Unlocking true leadership by incarnating Christ

In his new leadership book, Learn to Lead Like Jesus: An Invitation for Everyone to Incarnational Leadership, longtime Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) president Jeff Lockert tells the reader that a search of the word “leadership” on Amazon.com returns 60,000 books. Which raises the question: Of the 60,000 leadership books already on the roster, why read this one? Why is it different? I’ve read barely a minuscule sample of those 60,000 titles but let me tell you why I find Lockert’s worthwhile: it is Catholic, Canadian, simple, and the fruit of rich experience. It offers a vision of leadership not just for an elite, but for all of us—one that we can live vividly in the everyday moments of ordinary life, wherever we are, whatever we do.

First, the book’s Catholicity. The central concept of Lockert’s book is incarnational leadership, which he describes by citing George Weigel’s famous concept of Catholicism’s “both/and” approach to reality: “nature and grace, faith and works, Jerusalem and Athens, faith and reason, charismatic and institutional, visible and invisible.” For Lockert, this “both/and” perception of reality is deeply incarnational: “God became human without ceasing to be divine in the person of Jesus.” 

Knowing this, leadership is an incarnational integration of both the natural and supernatural elements. On the natural side are our character, temperaments, human virtues, and the techniques of action—from planning to execution—that make us effective leaders. But equally as important is the supernatural element, from the role of prayer and discernment to trusting in God’s provision for good works.

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With this integration in mind, Lockert does not just give us tactics for being a better leader. He asks more foundational questions: Why do we lead and for whom? How does God invite us into leadership? How do we discern his will for our leadership? What role does lived leadership play in the Christian’s journey to holiness and imitation of Christ? 

Lockert poses these questions and models the answers through many personal examples, most especially from the history of CCO such as spending hours in Eucharistic Adoration before major decision points, or “creating white space for the Spirit,” dedicating the first minutes of meetings to silent prayer. All of these reflect the deeply Catholic character of Lockert’s leadership model. 

But Jeff Lockert is not just a Catholic. He is a Canadian Catholic, and the great heroes of Canadian Catholicism become the vibrant canvas on which Lockert draws to illustrate his both/and, natural/supernatural model of integrated leadership. He tells the story of former Governor General Georges Vanier—a devout Catholic that Maclean’s magazine once named the most outstanding Canadian in history—who consciously sought to inspire young people, pray in public and model his country’s finest virtues. 

He introduces the reader to Saint André Bessette, the great healer of Montreal, who inspired thousands to join him in building Saint Joseph’s Oratory, now the world’s largest centre of devotion to the earthly father of Jesus. You will finish this book feeling immense pride at the magnanimity and energy of our mothers and fathers in the faith here in Canada, and all that they built through a simple trust in Christ and a love for His Church.

Which brings me to the simplicity of Learn to Lead Like Jesus. There is a delightful little passage in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which lauds the Psalms as possessing such “direct simplicity that they can be prayed in truth by men of all times and conditions.” I find some of that direct simplicity in Lockert’s incarnational leadership. 

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Leadership systems can overcomplicate things with matrices, models, and prescriptive, tactical recommendations for how to lead effectively. Lockert falls into none of those traps. His model of leadership shines with a universal flair by which leadership is more influence than direct authority. 

“Leadership is not reserved for an elite few,” he writes. “Rather, leadership is woven into everyday life. If leadership is influence, it belongs not only to those with titles and authority, but to everyone whose life intersects with others. Wherever we are, in the corporate board room or the neighbourhood coffee shop, we have influence and we can grow our influence. We can be leaders.”

This simplicity is also reflected in the style and structure of Learn to Lead Like Jesus. 

Each chapter concludes with short reflection questions so readers can compare his insights to their own experiences. The book ends with a compendium of easily actionable tools for developing one’s own leadership potential: A daily incarnational leadership examen, a “personal advisory board” of mentors and companions who can help you grow, a simple system for inviting leaders you admire to go for coffee to learn from their experiences. Learn to Lead Like Jesus is less a leadership theory, and far more an invitation to action.

Books like this—compelling in their simplicity—are not easy to write. They require not just good thinking, but a life lived in such a way that the essentials have been worn smooth by experience. Lockert has lived that life. This is the fourth reason I recommend this book. Lockert is not a psychologist or a “thought leader” or a theorist. He is someone who has spent decades building up young leaders for the Church in his longtime role as President of Catholic Christian Outreach, one of Canada’s leading missionary organizations. No doubt CCO's fruitful impact owes much to the daring vision and disciplined execution Lockert champions in these pages. 

In my role as a coordinator of the Lumen Gentium Forum, I’ve seen his formational savvy up close, watching Lockert coach our Fellows on virtuous leadership principles and how to apply them in practice. But I can also see the fruit of his formation in the lives and faces of CCO’s many missionaries and alumni. You can spot them in any parish pew or university chapel—brimming with joy, hearts on fire for love of Christ, and animated by a vivid sense of personal Christian mission. They are a testament to Lockert’s decades-long practice of the very incarnational leadership he describes in these pages. Their posture towards life testifies to the joy of a life of purpose and depth. For what purpose could be greater than the cause of Jesus Christ, the eternal happiness of the entire human family?

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You can find the book and other resources which extend and enhance its lessons at www.cco.ca/learntolead.

Brendan Steven is the director of marketing at the Canadian think tank Cardus.

A version of this article appeared in the September 13, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Unlocking true leadership by incarnating Christ"