Contents
On 8 May 2025, the conclave elected Robert Francis Prevost pope on the fourth ballot. He took the name Leo XIV and is the first pope born in the United States. Before that, he led the Augustinian order from 2001 to 2013 and was Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023. In 2023 he became Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In his first year in office, one leadership quality stands out: listening. An example of the Quality of Listening.
The first address: peace and dialogue
Situation
In his first address on the evening of the election, Leo XIV spoke of peace, of dialogue and of building bridges. He made the case for a Church that walks together. In doing so, he set the tone before he had made a single decision.
Link to the quality
The first words in a new office show how someone intends to lead. Whoever begins with dialogue invites others to speak up. New leaders gain more when they ask questions in the first days instead of making announcements.
A promise in the Lateran Basilica
Situation
On 25 May 2025, Leo XIV took possession of his cathedral church in Rome. According to Vatican News, he said there that he wanted, as far as he was able, to listen to everyone, “so that we can learn, understand and decide together”. He pointed to the early Church, which had resolved disputes through dialogue.
Link to the quality
The sentence names a sequence: learn, understand, then decide. Listening here is not a friendly extra but the first step towards the decision. Those who lead listen in order to decide better, not in order to avoid decisions.
Listening as a skill you practise
Situation
On 10 October 2025, the Pope spoke to members of religious orders at the Vatican. He invited them to reflect on synodality, that is, on deliberating and deciding together. Religious communities, he said, are called to become “experts in synodality”.
Link to connection
Leo XIV addresses a group through what it knows from its own experience. This is how connection arises: people feel seen before they are asked for something. Leaders reach their team when they build on its strengths.
The cardinals choose the topics
Situation
On 7 and 8 January 2026, around 170 cardinals gathered for an extraordinary consistory. Four topics were up for selection. The cardinals voted themselves and chose two of them, synodality and mission. According to Vatican News, the Pope gave this assurance: “The other topics will not be lost.”
Link to the quality
Listening needs a format. Whoever sets the agenda alone only hears answers to their own questions. Whoever lets the group help decide finds out what really moves it. The promise not to forget the rest keeps the trust of those who were outvoted.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Begin a new office with questions, not with announcements.
- Listen in order to decide better, not in order to dodge.
- Address people through their strengths before you ask for something.
- Let your team help set the agenda.
- Promise that postponed topics will not be lost.
Summary
Pope Leo XIV declared listening a working principle early on. He announced it, gave reasons for it and translated it into a consultation format with the cardinals. For leaders, this holds a simple insight. Listening only takes effect once it is given fixed places and times.