Hildegard of Bingen Gets Senior Management Buy-In

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) had a lot of jobs on her way to becoming a saint: abbess, author, preacher, poet, composer, healer, theologian, prophet, and mystic, a recipient of heavenly visions.

No matter how packed your schedule may seem, Hildegard was busier than you. Her accomplishments are impressive for any age, and even more so for a woman living in the 12th century. She was the only woman of her time to preach to both clergy and laity.

From a very young age, Hildegard experienced visions and heard voices. She wasn’t sure what to make of her visions, but the monk serving as her confessor encouraged Hildegard to believe in her visions and to write about them.

When the abbess of her abbey died in 1136, her fellow nuns unanimously chose Hildegard to lead them as abbess. She continued to have visions, now more vividly than before. The visions commanded her to write them down and share them with the world.

So she wrote. Hildegard was very concerned to verify that they were really sent from God. She wrote to her archbishop, and he confirmed they were true and holy.

In the late 1140s she wrote the Scivias, which described 26 visions she had experienced, expanding on the theology behind them. To elevate some writings, she invented her own language and wrote in this lingua ignota.

Hildegard was acknowledged by contemporary religious and secular authorities as a prophet. This special status was confirmed when she wrote to the pope and got approval from The Boss. She was the first woman to be given permission by the pope to write books on theology.

Known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, she went on multiple speaking tours, delivering sermons to audiences of mostly men. As a prophet, she attacked corruption within the church and called for immediate reform.

Hildegard was highly sought after for her counsel. She corresponded with other luminaries of the day, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Becket, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and of course various kings and the Holy Roman Emperor.

Today she might be best known for her music. Hildegard wrote dozens of musical compositions, and you can find them online and listen to her music right now. Her music might even make a good soundtrack for you as you crank through your TPS reports at the office.

Although she has been called a saint since her own time, she was not officially canonized until 2012. While she was able to break through many glass ceilings in her time, her contributions were not given proper recognition for centuries. But those guys who tried to hold her back are all forgotten, but her music is playing on the internet, now and forever.

Hildegard of Bingen faced an uphill climb trying to make her contributions to the world at a time and place where it was unexpected for her to do so. If she was going to make waves, she needed to get alignment with those in the higher positions of authority in her organization, The Medieval Church.

She worked her way up the chain from her confessor, to her archbishop, eventually all the way to the pope. She also “looped in” secular leaders to “gain alignment” and “harmonize objectives,” making consensus-building key to her brand.

You probably need to get management buy-in if you want to make waves at your company. Your demographic characteristics shouldn’t matter at all, but your position in the hierarchy sure does.

If you have an idea that you want to implement, pretty much anything other than “Let’s keep doing what we’re doing, except we spend less money,” you probably need sign offs from higher up the chain.

Don’t let that discourage you. It’s part of the process. Your idea might be great, even spectacular, but first smooth out its rough edges with your peers. Then take it to your manager, then their manager, and keep it moving up the chain.

It can be frustrating because you want to get it done NOW, but if you want to get it done at all, management approval is probably the best way to make your vision and reality. And yes, you can rock out to Hildegard of Bingen’s tunes on YouTube while you build your slide deck.