Photo from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (XU) Press
Although described as a memoir on leadership, Fr Tony Moreno’s new book, Imperfect Leadership: A Jesuit Reflects on His Journey, covers far more than a slice of life. It spans his family roots in the tiny town of Balingasag in southern Philippines, his engagement with the local church, participation in the governance of the global Society of Jesus, and finally his reckoning with his own diminishment. While most backward glances tend to be triumphalist, the former Philippine Provincial and JCAP President instead chooses to bare his vulnerability, uncertainties, and imperfections as a leader.
Addressing his friends, family, and relatives during a book launch in his hometown of Cagayan de Oro, Fr Moreno shared: “There’s a fair amount of vulnerability that I have to address in my own life, and you will see that in the book.
Part of leadership, he notes, is “facing uncertainties with hope, faith, and the courage that things will go well down the road”.
He believes leaders—in both the public and private sectors, including the Church—can be more humble in acknowledging mistakes. “We always want to present ourselves as strong, invincible, powerful, or great, but Ignatius never used those adjectives to describe a Jesuit—not great, not powerful, not strong. He used the word ‘least’.”
He described his experience of leadership as marked by “a lot of listening to the Spirit, to each other”. The willingness to be led by the Spirit is a consistent thread throughout Imperfect Leadership. What readers will find is less a memoir than an examen of a life spent listening to and following the call of the Spirit.
“In my journey as a Jesuit, there were many trying moments, and of course the most recent was when I had my bouts with illness. I asked myself, am I still willing to be sent anywhere?”
Despite the weight of these experiences, Fr Moreno’s writing is light on its feet, and even the serious themes remain engaging. At one point, he makes comic sense of a radiotherapy session:
“I heard a staff member singing ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees. I told her I would like that song played during my session—it seemed fitting for my condition… My request made in jest was denied.”
Fr Moreno’s sense of humour stems from an inner freedom grounded in discerning God’s will. As a leader, he has learnt not to be controlled by the fear of judgement or by his own ego. “It is good to distinguish between one’s role as a leader and one’s personal identity.”
The book is an invitation to reflection on leadership rooted in discernment and collaboration. It is a reminder that “leadership is not all the time about leading people. It is also about the willingness to be led and guided by them”. True leadership, he suggests, involves building bridges and nurturing relationships even when the process takes time.
“I offer this book with the hope that readers’ experiences may intersect with mine in some aspects of the story,” writes Fr Moreno, “for as Kierkegaard puts it, by reflecting on our past, we may draw some lessons for the future.”
In the end, the book poses to readers the same question that has pursued Fr Moreno through the years: “Are you willing to be led by the Spirit?”
Imperfect Leadership: A Jesuit Reflects on His Journey by Fr Tony Moreno SJ is published by Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Press with support from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP). The book is currently sold out, but a second printing is in progress and scheduled for release in December. To order from a mobile device, scan the QR code below.
