was on a cross-country flight with work to be done—but the guy across the aisle continued to pester him with questions—and simultaneously annoy other passengers.
He resolved this dilemma creatively—offered grace (see Chapter 12)—but then this: “When the plane landed and we were leaving the aircraft, a man and his wife approached me, saying they had recognized me from a leadership conference I had spoken at. They had watched how I had
the difficult situation and thanked me for showing leadership and practicing what I taught.”
That’s the big idea from Chapter 12 of this inspiring and immensely practical book of 15 leadership lessons, including how to know when you should move on.
TRUE OR FALSE: A Saint Patrick’s Day Quiz!Whether you’re wearing green today, or celebrating with Irish friends on the Chicago River, raising a glass or a Shamrock Shake to all-things-Ireland, here’s a quick quiz for your office or family party this evening:[ ] #1. TRUE OR FALSE? Saint? Summoning his Irish roots, leadership guru Carson Pue takes us on a remarkable journey through Ireland with Saint Patrick in
Lead Like a Saint. But…the Catholic Church never officially recognized Patrick as a saint.[ ] #2. TRUE OR FALSE? Holiday? The author and his wife “would pull our sons, Jason, Jeremy, and Jonathan, out of school on March 17th. I wrote to their teachers explaining they would be absent as it was a
religious holiday for our family.
That was my way of making religious pluralism in Canada work for us.” [ ] #3. T or F? Strategy? In Lesson 7, “Be a Good Strategist or Get One,” the author notes that “Patrick didn’t have models to emulate his new missionary approach, but he has become a role model for many. During his time as bishop, he introduced a completely new approach to Christian missionary work.” And this: “Leadership research by the
American Management Association has shown that
the most important competency for a leader to possess is the ability to develop strategy.”[ ] #4. T or F? Big Deal? Pue mentions the Will Ferrell line in the movie,
Anchorman, “I’m kind of a big deal”—and reminds us in Lesson 10, “Never Believe Your Own Press Releases.” Fascinating: Carson then bounces from Saint Patrick’s values (hungry, humble, and intelligent) to similar values by another Patrick: Patrick Lencioni and his book,
The Ideal Team Player. [Read more about the three values: humble, hungry, and smart.]
[ ] #5. T or F? Quiet? “Use Times of Quiet to Hear” is the message in Lesson 11—and you’ll be prompted to go deep; to look in the mirror. Think you’re on the mountain top in your work or career?
Stop and listen. This reminded me of Leighton Ford’s foreword to Ruth Haley Barton’s book,
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. And wow—Leighton Ford also writes the foreword to Carson Pue’s book, and notes that
Lead Like a Saint "is not just another book on leadership; it is a transformative guide that allows leaders to see Patrick as a mentor.” [For more on listening, read Leighton Ford’s masterpiece,
A Life of Listening.]
[ ] #6. T or F? Stupid? Carson Pue’s family “affectionately dubbed” his 15-year project of writing this book, “The Stupid Patrick Book.”
[ ] #7. T or F? A What? The author, who also co-hosts
The Mentored Podcast, coaches leaders to ask questions and then listen—don’t talk (see Lesson 11). He urged one leader to
“Have a glass of water near you and take a long sip while you wait for them to respond.” He requires his mentees to actually practice this with him!
[ ] #8. T or F? Courage? Must-read: Chapter 8, “Never Go Where Angels Fear to Tread.” The author explains why—and gives a stunning example from the years he lead Arrow Leadership—and why he says “courage is overrated.”
[ ] #9. T or F? Competitors? Each chapter includes takeaways and questions you’ll use with your team. In Chapter 4, we learn how Patrick learned the lay of the land—and why that’s an essential discipline for leaders.
Mentoring Question #1: “Consider holding a staff meeting called ‘Lay of the Land’ and ask each of them to come prepared to make a brief three- to five-minute presentation on something they have observed about the field of business you are in and who they think is competing for your client’s time and dollars.” (Bonus question: “How do you think your competitors view you?”)
[ ] #10. T or F? Singing? Patrick and his team “…were known to sing as they traveled from one village to another, and
The Lorica is one of the songs that survived from this time, helping to calm fears of spiritual or physical harm.” When Carson was on a writing retreat for this book, his morning alarm played Gayle Salmond’s rendition of
The Lorica.
Other versions here. [Question: Does your team have a favorite “whistle while you work” song or hymn?]
[ ] #11. T or F? Pouting? Carson Pue lists 12 “guiding values” in the last half of the book, including these:
• Prophetic Instead of Popular
• Timeless Instead of Trendy
• Quiet Instead of Attention-Seeking
• Prayerful Instead of Pouting
• Inviting Instead of Isolating
Listen to the podcast, “
Being a Non-Anxious Presence,” and/or read Chapter 13 in Steve Brown’s book,
Finding Courage. [Note: for more on values, read Patrick Lencioni’s
HBR article, “
Make Your Values Mean Something.”]
TRUE OR FALSE ANSWERS: Read the book or email me—or
call the author! (You’ll love this book.)
TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for
Lead Like a Saint: Lessons and Values from the Life of Saint Patrick, by Carson Pue.
For many years, when I facilitated workshops on strategic planning, I brought along a roll of Bounty paper towels—and this book by Prof. Martin and A.G. Lafley, the former CEO of P&G. It’s fascinating! (See also my review of Martin’s book,
A New Way to Think.) Based on consumer research, Bounty discerned there were three market segments, not just one. So at stores across North America today, you’ll find at least three choices: Bounty, Bounty Extra Soft, and Bounty Basic.
•
Read my review in Issue No. 334 (Dec. 3, 2015).
• Order from
Amazon.
• Management Bucket #3 of 20:
The Strategy Bucket.
The big idea? One size doesn’t fit all. You already knew that, but when is the last time you did a careful, detailed analysis of every program, product, or service you offer? Have you hit a sales plateau? Are you forcing one program down the throats of three or more very diverse customer segments?
(
Memo to nonprofit CEOs and fundraisers! Stop sending me mail and emails thanking me for my faithful support—if I’ve never given you any money. Start with two segments: current donors and non-donors. For more insight, read the book,
Development 101.)
Issue No. 658 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Oct. 3, 2025) features a new book coming Oct. 7—describing the four seasons of a CEO. The “...
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