We Want the Best

J. Patrick Murphy argues that for Vincentian educational institutions to fulfill their mission, their leadership must model Vincentian values. It is also essential to hire faculty who will put those values and mission into practice. It is better to employ people whose personal principles match those of the Vincentians than it is to hire candidates who look the best qualified on paper, but who do not connect with the mission. The greatest results come from asking people to do their best and providing a work environment in which they can do that. Once hiring is done, leaders must continually educate faculty in Vincentian values. This fosters their own initiative to engage with the mission

Servant Leadership in the Manner of Saint Vincent de Paul

This article explores the similarities between Vincent de Paul’s leadership and the kind Robert K. Greenleaf describes in his book, Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. According to Greenleaf, people who follow a true servant leader become “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous” and are likely to become servant leaders themselves. They also consider the effects of their actions on the least privileged. This is all true of the members of the communities that Vincent led, and he was particularly concerned that the poor would become self-supporting through his efforts. Greenleaf says that servant leaders constantly seek improvement, act out of inspiration, gain others’ trust, and listen before responding to problems. They are aware of their followers’ strengths and weaknesses and work with them to achieve great things. They have intuition and foresight. Examples of Vincent’s fulfillment of these and other criteria are provided

Hospitality in the Manner of St. Vincent de Paul

J. Patrick Murphy’s goal is to “discover Vincent [de Paul]’s theory and practice of hospitality in the seventeenth century and make sense of it in the twenty-first.” He does this by defining five components of hospitality: “mission, passion, make friends, listen to your heart, and active hospitality.” He explains how Vincent acted on each. Murphy also notes how eminent business leaders of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries exhibit these components within their industries. He concludes with hospitality lessons for Vincentian leaders

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Homelessness: Depaul International Responds

A member of the Vincentian Family, the nonprofit Depaul International serves people who are homeless throughout Europe and the US, a mission which became much more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. After giving some of the organization’s history, J. Patrick Murphy describes the challenges that staff and service users faced and how both groups (and donors) responded in extraordinary ways. He offers specific stories from different countries that illustrate how “staff shared common Vincentian values, provided leadership, increased communication, and shared resources and best practices across boundaries.” Depaul International members were asked what Vincent de Paul would say of their work, and their reflections are presented in their original words

Introduction

This brief outline of the Hay-Vincentian Leadership Project defines its goal as the discovery of “the leadership principles and values of Vincent as they are alive and well in today’s organizations.