Seeing clearly from the top

When he was installed in May as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, OH, Bishop Earl Fernandes knew he had stepped outside the brotherhood of priests who had always supported him as a pastor.

“When you’re a priest, you can hang out with your brother priests, but when you’re a bishop . . . You’re not just one of the guys.”

In that moment, Bishop Fernandes briefly had a sense of the isolation those in high-level leadership positions can experience. Indeed, popular sayings like “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” and “It’s lonely at the top” suggest that executives and other leaders must bear alone the burdens of power.

Rather than become mired in isolation, however, Bishop Fernandes and many others have found ways of approaching their positions that minimize potential stress and pressure.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

For example, as the CEO of NiSource, a position from which he recently retired, Joe Hamrock knew that he would be left essentially alone at times to make certain key decisions. But he tried to limit the number of those occasions by leaving as much to others as possible and thus holding them accountable. As a result, he said, he did not experience the kind of personal loneliness sometimes associated with high-level positions.
 
Furthermore, he had learned that leadership is all about service to others. “It’s really best measured by how well others are served by the organization you’re leading or how well people you lead are being served,” said Hamrock, a member of Legatus’ Columbus Chapter. Hence, he added, “In a deeper personal sense, you have to guard against making any aspect of leadership about yourself. If you’re feeling lonely, you might be making the job about you and not the people you serve.”
 
SEEKING SUPPORT

In the months since his installation, Bishop Fernandes has found spending time with other bishops to be an antidote to isolation. He said he has experienced “a healthy sense of fraternity” through meetings of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. His bonds with other bishops were strengthened during a 10-day formation course in Rome for new episcopal leaders. In addition, he benefits from monthly Zoom meetings with the bishops of Ohio and from calling upon his three predecessors in the Columbus diocese for advice and counsel.
 
He also continues to find support through regular contact with his family and the lay movement, Communion and Liberation, which has a “school of community” at his former parish in Cincinnati. “The fraternity I have with this movement really sustained me as a priest and continues to sustain me as a bishop,” he affirmed. “I know these people pray for me and I can be myself in front of them.”
 
Hamrock said his family, particularly his wife, Lori, has been tremendous in supporting him through his career, as have a core set of friends he and Lori have known for 25 years. His wife’s faith life has been an inspiration and magnet for him. “She also has a nice way of keeping me humble,” he admitted.

Additionally, having given up golf 25 years ago, Hamrock decompresses now through performing music — playing guitar, keyboard, and accordion, and singing in a 12-piece band called The Navigators. “We play the Beatles, Eagles, Chicago, Guns N’ Roses, and everything else in between,” he said.
 
SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM?

But his outlook as a CEO also has done much to lessen stress and isolation. Before he took the top post with NiSource, Hamrock said he was prepared for the role by another job he held as senior vice president and chief information officer for American Electric Power, a position in which he was responsible for the company’s computer systems.
 
Hamrock explained how early in his career he tended to define leadership as being the person with the most technical knowledge or expertise. When he was asked to consider leading AEP Ohio’s information technology division, “It broke the paradigm of having domain knowledge and expertise because I clearly didn’t,” he recalled. “That in essence started the deeper and more important journey about leadership, which is really about bringing out the best in people so that they have the best opportunities to contribute, and are recognized, rewarded, and held accountable. It became all about people, not about technology.”

This also turned out to be a core part of his preparation for being a CEO, he said, because it shattered the idea that the person at the top had to have all the answers. Hamrock said he was fortunate in that position to have a strong team on which he could depend for organizational support. “You’ve got to have a core team you trust and who trust each other,” he said. “It’s not a one-way street.”

Bishop Fernandes takes a similar view, recognizing that members of his team may have experience he lacks. “I want to trust their judgement,” he said. “I believe laypeople should not be merely collaborators but actually protagonists in the future of the Church who need to accept co-responsibility for the Church.”
 
SHARE THE BURDENS

Bishop Fernandes said in his new position, he also has sought to maintain perspective on what needs to be done and what he can and cannot do.
 
“I just turned 50 and I have lots of energy, but I realize that when I’m 60 or 70, I won’t have the same levels of energy,” he said. “I don’t have a driver, I drive myself, I carry my own bags and I have no master of ceremonies. And there are some nights where I’m really tired. I have to kind of pace myself.”

The bishop said he is aware, too, that he has some workaholic tendencies. In one previous position as a seminary dean, for example, he juggled several jobs both in and outside the seminary.

“I like work. I can do work,” he said, but he also knows how to delegate. “I like to know what is happening, but I don’t necessarily like to micromanage everything or do everything myself, though I like to be informed. I realize that other people have gifts and talents to offer. They have expertise in some areas that I don’t have expertise in. So in terms of execution, by and large, I leave it to them.”
 
KEEP THE FAITH

As important as attitude and approach are in handling top-level jobs, both Bishop Fernandes and Hamrock consider their Catholic faith as key to managing their duties well.

Bishop Fernandes said maintaining a life of prayer — which includes a daily practice of a Holy Hour, the Rosary, and the Divine Office — is essential for him. He also has a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Francis de Sales, St. John Vianney, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, his family’s patron.
 
Hamrock said he has often recited the prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit” in key and mundane moments to stay close to Christ. But he said a structured spiritual life with his wife that includes prayer, daily Mass, the rosary, weekly adoration, and monthly Confession also has grounded him.

Finally, he said, Legatus has been a significant source of support. Participating in the meetings of the Columbus Chapter and national conferences, he said, provided him and his wife with fellowship and the recognition that they are part of a strong community. A member during most of his time as a CEO, Hamrock said, “[Legatus] helps build confidence and clarity.”

JUDY ROBERTS is a contributing writer for Legatus magazine.