Several years back I wrote a book called Human Being Being Human© which explored virtues from A to Z that, in turn, can have a profound and constructive impact on leadership.  Reflecting on the work of this book today, I thought to offer a simple but effective delivery system incorporating some 106 virtues and their potential for leadership.

I call the system L.O.V.E.™ and it is based, in part, on the spirit of the work of Stephen Covey’s own approach to love as an action.  I thought some years back that, if love is indeed an action and the resulting feelings are what we call love (but are mere results of our actions), then L.O.V.E. ™ engages 4 simple steps to enacting that love as a force for leadership.

First, LOOK.  Look inside for character.  Seek out the virtues which, according to the work of The Virtues Project™ (www.virtuesproject.com), are within us all.  They simply require practice.  I like to think of them as arrows in my quiver.  So, look within for them.  Here are some 106 from A to Z.

Acceptance, Accountability, Appreciation, Assertiveness, Awe, Beauty, Boldness, Caring, Certitude, Charity, Cheerfulness, Cleanliness, Commitment, Compassion, Confidence, Consideration, Contentment, Cooperation, Courage, Courtesy, Creativity, Decisiveness, Detachment, Determination, Devotion, Dignity, Diligence, Discernment, Empathy, Endurance, Enthusiasm, Excellence, Fairness, Faith, Faithfulness, Fidelity, Flexibility, Forbearance, Forgiveness, Fortitude, Friendliness, Generosity, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Helpfulness, Honesty, Honor, Hope, Humanity, Humility, Idealism, Independence, Initiative, Integrity, Joyfulness, Justice, Kindness, Love, Loyalty, Mercy, Mindfulness, Moderation, Modesty, Nobility, Openness, Optimism, Orderliness, Patience, Peacefulness, Perceptiveness, Perseverance, Prayerfulness, Purity, Purposefulness, Quietude, Reliability, Resilience, Respect, Responsibility, Reverence, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Self-discipline, Serenity, Service, Simplicity, Sincerity, Steadfastness, Strength, Tact, Thankfulness, Thoughtfulness, Tolerance, Trust, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Understanding, Unity, Vision, Wholeheartedness, Wisdom, Wonder, Xenophyllia, Yielding, and Zeal.

Second, seek out OPPORTUNITIES to apply the virtues… situations and/or people that require the application of that character strength.

Third, have a VISION in mind as to how much better the situation will be as you apply that virtue.  Keep your eyes on the prize.

Finally, ENGAGE the process by simply doing it.  See where that takes you.

If love is an action that can apply to effectively leading, then look within for strengths of character, find opportunities to put them into practice, have a clear vision of how much better things will be in doing so, and engage the action.  So, L.O.V.E.™ your work, L.O.V.E.™ your team, L.O.V.E.™ your school, L.O.V.E.™ your community, and L.O.V.E.™ your life.

Now, see where THAT takes you.

Peace, passion and prosperity.

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy™