MODERN LEADERSHIP
is very different to the person who
acts honestly while at work because
it is a corporate value, while being
dishonest in their private life. Can
you see the difference, and why
virtue could trump values?
The Cardinal Virtues
The four cardinal virtues of practical
wisdom, a sense of justice, selfcontrol and courage provide a
sound foundation to greatness in
your personal life and leadership.
Like the cardinal points of a
compass — north south east and
west — they indicate the direction
toward the ‘north star’. Think for a
moment of leaders you admire.
Do you observe these traits? Do you
notice moments where they take
courageous decisions, or exercise
great self-control? Sometimes it is
easier to remember those people
who have angry outbursts, or who
seem dominated by greed and selfinterest. These of course are the
opposite of the kind of great leaders
that people want to follow.
Practical wisdom combines
intellectual activity with reflection —
you read as widely as possible, talk
to as many people as possible, and
take input from many and varied
sources. You grow in wisdom as
you turn things over in your mind,
as you ruminate and reflect and
turn information into insight. As
you do that you discover new ways
of applying what you know to the
challenges ahead of you. In the fast
paced world in which you operate
finding the time for this kind of
reflection is more important than
ever.
Courage, justice, and self-control
are also acquired through repeated
practice, and reflection on what you
are learning and doing. Courage is
the ability to risk being wounded in
the cause of what is right. Although
you may not be fighting a military
battle, CEOs regularly encounter
moments where you can stand up
for what is right. This happens for
example when you insist on taking
into account the wider community
in which the company operates and
refuse to engage in practices which
could damage that community.
Justice ensures fairness and
that you treat others responsibly
and give them what they are owed.
Marc Benioff at Salesforce took a
stand for justice when he personally
reviewed every employees
remuneration structure to ensure
no one was being disadvantaged
because of gender.
Self-control fundamentally gives
leaders the ability to put others
first and say no to your own desires
— i.e. to be driven by what is right
and good rather than what feels
good to you. Bullying behaviour
suggests a failure in self-control.
Angry emotional outbursts indicate
a failure in self-control. CEOs who
use these kinds of methods to
drive performance are really just
driving people out of the company.
When you act in ways that show
little self-control you undermine the
respect people have for you. They
may respect your title, but not you
personally.
Great leaders
demonstrate virtue
This is one of the key differences
you can observe in the great leaders
— they possess virtues of humility,
practical wisdom, courage, justice
and self-control. They know they are
not saints, however the presence of
these virtues gives them the insight,
foresight and knowledge to act
wisely and well.
The little moments where you can
exercise humility, wisdom, or selfcontrol, where you can demonstrate
courage or justice, are all around
you every day. Finding those
moments and acting virtuous will
radically change your leadership
impact. It will make you more
attractive to others who will want
to be with you and work with you.
You will show people an example of
how to live a good life and become
a great person. People will want
to engage with you in business,
government and society. Practicing
these five virtues can change your
business and our world for the
better.
Anthony Howard is an executive
mentor and founder of The
Confidere Group. Known as the
‘CEO Whisperer’, Anthony has
written and spoken extensively on
Human-Centred Leadership and
has recently released a book on
the topic, Humanise: Why HumanCentred Leadership is the key to
the 21st Century (Wiley, $32.95).
For more information visit www.
humancentredleadership.com
or email Anthony.howard@
confideregroup.com
January 2016
ModernBusiness
27