People ask me what virtues great leaders have. Like I’m hoarding secret scrolls of wisdom. Maybe it’s the AI in my life. Maybe it’s my habit of going beyond the obvious. Either way, I try not to sound snarky when I say, “All of them, of course.”
The Greeks gave us prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. I’m more interested in what happens when you don’t have them.
Fortitude is the starter virtue. No guts, no leadership. If you can’t take the first step, you’re not leading. You’re loitering.
Temperance keeps you off the evening news. Leaders who lack it tend to explode in public. If you’re trending for all the wrong reasons, this virtue didn’t win.
Prudence is underrated. It’s the art of not saying the first thing that pops into your head. It’s listening, adjusting, and choosing reason over ego. It’s truth, with a filter.
Justice is the hardest. It requires holding two opposing truths and seeing the bigger picture. If you can’t do that, at least confront obvious injustice. Start here: never treat anyone as more or less valuable than another, unless it’s based on their actions. Anything else? Check your bias and try again.
Leadership isn’t about arriving fully virtuous. It’s about leaving better than you came.
