This conceptual article advances a virtues-based approach to developing good leaders and good leadership. Virtue and discrete virtues are gaining traction within leadership scholarship, but there remains a lack of clarity regarding exactly what virtue is and precisely how virtues inform leadership. To address this, we articulate a clear conceptualization of how virtue informs good leadership in multiple domains. We also elucidate five synergisms of virtues-based leadership development, including how a virtues approach accounts for leadership effectiveness and ethics; how virtue and leadership are both learnable; the relationship between virtues, character, and leadership; the unity and universality of virtue; and how virtue serves as the linchpin between the individual and the common good. Three trajectories for virtues-based leadership development are described. This article has implications for the study and practice of developing good leaders(hip). Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	leadership, leadership development, leader development, virtues
Research Division:	Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Research Group:	Strategy, management and organisational behaviour
Research Field:	Organisation and management theory
Objective Division:	Culture and Society
Objective Group:	Ethics
Objective Field:	Workplace and organisational ethics (excl. business ethics)
UTAS Author:	Newstead, T (Dr Toby Newstead)
UTAS Author:	Dawkins, S (Dr Sarah Dawkins)
UTAS Author:	Macklin, RB (Dr Rob Macklin)
UTAS Author:	Martin, A (Professor Angela Martin)
ID Code:	135327
Year Published:	2019
Deposited By:	TSBE
Deposited On:	2019-10-14
Last Modified:	2020-07-27
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