Who’s Responsible for Developing Virtuous Leaders?

By Deb Boelkes

You’ve probably heard the old joke, “How can you tell when a politician is lying?” and you probably know the answer: “When their lips are moving.” This witticism might be amusing if we weren’t finding our daily news sources so full of slander, dishonesty, and deceit.   

What ever happened to virtuous leaders, like the 56 men who in 1776 willingly pledged, For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, when they signed the Declaration of Independence?  They knew the penalty could be death by hanging for treason against the British crown. Yet, these virtuous leaders stood valiantly against tyranny, regardless of the personal cost.

Can you name anyone in modern times who exemplifies virtuous leadership? Can you name one politician you believe is a virtuous leader?  Have you ever reported to a leader you would describe as virtuous? Do you strive to be a virtuous leader?  

Chances are your answer to most of these questions is NO. Yet, if I asked you to identify a leader you believe is a bully, or a tyrant, or a hypocrite, you could likely name several examples. Why is that?

Could you describe the characteristics of a virtuous leader?

One such person I was extremely lucky to observe in my early years, who I believe embodied virtuous leadership, is someone I highlighted in the opening chapter of my first book, The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture, basketball coaching legend John Wooden. Coach Wooden was at the zenith of his coaching career at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) during my freshman year there—the year the Bruins won their NCAA Division One national championship for a record-setting seventh straight season.

Coach Wooden was a role model in virtuous leadership, not just for his team, but for anyone like me who watched him coaching the Bruin team at Pauly Pavilion during practice and during games. He led by example. He never used profanity. He wouldn’t speak ill of anyone at any time. He treated people the way they wanted to be treated, and he let his players know he cared for them more than just as athletes. One of his star players, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, once said, “He was more like a parent than a coach.”  

It was no wonder that John Wooden was recognized so many times for his best-of-the-best achievements and for his extraordinary moral character. Not only was he the first person to ever be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, but in 2003, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor.    

One of my UCLA classmates, Bruin team member Bill Walton, said this about the legendary coach shortly after Wooden’s passing in 2010:

He always said, “Make each day your masterpiece.” He had the ability to deal with a problem, adversity, suffering; he was able to make people be their best. When I left UCLA and joined the NBA, I became the highest paid athlete in the history of sports, and my quality of life went down. That’s how special it was to play for John Wooden.

Leadership expert and author, Michael Hyatt, said this about the coaching legend:

Coach John Wooden reflected virtuous leadership that made his players and fans feel connected to him both rationally (for his skill as a coach) and emotionally (for his virtues of respect, fairness, empathy, and humility).

I believe Coach Wooden was too humble to have ever considered himself a virtuous leader. But I’m sure he believed it was his responsibility to be a role model and to pass on to his players the virtues he held most dear. He was known to say, “Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating.”

John Wooden learned the leadership philosophies that he passed on to his players from his father, Joshua Wooden. As he and each of his brothers graduated from elementary school, Joshua Wooden gave each son a card listing these “Seven Things to Do”:

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Help others.
3. Make each day your masterpiece. (< Sound familiar?)
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Clearly Joshua Wooden believed it was a parent’s responsibility to pass on the virtues held most dear to his children. I couldn’t agree more. Yet, I recently came across an article that claimed it is NOT the responsibility of schools, or culture, or even churches to do so. I strongly disagree with that.

I believe it is up to each one of us to be like Coach Wooden. We should all strive to be role models of virtuous leadership for anyone within our charge, whether you are a teacher, a coach, a pastor, a business leader, a department manager, an elected representative, or simply a neighbor.

Everyone should always strive to be a virtuous leader in every aspect of your life, regardless of whether anyone is watching you. As John Wooden once said:

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.           

So, in response to the question, “Who’s responsible for developing virtuous leaders?” the answer is YOU. Be a role model and pass along the virtues you hold most dear to those in your charge. 

I recently became acquainted with the Cornerstone Classical Academy in Jacksonville, FL, a publicly funded K-8^th—and expanding to 12^th—charter school open to students who reside in Florida.  Their mission is to become a wellspring of future leaders….where every student will build a solid foundation of knowledge, discipline, virtue, and character. It’s good to know that at least some schools believe it is their responsibility to develop virtuous leaders. From what I’ve seen so far, this classical academy is doing an exemplary job of it.

Because I believe we all share in the responsibility of developing virtuous leaders, over the coming months I will highlight important characteristics of virtuous leaders. Consider this just the first installment in a series of posts on Moral Character and Virtuous Leadership.

I look forward to having you join me in these future posts, and I hope you will encourage your friends, peers, and advisors to participate, too. Together we will bring virtuous leadership back to significance.