In May 2025, as the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee of Workers and Entrepreneurs, we stand at a crossroads; the crossroad of building enterprises and work rooted in purpose, driven by faith, and overflowing with abundance. Not unlike President John F. Kennedy’s call to land a man on the moon, we navigate this crossroad not because it will be easy but because it will be hard.

Catholic business leaders do hard things every day. We negotiate health-care plans, manage teams, open new markets, and face the pressure of labor shortages and supply-chain interruptions. While our challenges aren’t as difficult as placing a man on the moon and returning him to earth safely, they’re no less significant. We shape cultures. We influence families. We form people.

The Jubilee call I propose is simple, but it’s not easy: Build companies and lead teams with John 10:10 as the guiding mission.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” — John 10:10

If entrepreneurs and employees are joined in a double helix of mutual dependence — as Catholic social teaching reminds us through the principle of solidarity — then our businesses should reflect not just productivity, but abundant life. That means spiritual formation, human flourishing and a culture of dignity. It’s not a slogan. It’s a mandate.

I say this as someone who lived the opposite way for more than 40 years. Today, I serve as the Seattle chapter president for Legatus, a Catholic business organization for executives and entrepreneurs. Our mission is simple and clear: Be ambassadors for Christ in the marketplace.

Here’s what that looks like.

1. Love Deeply.

The first principle of abundant leadership is love — not the soft, sentimental kind, but agape — the gritty, sacrificial, Christlike love that chooses the good of others no matter the cost.

Love is not naïve. It’s bold. It’s what allows leaders to make hard decisions with a human heart. It fuels a culture of dignity, not just compliance.

In my book Lead Boldly: How to Coach Others to Greatness, I tell the story of a hospital CEO client who partnered with us to reshape her organization around this principle. She challenged her team to pursue greatness in patient care and experience joy in doing it. The results were tangible: an 84% drop in bedside falls and $7.5 million in savings across six facilities. But more importantly, people thrived. When you love deeply, people give their best because they feel seen.

2. Learn Daily.

Leaders who love deeply naturally become lifelong learners. Not because they have to — but because they care enough to grow.

I once spoke with Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg of Reno, Nevada, about caring relationships referenced in his book of Gospel reflections, Come Follow Me. He said, “Whenever one person in a relationship no longer feels cared for or cared about the relationship will die.” That goes for people as well as ideas. When we care, we nurture. When we love a mission, we study it. We sharpen ourselves for it.

Learning in the business world is often reduced to metrics and upskilling. But as Catholic leaders we’re called to a deeper kind of learning — one rooted in wisdom, reflection and virtue. Yes, we want better results. We also want to become better people. To that end we recognize that we don’t rise to the level of our dreams or hopes. We fall to the level of our training. 

So, train with purpose. One opportunity to learn more how is through Legatus’ free, public webinar on May 12, 2025, “The Year of the Lord’s Favor: Biblical Roots and Spiritual Fruits of the Jubilee Year 2025.” 

3. Lead Boldly.

To lead boldly means being the first to go. The first to admit mistakes. The first to model sacrifice. The first to choose principle over profit.

Bold leadership isn’t about volume or charisma. It’s about conviction and character. It’s knowing who you are and whose you are. As an ambassador of Christ, we can’t afford to compartmentalize our faith and our leadership. People are watching. Culture is watching.

At Legatus, I’ve watched immensely successful business leaders wrestle with how to balance margins with mission. The answer isn’t either-or — it’s integration. When you lead boldly, you create companies that perform and uplift; that succeed and sanctify. My membership has left me knowing at my core that the greatest legacy of a Catholic leader isn’t the balance sheet. It’s the people formed in the process.

Imagine a business environment where every decision is run through a simple question: Would I be proud to show this to Christ? What if our quarterly reviews measured not only KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) but acts of agape, levels of caring and generosity? What if we treated work not as a grind, but as a sacred vocation?

That’s the vision of John 10:10 leadership: not a utopia, but a deliberate commitment to learning how to be more Christlike, more courageous, more compassionate — every day.

This Jubilee is not a ceremonial event. It’s a bold challenge!  A challenge to build enterprises and work rooted in purpose, driven by faith, and overflowing with abundance — not just economic, but spiritual and human. It’s not easy. But that’s exactly the point. Like Kennedy said: We do these things because they are hard.

So, start. Build something holy. Lead with bold love. And make your business and work a place where customers, employees and stakeholders don’t just survive — but come fully, abundantly alive; something you would be proud to show Christ.

 

Hugh Blane is a performance coach who lives in Washington state. A husband and father, Blane is the president of the Seattle chapter for Legatus.  Reach him at [email protected].