benedictine lead-
er to consider every person, “…without exception as an-
other self, taking into account first of all his life and the
means necessary for living it with dignity.” (Gaudium et
Spes, 1965: 1047). Benedictine leaders cannot manipulate
persons for an end that is foreign to that person’s devel-
opment. A Benedictine leader cannot place unjust restric-
tions on the exercise of an individual’s rights and freedom.
In fact, Benedictine leaders are to be proactive in ensur-
ing the dignity and rights of all persons in their sphere of
influence.
Paraphrasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of
the Church (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004),
a Benedictine leader cannot treat others as solely a means
for carrying out economic, social or political projects im-
posed by some authority, even in the name of an alleged
progress of the civil community as a whole or of other per-
sons, either in the present or the future. Benedictine lead-
ers work to guarantee that restrictions placed on freedom
or personal activity will never become harmful to personal
dignity. The Benedictine worldview is based on the vision
258 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
of the human being as a person, that is to say, as an active
and responsible subject of his or her own growth process,
together with the community to which he or she belongs.
As such, Love is evidenced in leadership through the care
and development of the dignity of each person. (Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, 2004: 57-60).
3.2. Prayer
Prayer is a central focus of a Benedictine worldview. For
the Benedictine, prayer is inextricably linked with action.
Ora et Labora – Prayer and Work, is a fundamental axi-
om of the Benedictine worldview. While many of the oth-
er Benedictine values listed above connect directly to the
action aspect of leadership, prayer is fundamental to the
understanding of the spirit of mindfulness and transcen-
dence that are foundational to a leader who operates from
a Benedictine mindset.
Prayer is grounded in the Benedictine understanding
that leadership development fostering Benedictine princi-
ples must encourage a respect for the transcendent quality
of human beings.
For the Benedictine, prayer is the daily acknowledge-
ment both publically and privately that all of creation is
a generous gift of a loving Triune God. Everything – every-
thing is gift. It is therefore necessary that a leader trained
in the Benedictine tradition faithfully makes time for deep
reflection on this gift and the responsibilities that go with it
– for the Benedictine this reflection is called prayer. How-
ever, Benedictine Leadership does not demand a lock-step
practice of reflection.
Leadership that responds to the demands of the King-
dom of God is not fixed with in concrete boundaries once
and for all. There is no “one” way to practice mindfulness.
Benedictine Leadership shares the Catholic Christian be-
lief that encourages an openness to dialogue with all peo-
ple of good will in the common quest for the seeds of truth
and freedom throughout all humanity (Papa Juan Pablo II,
1979: 276). Benedictine leaders welcome the mindfulness
of the gifted nature of creation regardless of one’s belief
traditions (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004:
23). That being said, a Benedictine worldview sees a lead-
er of any faith or “non-faith” tradition that is not true to
a disciplined and mindful practice of daily reflection as
impoverished. Leadership that is attentive to prayer in
the Benedictine worldview is evidenced through daily
actions that include mindfulness, faithfulness, and deep
reflection.
3.3. Stability
In his Rule, St. Benedict discusses a number of behaviors
that are unbefitting a good monk. In Chapter 1 he details
a type of monk that he terms a “gyro vague.” He describes
these types of individuals: “…who spend their entire lives
drifting from region to region, staying as guests for three
or four days in different monasteries. Always on the move,
they never settle down, and are slaves to their own wills
and gross appetites” (RB: 1.10-1.11).
Benedict sees this type of behavior as the worst type of
behavior because these individuals are interested for the
short term – they are essentially only care about the com-
mon good of the community as long as there is something
in it for them. They are incapable of acting in solidarity with
others. They see no purpose in suspending their immedi-
ate needs for the greater good of the community. Benedict
believed that the true wisdom necessary for leadership can
only be achieved through a long-term commitment to en-
gaging others that goes beyond achieving private short-
term gain. True leadership is willing to invest the energy
to develop lasting relationships that not only develop each
individual but also enhance the strength and vigor of the
community. The leader that seeks short-term profit, pow-
er, fame, or success at the expense of its long-term effect
on the common good is a failed leader. Thus, Benedictine
Leadership is evidenced through a long-term commitment
to community and the common good.
3.4. Conversatio
The goal of a leader conforming to a “Benedictine Lat-
tice” has a transformative requirement. Since the Chris-
tian/Benedictine anthropology originates from the basic
principle that humans were created in the image and like-
ness of God, through a selfless outpouring of a Trinitari-
an God’s love, every leader is called to do the same: “The
revelation in Christ of the mystery of God as Trinitarian
Love is at the same time the revelation of the vocation of
the human person [leader or follower] to love. This revela-
tion sheds light on every aspect of the personal dignity and
freedom of men and women, and the depths of their social
nature” (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004: 16).
