Benedict XVI, CEO

Hugh Hewitt
Thursday, April 24, 2008

Today I gave a speech to the Orange Catholic Foundation's annual Conference on Business and Ethics. After some thoughts on choosing to work with good people, treating clients with good faith, and being open to Good Samaritan moments (see the movie, The Visitor), I reviewed the baker's dozen of boardroom lessons that could be derived from Benedict XVI's extraordinarily successful visit to the U.S.

1. Patience and calm in the face of a crisis allows for an intervention at the exact moment of opportunity.Benedict has been pope for three years, and the U.S. Church in a deep crisis for far longer, but he did not rush a visit here, but waited until a moment when his presence could achieve a change in momentum. Sometimes leaders have to wait out the very worst crises or risk premature and ineffective attempts at crisis management.

2. Good planning makes for incredible successes.I was in St. Patrick's in New York on Friday at noon when the monsignor saying the noon Mass used the homily to review the incredible amount of rehearsal and preparation that went into the Saturday morning Mass at the Cathedral. And that was just one of many events, each one of which went off with an amazing precision. The pope's journey was incredibly successful because of the massive amount of practice and attention to detail that preceded it.

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