01 April, 2025

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What virtue would you like to cultivate?

Cultivating Virtues: Humility as the Key to Leadership and Personal Growth

What virtue would you like to cultivate?

The word “virtue” comes from the Latin virtus, which means “power,” “potential,” and “courage.” For Socrates, a Greek philosopher of the 5th century BC, virtue is a type of practical knowledge, and it is acquired or refined through constant reflection on our actions and decisions.

I should mention that I found a simple but powerful definition on Google, from my point of view. Virtue is the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.

Now, imagine that the “genie” of Aladdin’s lamp exists and is willing to grant you one wish. You know what you would answer if he asked you: What virtue would you like to cultivate?

From my point of view, a good leader, in any facet of their life, is humble. So, as I move on to answering the question in the title of this article in the first person, I would ask the genie in the bottle or lamp: Help me cultivate humility, to eradicate arrogance in my personal and professional life.

  • Believing I’m always right.
  • That stench that often creeps in, believing I’m superior.
  • Not knowing how to listen to good, sincere advice or correction.
  • Cultivating more self-knowledge and inner life.
  • Being an example of hard work and stopping procrastinating.

As you may have noticed, this time I haven’t shared a story, whether it’s personal, family, professional, or social. Now I’ve shared real conclusions based on the virtue I need to continue cultivating.

In this regard, we’re in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, and the teams are in the final stretch, playing for the goal of reaching this event. And in your case, what’s at stake? Only you know that. Don’t wait any longer; get to work and work hard at it, remember.

  • Do you want to be a leader? Be humble.
  • Do you want to be a good leader? Be even more humble.
  • Do you want to be a super leader and transcend? Be very humble.

(Paraphrasing a quote from Saint Augustine of Hippo)

So let’s keep rowing against the current. As our Argentine friends say: ¡Vamos! (Let’s go!), and as we Peruvians say: ¡Si se puede!

Hugo Saldaña Estrada

Gerente de Showroom Ventas en Roca SAC. Veinte años de experiencia, generando valor en empresas transnacionales y de primer nivel a través de la gestión integral de procesos de recursos humanos, tales como selección de talento, estrategias de compensaciones, evaluación del desempeño y gestión del clima laboral.