Pope Francis

Pope Francis has proven to be not only a man of the people but a leader among leaders.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, when he was named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Bergoglio, the first pope from the Americas, reportedly took his papal title after St. Francis of Assisi of Italy. Prior to his election as pope, Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2013, as cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church of Argentina from 2001 to 2013, and as president of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina from 2005 to 2011. In December 2013, Pope Francis was also named Person of the Year by TIME magazine. (http://popefrancis.com) Pope Francis is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Since his election, Pope Francis has demonstrated a range of leadership abilities that are the characteristics of leaders who are committed to building high levels of trust. Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has shown, through his actions, a new direction for the Catholic Church, and a new style of leadership from the top. Leaders who desiring to learn lessons in how to rebuild trust should carefully take note the approach of the new pope who has demonstrated humility, accessibility, vulnerability, and a heavy desire to communicate and share his vision at every opening.

Throughout my research I have found that time and time again Pope Francis has been referred to as humble, accessible, vulnerable, and is at ease with communication.

In 1992, Bergoglio was made an assistant bishop in the city of his birth. At this point in time Bergoglio was already showing the key signs of his leadership. His war on drugs in the slums of Buenos Aires describes this best. He went to the villas miserias and spent long hours with the poorest of the poor. The villas miserias was the poorest and most dangerous parts of...