Last week was an important moment for Catholics around the world. Chances are, you probably noticed all the attention and media coverage that surrounded the election of the new pope. And, chances are that if you’re not Catholic, you probably weren’t all that interested in the uniqueness of the new pope’s name or religious background. So no, that’s not what this is about. This is about true leadership. So hopefully, you don’t have to be Catholic to keep reading.

I’ll confess, I’m critical of people in leadership roles. More specifically, I’m highly critical of the way leaders mishandle the power they possess as a result of their position of authority. Regardless of how far a person’s leadership role reaches, being a leader comes with an enormous amount of responsibility and has a huge impact and influence on the lives of others. In my opinion, a lot of “leaders” don’t fully understand how much their decisions and actions affect the lives of others. And it’s in these daily interactions that many leaders fail the people they’re responsible for serving.

So how do you think most leaders fail to live up to their responsibilities in their role as a leader? Typically, it’s in one of two ways. Most leaders fail through acts of commission or omission. In other words, many people fail to live up to their responsibilities as leaders either because of what they have done or what they have failed to do. The first one often involves misusing the power they possess, while the other typically involves not using the power they possess. Case in point, the Catholic Church.

I’m afraid that one of the biggest failings of leadership in my lifetime will be that of the sex abuse perpetrated by “leaders” of the Catholic Church… one of commission, the other of omission. The priests that committed these evil crimes failed via commission. And the leaders who failed to stop these crimes and covered them up failed via omission. In both instances, these “leaders” committed horrible crimes and failed the people that they had a responsibility to protect and care for.

Last week’s election of a new pope brings hope to many Catholics that we will have a leader who possesses the tenacity to repair what’s broken and the courage to reform what’s wrong.

So when you think about the way you’ve been leading your people, is your biggest leadership weakness something that you’re doing or something that you neglect to do?

Do you misuse your power by pushing your weight around or by threatening your employees by saying “I’m the boss”? Sure, once in awhile you may have to pull out the “pretty big deal” card to get someone’s attention and drive home your point. But if your “leadership” style requires that you walk around reminding everyone how powerful and important you are, sadly, you’re not… at least not in the eyes of the people you’re trying to lead.

Or, maybe you’re on the other end of the “leadership spectrum”.

Do you consider yourself to be a “hands-off” leader and defend your lack of leadership by saying that your people shouldn’t need to be told what to do? Unfortunately, a lot of leaders fail their people by shirking their leadership responsibilities. They want to believe that everything will simply happen on its own. They ignore what’s really going on and neglect to hold their people accountable. When leaders choose to remain disconnected from reality, the damage incurred within their organization reaches farther than you might think.

It hasn’t been a full week yet since Pope Francis was elected, but I’m hopeful that he will be the leader that the Catholic Church truly needs… a leader who is humble enough to serve his people’s needs, yet strong enough to do what’s right.

So what about you? Your team needs strong and humble leadership. Are you willing to accept the responsibility that comes with being a true leader?