Having released a handful of short podcasts on “Virtues for the Change Journey” I thought I’d reflect on the series. And invite your feedback on leadership virtues that support change and continuous improvement.
My stimuli for starting the virtue series were at least threefold:
- To review and reflect on past conversations with colleagues on what helps us navigate through times of change and continuous improvement.
- To explore the flip side of the Deadly Sins of Agile Transformations: greed, envy, lust, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and pride.
- To expand on an idea that Dave Snowden planted in my brain: How do we make the energy cost of virtue less than that of sin?
Leadership Virtues for Change
If you haven’t listened to the episodes in the series yet, no worries! Following are 1-2 sentence summaries and links, all ~ 12 minutes runtime or less:
- Courage – The Path Begins
Courage is composed of honesty, perseverance, vitality, and bravery, forming the foundation for driving meaningful change. It involves speaking truth to power, maintaining determination despite setbacks, bringing full energy to pursuits, and facing challenges head-on. - Resilience – Rising Above
Resilience combines positivity, focus, flexibility, organization, and proactivity, enabling individuals and teams to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to stressful situations. It’s about maintaining an optimistic mindset, prioritizing effectively, generating multiple options, planning efficiently, and taking action based on imperfect information. - Alliances – Joining Forces
Building alliances involves creating a diverse network of support, including process-oriented executors, creative thinkers, empathetic nurturers, and wise counselors. It’s essential for navigating complex change initiatives and tapping into collective intelligence. - Gratitude – Appreciating Progress
Gratitude, along with its companion appreciation, is a powerful driver of motivation, engagement, and high performance. It involves cultivating a thankful mindset and actively expressing recognition for others’ efforts and impacts. - Vulnerability – Opening Up
Vulnerability, underpinned by humility, is about having the courage to admit mistakes, share insecurities, and acknowledge knowledge gaps. It fosters innovation, creativity, and change by creating psychological safety and enabling authentic connections.
Key Themes
Reflecting on the virtues series, several themes emerged for me.
Interconnectedness of Leadership Virtues for Change
I’ve discovered how these virtues are highly interconnected and mutually reinforcing. For example, courage enables vulnerability, resilience supports perseverance (an aspect of courage), and gratitude enhances alliances and resilience. Psychological safety comes up repeatedly across episodes, as a crucial foundation that these virtues help create and reinforce.
Virtues as Learnable Skills
A recurring idea I’ve explored in the series is that these virtues are not innate traits, but skills that can be developed through intentional practice and experimentation. So in each episode, I’ve moved beyond theory to offer practices or “reps” to build these virtues, envisioning them as muscles that can be strengthened over time. Throughout the series, I’ve promoted a growth mindset, encouraging us to view setbacks as learning opportunities as we acknowledge uncertainty and risk-taking.
Individual and Collective Impact of Leadership Virtues for Change
I’ve explored how these virtues apply at multiple levels – individual, team, and organizational. I’ve noticed that cultivating these virtues has a ripple effect, influencing not just personal growth but team dynamics and organizational culture. So while I’ve presented the virtues as valuable for everyone, I’ve placed a particular emphasis on their importance for leaders – by position as well as by influence.
Components for the Change Journey
I’ve framed each virtue as an essential component for adaptability while navigating change and pursuing continuous improvement. By covering a range of virtues, I’ve tried to promote a holistic view of personal and professional development that goes beyond just technical skills, traditional managerial traits, and processes.
Evidence-Based Backing
Along the way, I’ve done my best to find and reference research, studies, and real-world examples to support my points, grounding the discussion of these virtues in evidence rather than just anecdotal experience.
Your Perspectives…
As I pause on this exploration of virtues for the change journey, I want to hear from you. Your perspectives and experiences are invaluable in enriching both my and our collective journey.
Here are some questions I’d love for you to consider:
- What resonated? Which, if any, of these virtues and/or practices struck a chord with you? Have you seen them in action in your own work or life?
- What’s missing? Are there other virtues or intentional practices you believe are crucial for navigating change that I haven’t covered? What would you add to this series?
- What might be wrong? Challenge my thinking. Where do you disagree with the concepts or practices I’ve presented? What nuances or complexities should we be considering? How does your specific context and culture influence things?
Your ideas on leadership virtues for change will contribute to our collective understanding of what it takes to nudge positive growth in ourselves, our teams, organizations, and communities: making the cost of virtue less than that of sin.
All journeys of growth and improvement are ongoing. Progress comes not by “just knowing” but instead by practicing. By sharing our experiences, successes as well as failures, we can learn from each other and become more effective change agents and leaders in whatever context we find ourselves.
So, don’t be shy. Join the conversation on our Discord server or share your thoughts via comments. Let’s continue to explore, challenge, and refine our understanding of virtues for the change journey together.
