White Book provision
Mentoring and spiritual accompaniment - a code of ethics. Every leader needs support and someone who accompanies their journey. Mentoring and spiritual accompaniment are a space for shaping character and deepening the inner life.
Two forms of accompaniment
| Mentoring | Spiritual accompaniment (direction) | |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | growth of the leader and their service | growth in relationship with God |
| Topics | decisions, relationships, skills, career, balance | prayer, discernment, spiritual movements, vocation |
| Who | an experienced leader, an “older brother or sister” | someone prepared for spiritual accompaniment (priest, consecrated or lay person) |
| Stance | sharing experience and asking questions | listening, helping to recognise God's action |
The two forms complement each other and do not replace each other. Differences between mentoring and coaching are described in coaching and mentoring.
Why every leader
Leaders support others but often have no one to talk to themselves - the greater the responsibility, the greater the loneliness. Accompaniment protects against isolation, helps reveal blind spots and is the natural place to work on character. The Church has known this practice since the desert fathers; in Evangelii gaudium (nos. 169-173) Pope Francis wrote about the “art of accompaniment”, which requires patience, listening and respect for the other's freedom.
Code of ethics
The White Book names a code of ethics as an integral part of mentoring and accompaniment. Typical principles of such codes (cf. the EMCC Global code of ethics for mentors and coaches):
- confidentiality - with clearly defined exceptions (e.g. danger to life, harm to minors);
- separation of roles - a spiritual companion should not at the same time be a superior who evaluates or decides on roles (Church tradition distinguishes the forum internum and forum externum);
- respect for freedom - no pressure, manipulation or fostering dependence;
- boundaries - a clear purpose, frequency and place of meetings, no dual relationships;
- competence - the companion knows their limits and refers to a specialist when needed;
- supervision - mentors and companions also have someone with whom they review their work.
The Akademia Przywództwa Foundation teaches mentoring and spiritual accompaniment in the third semester of its postgraduate studies - see Akademia Przywództwa.
Sources
White Book of Good Leadership Practices, provisions, bialaksiega.pl Pope Francis, Evangelii gaudium, 2013, nos. 169-173 EMCC Global, Global Code of Ethics for Coaches, Mentors and Supervisors, emccglobal.org Akademia Przywództwa, postgraduate programme, akademiaprzywodztwa.pl/studia