Excitable, anxious, extreme, obstinate, jealous or overly-suspicious he or she must not be. Such a [leader] is never at rest.

That advice might sound as though it’s ripped from this week’s headlines. It actually come from an unlikely source: The Rule of St. Benedict, written 16 centuries ago for people living within monasteries. The enduring wisdom of these words resounded loudly for me this week as I watched with millions of Americans the wrenching spectacle of the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination hearing.

Re-reading the chapters of The Rule that deal with qualities of a leader, I was struck again not only by the forward-thinking of Benedict of Nursia, but how critical his message is for our time. Benedict advocates a profile in courageous leadership that seems to all but have disappeared from the U.S. political landscape.

“Only in this are we distinguished,” he writes, “if we are found better than others in good works and humility.” Good works and humility. Hardly the measurements in vogue these days. Hardly the qualities on display this past week in our national leaders.

Howard Schultz, the entrepreneur largely responsible for Starbucks’ distinctive allure, often speaks of “leading from the heart.” Schultz vision is echoed in The Rule. Back in the sixth century, Benedict applied an alternative name to the person entrusted with a leadership role: that of servant.

In a Benedictine world view, true leaders don’t place their personal interests above all else. Winning isn’t everything. Working for the good of all is. The best leaders, Benedict says, are teachers, not dictators. To those of whom much is given, much is expected. Perhaps the most revolutionary of all Benedict’s ideas is the model he asks leaders to imitate: that of Christ.
Speaking of the monastic context, he says, “The prioress or abbot must always remember what she or he is . . . aware that more will be expected of one to whom more has been entrusted ... Anyone who receives the name of prioress or abbot is to lead...by living example.”

Benedict also reminds us that leaders mustn’t become so obsessed with results or coming out on top that they neglect the well-being of those around them. Whether one’s arena is politics, business, academia, the not-for-profit sector, or a monastery, a leader’s foremost concern is people. Or, as Benedict puts it so beautifully, the care of souls. “Above all, they must not show too great concern for the fleeting and temporal things of this world, neglecting or treating lightly the welfare of those entrusted to them,” he writes. “Rather they should keep in mind that they have undertaken the care of souls for whom they must give account.”

The best leaders I’ve worked with in my journalism career were those who cared as much about my personal development as my professional output. They were the editors and news directors who understood that people aren’t interchangeable parts. They gave me assignments that engaged the best of my talent.

Far ahead of his time, St. Benedict recognized that human beings are complex creatures who don’t all respond to the same prompts. Good leaders, he says, “will accommodate and adapt themselves to each one’s character and intelligence.”

The most effective ones “must know what a difficult and demanding burden they have undertaken: directing souls and serving a variety of temperaments, coaxing, reproving and encouraging them as appropriate." Above all, he emphasizes kindness, noting “A kind word is better than the best gift.”

Perhaps the Benedictine Rule should be required reading for every member of Congress, the judiciary and executive branch. Perhaps then kindness will replace anger in our public discourse. Consensus will overtake conflict. Service will outweigh self-aggrandizement. Dignity and decorum will define our democracy. Is that too much to ask?