Month: May 2026

CPope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical; it is titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” and it is a proclamation about the rights of man as they apply to artificial intelligence. In doing so, Pope Leo is following in the footsteps of a namesake Pope Leo XIII, who authored “Rarem Novarum.” Penned in 1891, it advocated for the dignity of labor and the rights of working people. In the time of Leo XIII, the Industrial Age was in full force, and workers were viewed as commodities rather than as human beings. 

AI, in its basic form, is used for automation and improving efficiency. Agentic AI, by integrating decision-making, builds on this. Already, it is used in design, law, science, and medicine, displacing highly trained and talented women and men who have devoted their lives to study and practice. What does the future hold for them?

The Pope’s call to action

Pope Leo XIV writes that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity.” Yet, “the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs… A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity.” 

Showing that he is cognizant and respectful of those who develop technology, Pope Leo released his encyclical alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a major AI developer.

The challenge for governments, businesses and organizations is to use AI for the good. Its malign purpose is already here. As summarized in the New York Times, the encyclical suggests the following steps:

• Ask governments to regulate private companies involved in AI development.
• Provide workers displaced by AI with “protection and retraining”;
• Educate students to “think critically about technology”; and
• Protect children from “violent, hypersexualized or fake information… generated by AI.”

Pope Leo also urges countries to instill “safeguards to ensure that humans, not artificial intelligence, remain responsible for all decisions regarding the use of weapons.” Failure to do so threatens human life and civilization itself.

What leaders can do

For leaders the question arises how can you use AI to improve your organization while integrating solutions that reinforce social capital? This is the question of our times. There are no easy answers, but leaders can assert themselves by communicating what AI can do and what its impact on the organization will be.

Sometimes AI will displace employees so what can organizations to provide not merely a soft landing but, as the Pope advised, offer retraining so they can continue to learn and grow their skills and find new opportunities. Additionally leaders can use their platforms to focus on what humans do bring to their work – creativity, commitment and community.

Just as Leo XIII put the dignity of labor in the late 19th century, Leo XIV is affirming human dignity in the face of civilization-altering technology in the 21st century.

Special thanks to Mahesh Thakur and Scott Eblin for their thoughts on the AI challenges leaders face.

I have written many– some might say too many – columns about Tom Brady, and so when I wrote the last one about him after he had retired, I thought. That’s it.

But no!

The Back Story

Brady was the 2026 commencement speaker at my alma mater, Georgetown, a curious twist because I had come to know of Tommy (as he was called then) when he was quarterback – at times a struggling quarterback – at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, my hometown. 

I loved his underdog approach and persistent perseverance, which emerged in college and became his strength in the NFL as the 199th pick and 6th quarterback in the 2000 draft. An injury to starter Drew Bledsoe in Tom’s second season opened the door for him to start. He then led the New England Patriots to the 2002 Super Bowl title, the first of six more to come: five with New England and one with Tampa Bay.

What I was not prepared for was his sense of humor – an approach to public speaking that makes for an enjoyable talk and one likely to be remembered.

The Schtick

“Sitting here, looking out at this amazing crowd of business majors, getting ready to start your careers, I realized something: Sports was a very strange way to make a living.

People screamed at me all the time. They gambled on my performance, and they celebrated all my failures.

But here’s a number for you guys: 99.7. What’s that number make you think of? It’s an A+ — I didn’t get many of those. It’s a low-grade fever, maybe…

There are 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, and we’re losing 28 to 3, and it’s fourth down at midfield. And at that moment, the Falcons had a 99.7% chance of winning.

If there was a 99.7% chance at anything, it’s that I’d be behind the counter at Ben’s Chili Bowl before I was behind center in an NFL game.

The Message

Of course, Brady was not at Georgetown to tell jokes. 

His message to students was one that had guided him all his life: “You don’t quit and you don’t make excuses. Every hard choice is a brick in the path toward the life you want. Every excuse is a brick in the wall that will stand in your way.”

Good message, indeed.

So let me say Hoya Saxa for my alma mater and Go Blue for my hometown school.

Poetry is the art of getting to the heart of 

the matter.

It gives structure to ideas that are often overlooked or ignored, but nonetheless must 

be explored.

Poetry puts thoughts into verse in ways that make tough subjects approachable and accessible.

Leadership, too, is about reaching the heart. 

as well as the mind.

Leaders are called upon to address challenging issues and act with candor and courage to address them.

Poetry can be a siren song for action.

Leadership can be those songs put into action.

+++

What do you want people to get from reading your poems?

This question was posed to me by a colleague, and I will admit that it threw me. I can tell you what I hope people will learn from my nonfiction books and articles because, to quote Marshall McLuhan, “the medium is the message.” I write about leadership themes that are explicated with research, stories and prescriptions. My work provides the how in what it means to lead with purpose, communicate with conviction, and connect for community.

Not so with my poetry. Or so I thought. I know why I like writing poetry – writing concisely, using similes and metaphors, playing with language, and shining a light on everyday life. Poetry allows me to “cut to the quick” of an idea, a story or an image. I am an observational poet. I write about what I see.

Poetry spans that chasm between experience and understanding. And as such it becomes a medium to explore what it means to lead and by extension to live. Toward that end, I have put together a new collection of poems I call Leadership in Verse.

And being one who has spent over three decades writing about leadership—as well as teaching and coaching it—I know I still have some observations to share. 

What We See

These are observations of management that we see around us in good times and in bad. Leadership is about making a positive difference. The difference becomes obvious when we look around at the world as it is, rather than how we wish it to be. Too often, we see overlook – or turn the other way – when problems arise. It is important to take blinders off and examine what is truly happening.

Burnout[

Gnawing emptiness pervades.

