I have just read "The Character of a Christian Leader" for the first time and can see why it is a classic. Bonaventure, the seventh Minister General of the Franciscans, writes from his own experience of leadership in a religious community and applies that to others who also have the privilege of leading communities. "The head should take personal responsibility," he writes in the chapter on "Good Judgment, " for the spiritual concerns of his community." (§13) The original title of this small book (71 pages) is "The six wings of the seraph". Bonaventure uses the image of six wings as headings for the characteristics of leadership: 1. Zeal for righteousness 2. Brotherly love 3. Patience 4. Good example 5. Good judgment 6. Devotion to God Philip O'Mara's translation reads easily. Bonaventure's ideas are simple - and profound. His leadership style was gentle in a violent age. It is the gentleness and goodness of his leadership style that make his proposals attractive for our age.
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