Ignatian Leadership
Ignatian leadership is a way of being in the world deeply rooted in Ignatian spirituality and informed by a “way of proceeding” found in the Jesuit tradition.
Ignatian leadership is marked by humility, hope, authenticity, a profound sense of purpose, and discernment.
Ignatian leaders are contemplatives in action, who pay attention to how God is moving in their lives and respond to the needs of the world.
The world needs Ignatian leaders — contemplatives in action discerning God’s movements, responding out of love, and living as people with and for others. Ignatian leaders are hopeful, joyful, and free to be their authentic selves. This kind of leadership flows from a deep spiritual life and inspired sense of purpose.
Be a Contemplative Leader in Action.
What is Ignatian Leadership?
Ignatian Spirituality
Ignatian spirituality is grounded in the conviction that God is active in our world. As the great Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote: "God is not remote from us. He is at the point of my pen, my pick, my paintbrush, my needle — and my heart and my thoughts." The spiritual path laid out by Ignatius is a way of discerning God's presence in our everyday lives. And doing something about it.
The Jesuits have a handbook for this search. It is The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, composed by the saint before he was even a priest. Often described as Ignatius' greatest gift to the world, these exercises unfold a dynamic process of prayer, meditation, and self-awareness. The basic thrust is to make us more attentive to God's activity in our world, more responsive to what God is calling us to do. Ignatian spiritual directors accompany or guide people through the exercises in retreat houses, parishes, and other settings.
Contemplatives in Action
Ignatian spirituality is not merely an inward journey, much less a self-absorbed one. It aims to bring people closer to God and more deeply into the world — with gratitude, passion, and humility — not away from it. Ignatius called on the Jesuits to be "contemplatives in action." Today, Jesuits and their lay collaborators work with people in many walks of life, such as education and business. They help nurture "people for and with others."
People for and with Others
Leadership infused by Ignatian spirituality orients us to our deepest vocation. In the first principle and foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius explains: “I ought to desire and elect only that which is more conducive to the end for which I am created.” We are created to serve God — that is our first vocation. But how do we do so? How we choose to lead reflects how we understand our vocation. Do I lead for my own ends or for the greater glory of God? Whose interests am I serving? The concept of vocation is an important check against the tendency to think of leadership as a vehicle for personal advancement. Recalling that our leadership is an expression of a deeper vocation encourages humility, charity, and integrity — which also happen to be qualities of strong leaders.
Ignatian-inspired leadership is other-focused. Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, instructed us that our work must form people for and with others. Being a leader “for and with” others means considering the needs of those we are serving. It is a model of leadership that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better communities, and creates a more just world. It requires a practice of discernment that allows us to act thoughtfully amid trying circumstances or competing goods. And it asks that we foster an awareness of our emotional state that frees us from impulse and permits genuine affirmative communication with others. Being a leader in this tradition means, as Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, tells us, we must be men and women marked by “competence, conscience, and compassion.” Once again, Ignatian spirituality fosters characteristics valued among great leaders.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius tells us that actions are to be preferred to words. Ignatian leadership is an invitation to act in a way that reflects our most deeply held beliefs, affirms our vocation, and serves others, particularly those in need.
( From “Ignatian Leadership: Faith, Vocation, and Service” by Seán Sanford)