Because all human beings are created by God, loved
and saved in Jesus Christ, leaders inspired by the Benedic-
tine worldview can only fulfill their leadership mandate
by modeling the creator through creation of a network of
multiple relationships of love, justice, and solidarity with
 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
other persons. But humans are not God – all humans, lead-
ers included, are flawed.
The Benedictine principle of Convesatio is a call to a way
of formation and transformation. Benedictine leaders are
called to transform every part of their lives so that God’s
very image becomes real and manifest in the world. It is
a “…process of letting go in day-to-day life of self-centered
preoccupations and false securities [power, wealth, fame]
so that the divine core of one’s being becomes manifest in
a trustworthy pattern of living (Association of Benedictine
Colleges & Universities, 2007: 5).
Benedictine leaders are called to engage in a day-to-day
conversion to the likeness of Christ as he has given him-
self to others – Christ as Servant. Benedictine leaders are
aware that they are called to a long-term process of risk
taking that will move them outside their comfort zones.
That is why we say a leader’s commitment to conversatio
is evidenced through a life-long commitment to learning,
integrity, and openness.
3.5. Obedience
In the modern world, one of the most difficult and
misunderstood principles is obedience. In our highly in-
dividualistic culture we are distrustful of any leader who
demands obedience. Unfortunately, without the voluntary
surrendering of the will by followers, leadership quickly
degenerates into oppression – the one who has the pow-
er wins. True Benedictine Leadership prevents obedience
from becoming oppression through listening. The very
root of the word obedience comes from audire (“to listen”;
Association of Benedictine Colleges & Universities, 2007:
8). Benedict begins his Rule with the words, “Listen care-
fully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to
them with the ear of the heart” (RB: prologue 1). However,
he adds later in the Rule that “obedience is a blessing to be
shown by all, not only to the abbot but also to one anoth-
er as brothers, since we know that it is by obedience that
we go to God (RB: 71.1-1.2). He goes on to explain that
even the youngest and least experienced are to be consult-
ed since God often “reveals what is better to the younger”
(RB: 3, 3).
In his discussion of the role of leaders, Benedict admon-
ishes them that they must be attentive to the needs of those
that they are chosen to lead. Benedict places leaders in the
persona of Christ (RB: 2, 1-3). A leader conformed to the
Christian Benedictine lattice of leadership should always
view his or her call for obedience within the context of
259
never doing harm to his or her followers and always with-
in the context of service. In the words of Jesus Christ: “You
know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great men exercise authority over them. “It is not so
among you, but whoever wishes to become great among
you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life
a ransom for many” (Matthew 20: 25-28).
The message for those guided by the Benedictine worl-
dview is that the degree to which leaders derive their abili-
ty to command obedience from their followers is in direct
proportion to their ability to sincerely listen to their fol-
lowers’ concerns and needs. This is why Benedictine Lead-
ership and the right to call for obedience is evidenced by
a leader’s ability to listen, the knowledge of his or her ob-
ligation to service, and a willingness to follow through on
his or her obligations.
3.6. Discipline
Many individuals and even some leaders bristle when
they hear the term discipline. Their reaction is often
guided by another’s misguided or heavy-handed attempt
to force them to do something they do not wish to do –
whether it is for their own good or not. Discipline from the
perspective of Benedictine Leadership is self-discipline.
We are speaking of a set of guidelines that a person has
internalized – a structure for the self that allows the per-
son to marshal the requisite energy to address life’s diffi-
cult challenges. A leader without discipline can make no
true progress. Without an internalized willingness to com-
mit oneself for the long-haul and to do the hard work of
stretching beyond one’s comfort zone to master the com-
plex skills necessary to move people and organizations to
a more effective and efficient way of operating, a leader will
ultimately not be effective.
The self-discipline of a Benedictine leader becomes
a model for others to emulate. The discipline of Benedic-
tine Leadership demands a long-term commitment to con-
tinual reflection and growth. That is why discipline will be
evidenced through sustained hard work.
3.7. Humility
Benedict devotes an entire chapter of his Rule to humili-
ty, detailing for the monk a twelve-step program for achiev-
ing humility (RB: 7). Given his other comments in the
Rule, it is safe to say that Benedict would consider humility
260 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
to be a central value for anyone aspiring to a Benedictine
path of leadership. For Benedict, humility would constitute
the foundation or the footing for the Benedictine lattice of
leadership. Humility demands that leaders be in a right re-
lationship with something outside of themselves – for Ben-
edict, that constitutes a call to be in right relationship with
God’s plan for all creation.
