21st century organizational leaders face many difficult challenges. As governments and businesses expand to meet the needs of an ever-increasing population, the decisions leaders make today are more important than ever. With rising competition amid the uncertainty of a progressively globalized economy, success and failure are increasingly defined on an ever-grander scale. In these trying times, how can executives and other business, government, and nonprofit leaders guide their organizations to success amid the challenges of the modern world? In this extensively researched yet thoroughly practical book, renowned executive consultant Richard Kilburg characterizes effective leadership as a combination of specific behaviorally based competencies and virtuous aspects of character. He demonstrates that despite all the complexities of the modern world, the foundations of executive leadership can still be found in the timeless and enduring virtues of the ancient Chinese and Greeks. With rich and informative discussions of the classical and modern literatures on virtue and executive leadership, and a wealth of exercises and questionnaires that translate models of leadership into plans for action, Virtuous Leaders is a vital resource for leaders and executive coaches. It has become a classic in the field.