Lead from Among, Not Above

A note to young leaders.

A young man in Buenos Aires once swept the floors of a chemical lab by day and worked as a nightclub bouncer by night.

That man would one day become Pope.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, his first act was to return to his hotel, pay his own bill and carry his own bags.

He would soon also reject many of the trappings of the papacy. Instead of taking residence in the opulent Apostolic Palace, he chose a modest suite in Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse. And rather than riding in the papal limousine, he opted for a Ford Focus – an unpretentious, economical car more aligned with what a middle-class family might drive, than a global religious leader.

When asked why, he answered simply: “I need to live among people, not above them.”

Pope Francis was also known to randomly call people who had written him personal letters. One such call went to an Italian woman grieving the loss of her son. When she picked up and heard, “Hello, it’s Pope Francis,” she thought it was a prank call – until he shared details from her letter. He comforted her for nearly 30 minutes. He called these encounters “acts of closeness”.

In leadership, we are often told to “act the part”, to appear important, to maintain a formal distance.

But true leadership is not about insulation, it’s about influence – and influence is best practised from among, not above.

Carry your own bags. Pay your own bills. Make random calls of kindness.