Benedictine leaders must be willing to understand that,
although they are called to a leadership role, they are no
better than those who follow. The skills they have, the op-
portunities they have been given to learn and grow are all
gifts of an all-loving God. Without a true sense of grati-
tude for the gifts that leaders have been given, there is great
danger of assuming they are only responsible to themselves
– there is no truth other than that which they recognize.
Leaders without humility begin to think that they are spe-
cial and the rules do not apply to them. Without a ground
in humility, destructive forces of pride can corrode leader-
ship skills. For leaders nothing is more dangerous. Pride of
person, place or position has been the historical downfall
of many.
Benedictine leaders who are disciplined by humility rec-
ognize their gifts matter only in relation to the gifts of oth-
ers. There is a strong orientation of service – a willingness
to recognize and develop the skills and talents of all who
contribute to the common cause. Benedictine leaders mea-
sure their status in the flourishing of those who follow and
the development of the leadership potential of those who
will be called to leadership in the future. That is why we
say a Benedictine leader who is humble will be evidenced
through wisdom, balance, and modesty.
3.8. Stewardship
The Rule of Saint Benedict states that the tools and goods
of the monastery should be treated as if they were the sa-
cred vessels of the altar (RB: 31.10). The Benedictine worl-
dview holds that all creation is a gift of a loving God and,
as such, must be handled with the deepest of respect and
care. That respect and care extends even to the most mun-
dane of tools and resources that humans use in the pursuit
of productivity.
The Benedictine concept of stewardship is linked direct-
ly to the Catholic Social Teaching on the Common Good
which states that the goods of creation have both a pri-
vate and social function. Good stewardship calls for a re-
spectful use of resources (tangible and intangible) for the
good of all. As such an individual should understand the
resources he or she “owns” or controls as ultimately be-
longing to God. To use a business analogy, God is the ul-
timate stockholder in the enterprise of creation – we are
simply managers. Extant research in the managerial phi-
losophy of operational excellence translates this statement
to tangible business recommendations to illustrate the im-
portance of this concept to leadership (Urick, Hisker and
Godwin, 2017).
With respect to the physical environment, Benedictine
leaders must act in ways that are environmentally sustain-
able over the long term. They should always be on the look-
out for greater efficiencies in the use of natural resources
by eliminating waste whenever possible. Benedictine lead-
ers must always act in ways that are in the best interest of
present and future generations. Short-term gain at the ex-
pense of sensitive ecological and social systems is not in
keeping with the principle of stewardship.
The Benedictine lattice of leadership requires a firm
commitment, on the part of leaders, to the effective and ef-
ficient stewardship of the resources entrusted to their care.
From this, there arises the duty on the part of leaders as
good stewards not to let the human, fiscal and physical re-
sources under their care go idle. Benedictine leaders must
always channel these resources to productive activity, by
entrusting them to those who are desirous and capable of
putting them to efficient and effective use. As such, Bene-
dictine Leadership will be evidenced by responsibility, fru-
gality, and creation.
3.9. Hospitality
The Benedictine lattice of leadership is firmly anchored
in the principle of hospitality, a radical openness to “the
other” – even persons who may be strangers to the com-
munity. “Any guest who happens to arrive at the monas-
tery should be received just as we would receive Christ
himself…” (RB: 53.1). For the Benedictine leader this re-
quirement is based on Jesus’s parable preaching on the final
judgment (Matthew 25: 31-46).
For those leading in a Benedictine tradition, hospitality
demands that they have a clear understanding of the core
value of the dignity of every person as created in the image
of God: “Since something of the glory of God shines on
the face of every person, the dignity of every person before
God is the basis of the dignity of man before other men”
(Gaudem et Spes, 1965: 1048-1049). “This is the ultimate
foundation of the radical equality and brotherhood among
 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
all people, regardless of their race, nation, sex, origin, cul-
ture or class” (Octogesima Adveniens, 1971: 413).
Benedictine leaders are thus responsible for ensuring
that, whenever they exercise their leadership, they are open
to the many and varied contributions of all of their follow-
ers. A Benedictine leader is especially attentive to those
who are different or those who are strangers or newcomers
to an organization or community.
While a Benedictine leader need not compromise his or
her values, he or she must always be respectful and open
to different points of view and other worldviews that also
seek the common good. Benedictine leaders actively seek
ways of identifying and calling forth the gifts and talents of
all individuals regardless of their religion, creed, race, gen-
der, orientation, place of origin, demographic or deep level
differences, or other perceived areas of diverse attributes.
A Benedictine lattice for leadership provides the necessary
time, opportunity and experiences that break down bar-
riers between individuals and groups. That is why Bene-
dictine Leadership will be evidenced through a welcoming
and collaborative pattern of behavior.
