EDITORIAL: The three key virtues of leadership

"A president doesn't have to be brilliant. He doesn't have to be clever. You can hire clever. But you can't buy courage and decency, and you can't rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him," writes Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan.

While Noonan was specifically talking about presidents, we find her wisdom to be worthy of replicating to other strata of leadership and governance, if society is to function properly.

Anyone who lacks decency, courage and a strong moral sense cannot identify as a leader. They are anything but. Perhaps non-binary in the field of leadership.

Lack of courage is why many countries, ours included, face so many challenges – many seemingly insurmountable.

Decency would not allow a leader to steal from the people through any means, including using people as proxies and fronts in key industries.

And a strong moral sense would give decent leaders the courage to raise their voices against crimes being committed.

These three qualities must be possessed at once. You can’t be decent and immoral at the same time. Those two cannot mix, just like water and oil. Or your wife and your girlfriend around the breakfast table.

A leader can have other flaws. But with decency, morals and courage, they will prevail. When we seek someone to lead us, whether on a school board or at State House, we must ensure they display those virtues - or else they are not worth the ink on the ballot.