In the First Quadrant of the QSource, the Get Right, we addressed man’s pursuit of proper personal alignment through the Acceleration of his relationship with himself, his Concentrica and his Creator. In the Second Quadrant, the Live Right, we explored man’s dedication to Purposefulness through the IMPACT he has by living in Relational Rhythm toward Missionality. Now, in the Third Quadrant, we focus on how to Lead Right, which is the Practice of Virtuous Leadership.

The Quadrants are in sequential order because a man cannot Live Right until he has achieved proper personal alignment through the Get Right. To illustrate this point, picture a man who must row a boat across a swiftly moving river to get to the far bank. If he is not Right his boat will capsize, leaving him clinging to its inverted keel as the current pushes him downstream and away from his objective. Before he can begin making headway, he must flip his boat into the proper upright position.

Likewise, a man cannot begin to Lead Right unless he is first Living Right. Picture the river now full of boats being rowed in circles by men who would benefit from the superior circumstance of gaining the far bank. To Influence them to make headway and Move there together requires the Leadership of a HIM who has both Gotten Right and is Living Right.

Leading Right is the deliberate and disciplined lifetime Practice of both the Leadership Skills (those capabilities that enable a man to do what an Effective Leader does) and the Leadership Virtues (those Habits and Ethics that make him what a Virtuous Leader is). It is not enough that he is Effective–he must also be Virtuous.

This invokes one of the most difficult aspects F3’s Leadership philosophy to understand: the difference between Effective and Virtuous Leadership. This difficulty arises from the cultural tendency to confuse and conflate the Leadership Skills with the Leadership Virtues and view all Leaders from the general perspective of whether they are “good” or “bad”. At best this viewpoint is childish and unhelpful, and at worst it is dangerous. Leaders are neither good or bad, they either are capable of doing what an Effective Leader does (or not), and are either what a Virtuous Leader is (or not). That is the true measure of Leading Right.

An Effective Leader does what a Leader does through the Competent application of the Leadership Skills–the better he does it, the more Effective he is. A Virtuous Leader is an Effective Leader who is what a Leader is because he also possesses the Leadership Virtues–the more he has of them, the more Virtuous he is.

Simply put, Effectiveness concerns actions performed, while Virtue is about character possessed. Describing a Leader as Effective is only an observation of his actions–it says nothing of his character. But describing a Leader as Virtuous is an observation that he is both Competent and also guided and restrained by the Habits and Ethics of moral excellence. It is the Virtuous Leader alone who can Lead Right and leave a Legacy by Consistently Influencing his Groups to Move toward Advantage.

While an Effective Leader who lacks Virtue is capable of Influencing Movement to Advantage, he can also (and usually does) Influence Movement to Disadvantage, either through Inertia arising from his in-Consistency or by flawed vision. Because he has neither Gotten Right nor Lives Right, this kind of man is out of the Relational Rhythm required to be Consistent who lacks a Belief System that serves as both moral compass and governor to his application of the power that accumulates in those who successfully Influence Movement.

Bill Clinton would be an example of an Effective Leader whose lack of Virtue was most evident in his in-Consistency, insufficient Commitment and lack of Candor. While he certainly Influenced some Movement to Advantage while President, his flawed character also caused Inertia as the federal government found itself mired down in multiple controversies caused by his mendacity and lack of marital fidelity. Likewise, Adolf Hitler would be an example of an Effective Leader whose lack of Virtue was most evident in his flawed Vision. No Advantage to which he Moved the German people can possibly justify his psychotic vision of Jewish genocide and world hegemony.

It is a mistake to dismiss Effective but low-Virtue Leaders as “bad”, as this leads to the minimization of their power to Influence. Because they are Effective but un-Virtuous, the Movement they initiate can produce disastrous circumstances for the Groups they Lead if the Members think in such simplistic terms. Because they lack internal Guardrails, un-Virtuous Leaders must be subjected to powerful external restraint, like the checks and balances written into the United States Constitution.

Likewise, it is a mistake to think of high-Virtue but in-Competent Leaders as “good”. A man may possess some or all of the Leaderships Virtues but still lack the Skills required to be Effective. In fact, it is just this type of person who occupies the Governance of most Groups. Their rise to power is fueled by the assumption that “good” character will translate into “good” Leadership.

Jimmy Carter would be an example of this kind of man. While seemingly in possession of many of the Leadership Virtues, his failed presidency was the direct result of his lack of Leadership Skill. Although he did not Influence Movement to Disadvantage because he lacked the Skill to do so, his Governance resulted in Disadvantage for the United States due to the Inertia engendered by his lack of Competence.

To Lead Right, a person must be capable of applying the Leadership Skills and possess the Leadership Virtues. Anything less will result in disaster, Disadvantage and lack of Prosperity for the Group he Leads.