~with Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, former President of Gonzaga University. Fr. Spitzer is currently President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership.

Q. I’ve heard you credit Jesuits like Dave Leigh with helping you discern your vocation. What are the qualities you saw in him and did it have anything to do with being a good mentor?

A. When I was a student at Gonzaga, I respected David Leigh first as an intellectual – who is also a genuinely faith-filled and humble priest. He did two favors for me – he introduced me to Bernard Lonergan (by inviting me to Lonergan’s lectures on the functional specialties) and he also taught me the beauty and power of poetry. As a business student (public accounting and finance), I was not required to take philosophy and English beyond the Core requirements. Thanks to Fr. Leigh’s influence, I began reading philosophy as much, if not more, than business and finance. I simply fell in love with the discipline – particularly through Lonergan’s insight. Furthermore, as a more quantitative and logic oriented-person, I unjustifiably presumed that poetry did not have much to offer; so I staved off my poetry class until junior year. Thanks to Fr. Leigh I changed my mind completely, discovered Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ, and subsequently discovered the spirituality of the Jesuits through Hopkin’s eyes. If Fr. Leigh had not had the interest or taken the time to mentor and “gently push” a person like me, I doubt that I would have discovered the depths of philosophy, the spirituality of the Jesuits, and my vocation.

Q. In your many ministries you probably have the opportunity to meet a lot of gifted people. How or when you get the sense that any one of these might have a real vocation to leadership?

A. I meet many young and middle-aged people who have the potential for leadership. Many of them do not recognize this potential, and as a consequence do not act on it. The job of a good mentor is to see in others what they cannot clearly discern in themselves, to inspire them, and to help them develop their natural talents.

Good leaders have three essential qualities: (1) Vision, (2) character, and (3) “people friendly personality.” I really cannot think of a single effective leader who did not have great vision. “Vision” is the art and quality of seeing what is truly possible – of seeing beyond the horizon, and even the horizon beyond the horizon. But it is more than seeing possibilities and formulating goals. It is also believing that what one sees can produce tremendous good for individuals, culture, church, commerce, etc. This belief leads to desire – a term with which St. Ignatius was quite familiar. This desire, in turn, incites commitment to continuous action (a refusal to give up until the job is done). This “desire-commitment” engenders creativity, for there will always be more problems than we anticipate – in plans, systems, relationships with people, stakeholder alignment, etc. Yet where there is desire and commitment (as well as an adequate problem-solving skill set), there will also be creative solutions. The assembly of these creative solutions produces the goods that visionary leaders anticipate.

Character is also essential, because visionary leaders are beset by many weaknesses – including the desire to get things done – sometimes at any cost. Thus, visionary leaders (perhaps more than anyone else) need a moral and ethical “governor”(a sense of conscience and principles along with the desire to use them). Visionaries without character are perhaps the most destructive forces to culture, society, and the world, but when character is present, they are incredible forces of development and progress.
I also believe that visionary leaders have to be good “people persons,” because they have to recognize skill sets and personalities, and how these skill sets and personalities fit together. They must also use the right amount of inspiration, humor, and incentive to make these individuals function as a synergistic team (where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts).

Q. Great leadership seems to have a lot to do with personality or at least how someone nurtures relationships along. How do you mentor someone who has a strong personality or extraordinary gifts?

A. I don’t think there is any specific formula for mentoring strong leaders, because every individual is so different. Perhaps there are a few general observations about mentoring: (1) helping people to see the potential that they cannot see in themselves, (2) pushing people beyond their comfort zone — but not too far, too quickly, (3) being candid about where individuals can use development of their skill sets, (4) encouraging people to develop character – even though this frequently seems “soft” to strong leaders, (5) encourage them to know themselves (both strengths and weaknesses) on as deep a level as possible, and (6) encouraging them to develop a sense of empathy which will help them to truly resonate with individuals possessing different gifts.