Fatigue without perceived exertion

Endless hours of sameness.

Hour upon hour.

“It’s like being drunk,” they say.

If so, there’s no comfort. No high.

Just exhaustion.

What took an hour may take a half-day,

Including time spent staring.

Worse. A loss of what and why?

What am I doing,

And why am I doing it?

Motions for the sake of motion.

Burnout.

How We Act 

These are a set of leadership thoughts and actions that come in handy in times of stress.

Looking for ways to make a positive difference is the challenge everyone faces. 

It is easy to become discouraged when the change we seek meets resistance. 

But then, if it did, then perhaps it would not be worth our effort.

Resilience

Yes, I can.

So simple to say when things are going well.

Not so easy when…

Your project has been cancelled.

Your team has been disbanded.

Your boss, whom you like, has been transferred.

Your job has been eliminated.

So hard then when fortune turns to misfortune. 

But when you realize what happened to you,

It’s not you,

Then you can decide your next move.

Slowly. Deliberately. Carefully.

Maybe not as strong as before,

But adding muscle with every move you take.

How to Inspire

Poetry can open our minds and hearts to possibility. Here’sI where you cite the example of John O’Donohue, an Irish poet.[SM2] 

May the Blessing

Philosopher-poet John O’Donohue wrote reams of poems.

Many were blessings.

As befit his previous priestly calling.

Each line of his blessings begins with “May.”

May you think freely…

May you feel the ground…

May you know you are loved.

And so forth.

May is the intercession between

Mother and child. 

Pastor and parish.

Leader and follower.

May is a door opener.

Invoking it says, “Are you listening, Lord?”

Or to whomever you are addressing.

May is a kind word.

An invitation, as the French would say, to “parlez.”

To have a conversation with a Higher Power “up there.”

Or a “higher power” down here.

May is a good word.

One of full of grace.

Smiling as I write this.

As children, we asked for intercessions from

Mary, full of grace.

May we all find more mays.

May the light snuff out the dark.

May despair lose to hope.

May sorrow drown in joy.

May. May. May.

In this same vein of hope and grace, I include a poem about Frances Hesselbein, the founder of the Leader to Leader journal. Her life story exemplifies what it means to lead with strength, bravery, and heart. When she led the Girl Scouts of America as the greatest CEO he had ever met. Frances was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Here is my remembrance of her.

Life Lesson

“To serve is to live,” she taught us.

We listened.

And wondered how.

So,

She showed by example how to

Listen with an open heart.

Stand tall for what’s right.

Understand differences 

Seek common cause

Be grateful

Find joy in work and play.

In short,

To love.

Making Poetry Work for You

“Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance,” wrote Carl Sandburg. So, pick a poem or a series of poems and consider what they say to you. 

• What do these poems/stories say about us?

• What insights into yourself do they reveal?

• How might you change how you think and act when it comes to making the choices that matter most?

The answers you give are yours. You can share your thoughts with others who have read the same poems. It does not matter that you agree. What matters is that you express yourself and, in doing so, connect with others in ways that illuminate what makes us what and who we are. 

To sum up, what do I want people to get from reading my poems?

Insights into the human condition that may provoke you to second-guess your preconceptions. Doing so may make you think again, appreciate what you have, or laugh a bit more.

Simple really. But let’s not delve too deeply into the what’s, wherefores, and whys of poetry. Best to let it speak for itself.

First posted on Leader to Leader Insights 4.08.2026

A leadership thinker uses poetry, reflection, and inspiring real-life stories to explore the heart, courage, humility, and grace needed to lead well in difficult times.

In a leadership market saturated with data-driven frameworks and “hustle” culture, John Baldoni’s Leadership in Verse: Poems & Stories arrives as a necessary, soulful intervention. Baldoni, a veteran coach and author, pivots away from the cold mechanics of management to explore leadership as a fundamentally moral and relational practice. This is not a manual for performance; it is a meditation on the human spirit under the weight of responsibility.

The book’s distinctive strength lies in its tripartite structure, which guides the reader through a process of diagnosis, discipline, and demonstration.

In the first part, Baldoni strips away the corporate euphemisms that mask workplace rot. He addresses the “unspoken” realities of burnout; the corrosive nature of ego; and the hollowed-out isolation of virtual disconnection. By naming these shadows, Baldoni forces a confrontation with the truth: institutions fail when their leaders trade responsibility for moral evasion.

The second part offers the remedy. However, Baldoni’s “tools” are not KPIs or spreadsheets; they are virtues like grace, humility, and solitude. He argues that the integration of character and conduct is the only way to remain grounded under pressure. Through poetic compression, he makes abstract concepts like “blessing” and “resilience” feel like practical, daily disciplines. The use of verse here is a brilliant tactical choice; it slows the reader down, demanding the very reflection that modern corporate life often stifles.

The final part cements these ideals in personal and historical stories. Baldoni recounts lives of figures ranging from Robert Redford and James Lovell to Jimmy Carter and Abraham Lincoln. These are not idealized case studies but portraits of “character formed through suffering.” They illustrate that leadership is a habit of service, not a status of authority.

Baldoni’s central thesis is clear: effective leadership begins with self-leadership. One cannot enlarge others without first mastering the ego and confronting one’s own cowardice or pride.

Leadership in Verse is an essential read for executives, managers, and coaches who find themselves weary of abstract advice that ignores the emotional toll of the modern workplace. It is a rare book that offers both a “searching diagnosis” and a “humane perspective.” For those navigating the fog of organizational change or the exhaustion of burnout, Baldoni provides a mirror and a compass, urging us to lead with a depth that is as moral as it is imaginative.

Printed Word Reviews 5.02.2026