5 Leadership Lessons from St. Joseph

When you think of great leaders, St. Joseph might not be the first to come to mind. 

After all, leadership usually entails directing, guiding, and, notably, speaking. 

St. Joseph, though he was Jesus’ earthly father and the earthly head of the Holy Family, has no recorded words in Holy Scripture. But as Harold Ganeen, former president and CEO of ITT, famously said, “Leadership is not practiced in words so much as in attitude and action.” 

This is especially true of St. Joseph.

Today, we’ll use Pope Francis’  Apostolic Letter entitled “A Heart of a Father.” to unpack how you can imitate St. Joseph’s leadership of the Holy Family in our daily lives and businesses.

1. Accept, Embrace, Take Responsibility.

It may be tempting to view St. Joseph as blindly obedient, or even robotic. After Joseph resolves to divorce Mary quietly, an angel appears to him and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. St. Matthew is nondescript about Joseph’s reaction: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home,” (1:24). 

But Pope Francis casts more light on St. Joseph’s attitude towards a situation that was undoubtedly confusing. He knew only the next thing God willed for him, and one can easily imagine his lack of clarity. 

“Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his own ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his own history,” says Pope Francis.  

Through faith, St. Joseph was able to trust and accept the will of God in his life, embrace it without resistance or playing the victim, and make God’s will his own by taking responsibility for its execution. 

How do you accept what you cannot change? How do you embrace the turns and detours in your path? What does it look like for you to take responsibility and lead when you only know the next right step? 

2. Look for Possibilities in Problems

It is probably fair to say that Joseph’s life was not what he expected and that he was often “thrown for a loop.” Consider in the Gospels when an angel appears to Joseph again and directs him to return to Nazareth through Egypt, where it’s believed they lived for 3 years. 

Pope Francis writes that "God acted by trusting in Joseph’s creative courage." St. Joseph cooperated with God’s grace. He didn’t balk at the challenges before him, but “was able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence."  

St. Joseph didn’t trust that he had the solutions all on his own. But he had faith that solutions were to be found in God. All St. Joseph needed to do was allow God to guide him to find and implement these. Of course, this requires a trusting outlook that is open to God's ways, rather than being restricted to one’s own. 

When challenges arise, is your first reaction to see problem upon problem? How often do you consider that an obstacle is an opportunity for you to discover a more creative approach and be led by God? 

3. Treat Your Work as an Important Part of Your Calling

St. Joseph was called first to holiness, and then to his vocation as a husband and father. But he recognized the dignity of his craft as integral to carrying out these greater callings. While working at his craft faithfully and virtuously, St. Joseph was also working at his vocation, not only to provide, but to teach, guide, and ultimately lead his family in holiness on earth.  

“Work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion…Saint Joseph’s work reminds us that God himself, in becoming man, did not disdain work,“ writes Pope Francis. 

As seen from St. Joseph, your work, however humble, has dignity and purpose with God. You can even sanctify seemingly mundane tasks by offering them for God’s glory, and by letting God guide your decisions and work, you can bring others closer to Him. 

4. Surrender the Desire for Control

It’s no secret that leaders struggle to give up control. This is often true in the family unit, in society, and businesses. For more on this,  read our past insights on subsidiarity and how to let go of control as a founder. 

But what does this have to do with St. Joseph? 

Pope Francis speaks about this tendency, particularly in the context of fatherhood. As a good leader, St. Joseph led in a way that was not possessive or controlling, but promoted freedom. 

You can apply this to business.

What does it mean to lead in a way that prompts freedom, creativity, and ownership? Do you tend toward being possessive of your business? Reading our blogs on subsidiarity and control linked above for more on this!  

5. Walk Humbly 

Even with so few details given in Scripture about St. Joseph, he can teach us much through his courageous trust and quiet strength. St, Joseph is a good reminder that recognition, notoriety, and even the big rewarding moments matter less than daily surrender and obedience behind the scenes.

St. Joseph is a perfect example of this famous verse: 

“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8). 

At SENT, we believe that leaving your ego at the door is a necessary step in good leadership. Only when you embrace humility and dependence can you truly grow and lead with confidence, not in your abilities, but in God’s providence. 

St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us!

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