Character and Values
The leader's character
The lasting moral dispositions that determine who a leader is when no one is watching. According to the White Book, healthy leadership rests above all on spiritual maturity, character and an attitude of service.
Humility
The truth about oneself - one's gifts and limits - combined with readiness to learn and to serve. Research shows humble leaders build better teams; in the Christian tradition it is the foundation of leadership.
Integrity
Consistency between what a leader professes, believes and does - in public and in private. The foundation of credibility and trust.
Trust
Willingness to be vulnerable to another party in the expectation that they will not exploit it. The currency of leadership - built slowly and lost quickly.
Cardinal virtues
Prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance - the four virtues around which the classical and Christian tradition organises moral life. Especially needed by leaders.
The leader's vocation
Understanding leadership not as a career but as a response to God's call to serve people. It is expressed in Church teaching on the vocation of the laity and in the document “Vocation of the Business Leader”.