The Virtue Constellation
By Paul Callan
Throughout the course of the recent Presidential campaign there’s been much talk of “values,” from the candidates and from each political party. Each side claims to possess and represent the true values of the nation and its founders, and each vows to be the one who will revitalize those values that we’ve somehow either forgotten, allowed to erode, or simply dismissed. All this talk of values got me thinking, and questioning, not only the merit and accuracy of this political debate on values, but more importantly, wondering whether values are really the right foundation of our actions, as people and leaders. Are values the surest cornerstone of our habits and the most trustworthy azimuth of our aspirations?
It is not so much that values are bad; rather– it is that values can be too easily won and lost; too easily swayed by convenience or mood; too easily made relative by loose talk of right and wrong; and finally, too readily adopted and then discarded, like a cheap outer-garment, without pain of accountability or loss of integrity. Values do not demand an internalizing of truth and wisdom into a personal inner compass, and because of this failure, values do not produce an enduring transformation of belief, into habit, into action. Let’s face it, anyone can claim to have values. Criminal gangs, narco terrorists, cults, Hitler’s Nazis…they all cited values and built their organizations around those values. Many died for them. Unfortunately, values can be built on a texture of gossamer and a foundation of clay and, due to this lack of depth and hardiness, values can easily take flight on the ever-changing winds of circumstance, situation, and whim.
I have long believed that a better “north star” to guide our individual and collective behavior are virtues. Why do I believe virtues are superior to values? Here are seven reasons:
- Virtues require judgment;
- Virtues are based on universal wisdom that transcends time, place, and circumstance;
- Virtues require self mastery and habituation;
- Virtues require sacrifice and moral courage;
- Virtues are founded on a metric of “true or false” versus “right or wrong;”
- Virtues point toward, and uplift, our highest selves and most noble purposes;
- Virtues provide a bulwark against what Abe Lincoln called “the silent artillery of time.”
Based on my commitment to virtues as a cornerstone of personal leadership and group behavior, I have developed what I call The Virtue Constellation, 6 core virtues that, like stars, we can use to navigate our course and guide our actions. These six core virtues are:
- Wisdom. This virtue is based on my belief that mastery, like all forms of excellence and peak achievement, requires time, effort, tests and trials, and constant movement towards excellence. Wisdom combines disciplined self-reflection and a bias for action. Wise leaders are therefore generative, trans-partisan, and live from a sense of deep time.
- Honor. Great leaders know and uphold this unassailable truth: Honor is worth more than glory. This virtue is therefore based on these three truths: (1) You won’t recognize honor if you don’t practice it; (2) You can’t expect honor from others if you don’t celebrate it; and (3) You can’t expect the truth unless you are willing to hear it.
- Altruism. Altruism is based on a concern for the welfare of others. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness and is founded on a motivation to provide something of value to someone, or something, else. As such, altruism consists of sacrificing something for someone other than oneself (e.g., sacrificing time, energy, or possessions) with no expectation of any compensation or benefits–either direct or indirect.
- Courage. I believe courage is the cardinal virtue because, without courage, none of the other 5 virtues are possible. Why? Because minus courage, a leader will not be able to consistently, and under times of duress, exercise the other virtues. I believe there are two equally important aspects of courage that great leaders possess. Physical Courage is fortitude in the face of pain, hardship, or threat, while Moral Courage is the ability to act nobly and rightly in the face of popular opposition, power, or discouragement.
- Balance. This virtue is based on my belief that heroic leadership generates from, and is best sustained within, a leader who is centered and balanced. A Balanced leader is a person in a consistent state of equilibrium or equipoise; one possessing an equal distribution of time, focus, and energy to all aspects of life that give value and consistency. Balance produces key leadership qualities such as mental steadiness, emotional stability, dependability, cohesion, calm behavior, and good judgment.
- Merit. This virtue is based on a leader’s obligation to produce a positive effect beyond his own personal reward and towards an enduring, uplifting betterment of his organization or group. As a virtue, Merit is traditionally manifest in such leadership actions as honoring others; offering service; involving others in good or common deeds; being thankful or grateful; modeling virtuous behavior; and instructing and guiding others.
I think of a great leader much like a way finder—one strongly anchored on a firm base of knowledge and wisdom, able to navigate life’s twists and turns with confidence and poise, and able to chart a course into an unknown future with clarity and integrity. A virtuous leader, informed by the trusted light of the virtue constellation, will possess a true fidelity of belief, aspiration, habit, and action that can likewise confidently guide the paths of his followers.
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