3.10. Community
Benedictine Leadership is a call to serve the common
good. The flourishing of an individual’s potential can only
occur within a stable and vibrant community. As we have
seen in the other nine principles of a Benedictine world-
view, the concept of community is linked to the key Catho-
lic principle of the common good. The call for the common
good and a radical commitment to the dignity of each indi-
vidual creates a dynamic paradox for the Benedictine lead-
er. Individuals must be given respect and dignity and can
never be harmed or treated as objects to advance the inter-
ests of a particular community. Yet at the same time, an in-
dividual’s self-interest cannot be pursued to the detriment
of the common good.
Humans were not created as solitary beings. From the
very beginning humans were created in community. They
were created to be social. As such “social life is not exterior
to the human being but part of the human’s essential char-
acter – and individual can only grow and realize his full-
est potential in a healthy community” (Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, 1986: 567). A Benedictine lead-
er is called to find a way that individuals can flourish and
that allows a strong community to develop. Community
calls a Benedictine leader to be a defender of the common
good – to build up communities whose essential interest is
261
the advancement and development of each of its individual
members.
A Benedictine leader understands that the social na-
ture of human beings is not uniform and calls for fostering
an organizational climate that respects diversity of ideas,
healthy social pluralism, and a commitment to renewal
and change, while preserving a deep respect for histori-
cal traditions and a sensitivity to particular customs and
locals. Realizing that this is no easy task, the Benedictine
leader’s commitment to community will be evidenced
through teamwork, reverence to tradition, and a commit-
ment to positive organizational change.
4. Links to Leadership Theories
Taken together, the above suggests that Benedictine
leaders:
• Engage in the care and development of the dignity of
each person.
• Partake in daily actions that include mindfulness, faith-
fulness, and deep reflection.
• Have a long-term commitment to community and the
common good.
• Possess a life-long commitment to learning, integrity,
and openness.
• Are characterized by the ability to listen, the knowledge
of his or her obligation to service, and a willingness to
follow through on his or her obligations.
• Participate in sustained hard work.
• Are virtuous with wisdom, balance, and modesty.
• Act out of responsibility, frugality, and creation.
• Welcome and collaborate with a diverse group.
• Care about teamwork, reverence to tradition, and
a commitment to positive organizational change.
Students of modern leadership literature will note quite
a bit of overlap between theories suggested by the social
sciences that allow for leaders to be effective and the char-
acteristics and behaviors noted above. Below are a few such
links:
• Transformational Leadership (Bass and Avolio, 1995).
• Comprised of the “4 I’s”: idealized influence (ability
to earn admiration, trust, and respect of followers),
inspirational motivation (fostering commitment to
a shared vision), intellectual stimulation (facilitating
others to be innovative and creative), and individu-
alized consideration (coaching, development, and
monitoring)
262 William J. Hisker, Michael J. Urick / Journal of Leadership and Management 15 (2019) 256-262
• Related to love, conversatio.
• Leadership Integrity (Craig and Gustafson, 1998).
• How ethical a leader’s behavior is perceived to be,
• Related to love, conversatio, discipline, and stewardship.
• Leader-Member Exchange (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995).
• Related to how well the leader treats and communi-
cates with followers,
• Related to love, conversatio, stewardship, hospitality,
and community.
• Servant Leadership (Barbuto and Wheeler, 2006; Green-
leaf, 1997).
• Ability and willingness to remove obstacles and pro-
vide resources to followers; includes the dimensions
of altruism, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasion,
and stewardship; seeks positive change from within
a community,
• Related to love, conversatio, stability, humility, and
stewardship.
• Leadership Honesty and Humility (Ashton and Lee, 2009).
• Tendency to not lie and be modest (not ambitious),
• Related to conversatio, obedience, discipline, humili-
ty, and stewardship.
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• Respect for Tradition (Hofstede, 2001; Sharma, 2010).
• How much a leader values the past, one’s culture, and
one’s heritage,
• Related to stability, obedience, and community.
The Benedictine value of prayerfulness is one just gain-
ing attention in leadership studies and is not as well defined
as some of the other Benedictine dimensions. However,
many researchers (Urick, in press for example) have called
for managers to consider prayerfulness and mindfulness
and a variety of journals and professional management or-
ganizations have picked up on this topic as well.
5. Conclusion
This paper suggests the importance and usefulness for
leaders to leverage the philosophy of St. Benedict to in-
form their actions and develop their characters. In doing
so, we note how the Rule of St. Benedict is linked to a few
academically supported leadership theories, though many
more connections can be made between the Rule and oth-
er theories.
Graen, G. B., and M. Uhl-Bien. (1995). “Relationship-Based Ap-
proach to Leadership: Development of Leader-Member Exchange
(LMX) Theory of Leadership Over 25 Years: Applying a Multi-Lev-
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