What Saint Gregory the Great and George Washington teach us about ambition, duty, and servant leadership
Today, September 3, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Gregory the Great, a man who did not want to become pope.
Nearly 1,200 years later, George Washington faced a remarkably similar dilemma. He wanted to return to Mount Vernon, not assume another great office.
Both men remind us of something today’s leaders often forget:
Great leadership is not always about wanting the job. Sometimes it is about accepting responsibility.
Gregory wanted the monastery.
Washington wanted Mount Vernon.
Neither sought the immense responsibility eventually placed upon him. Yet when circumstances demanded their leadership, both stepped away from the lives they preferred and accepted the burden of service.
That raises an uncomfortable question: Do you want to lead because you want the position, or because you are willing to accept responsibility for the mission?
Three parallels stand out:
1. Ambition vs. Duty
Gregory had already exercised secular authority as Prefect of Rome before embracing monastic life. Washington had already achieved fame and military distinction before resigning his commission and returning home.
Neither needed another title to establish his importance.
2. Reluctance vs. Responsibility
Gregory resisted becoming pope. Washington expressed significant hesitation about leaving retirement to become the nation’s first president.
Yet both accepted the responsibilities placed before them.
3. Power vs. Service
Gregory described himself as Servus servorum Dei (“Servant of the Servants of God”).
Washington established one of history’s greatest leadership precedents by voluntarily surrendering power, first after the Revolutionary War and later after two presidential terms.
Their examples point to a different leadership equation:
• Mission before title
• Duty before ego
• Service before status
• Responsibility before recognition
There is nothing wrong with ambition. Organizations need people willing to take on greater responsibility.
The danger comes when the position becomes more important than the purpose.
The best leader is not necessarily the person who wants the corner office most.
Sometimes it is the person who fully understands what leadership will cost and accepts the responsibility anyway.
If the title, compensation, status, and recognition disappeared, would you still want the responsibility of leadership?
Sources
• Vatican — Pope Benedict XVI on St. Gregory the Great
• Vatican News — St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
• National Archives, Founders Online — The Papers of George Washington
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon — Washington’s Election and Presidency
