Transform Your Leadership Style with These 23 Essential Virtues

Transform Your Leadership Style with These 23 Essential Virtues

Great leaders aren’t born—they’re forged through the consistent practice of core virtues that inspire, motivate, and empower those around them.

Imagine a leadership style rooted not just in skills or strategies, but in timeless character strengths that fuel resilience, innovation, empathy, and vision. Drawing from the renowned VIA (Values in Action) framework, 23 essential virtues form the foundation of truly impactful leadership. From the courage to face challenges head-on, to the wisdom that guides sound decisions, and the transcendence that connects purpose with passion—these strengths illuminate the path to leadership excellence in any organization or team.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, cultivating these virtues can transform the way you lead, influence, and create lasting positive change. Ready to explore how these character strengths can elevate your leadership presence and effectiveness?

Step-by-Step Self-Guide to Identify and Develop Your Leadership Virtues

Step 1: Take the VIA Character Strengths Survey

Start by taking the scientifically validated VIA Character Strengths Survey, which measures 24 universal character strengths organized under six virtues. The survey typically takes about 10–15 minutes and provides a personalized ranking of your strengths, highlighting your “signature strengths”, the virtues you naturally express most strongly.

Step 2: Re-Confirm Your Top 5 Virtues

Once you receive your results, reflect on your top 5 signature strengths. Do you agree with it? If you were to change, which would be your top 5 virtue strengths?

Step 3: Combine your Virtues with Leadership

Now, you can craft your own leadership styles with your Top 5 virtues. There are 23 unique styles of leading with virtues that you can choose from (see Table below). Each leadership style has its own description, the relevant Qur’anic verse and/or Prophetic narration, followed by an example in practice and suggestions on how to develop them.

Step 4: Re-Start your Virtuous Leadership Development

After choosing any of the leadership style, you can set your personalized development goals to enhance your leadership with specific virtues! Make a conscious effort to use your signature strengths and the virtues you want to develop in your leadership role. You are all set and ready to go!