Virtue Over Vulgarity

I don’t often listen to college commencement speeches. However, the one Ken Burns gave at Brandeis University for their 2024 graduation caught my attention. Burns, the filmmaker known for his documentaries and television history series, gave the keynote address for twenty-plus minutes on preserving our democracy and, in the last two minutes, offered a litany of comparisons centered on leadership: honor over hypocrisy, virtue over vulgarity; discipline over dissipation; character over cleverness; and sacrifice over self-indulgence.

I’ve spent decades studying, practicing, coaching, teaching, and growing in my leadership, and these comparisons resonated with me, especially when Burns stated to choose virtue over vulgarity. Social media is replete with vulgarity. It is common to find it on Facebook and Instagram posts, tweets, reels, and other media outlets. We hear it in contemporary lyrics, comedy clubs, and late-night shows and often laugh when the speaker injects vulgarity into the conversation. It’s a bit naughty, isn’t it? And sometimes, we like naughtiness!

I’m no linguistic prude or Pollyanna and have used vulgarity on occasion out of sheer frustration and to drive home a point with an unmotivated, tone-deaf listener. However, when I used it, I thought, could I have used better words to communicate my thoughts? Virtuous words that inspire, transform, and motivate others to act righteously. The answer is, of course, yes!

I have authored several articles and delivered numerous speeches on the attributes of outstanding leaders. Exceptional leaders possess unimpeachable character, a clear purpose, and a vision that inspires others to act virtuously. This definition, which I have refined over the years, applies to diverse scenarios where people face challenges and look to a leader for guidance in achieving their goals. I’ve experienced being led by the crude, albeit temporarily, while looking for an offramp and seeking an onramp to a virtuous leader.

Choosing virtue over vulgarity, however, is a challenging task. We’re subject to the pressures of others to conform to their crude and offensive behavior. Several of our elected officials, on both sides of the aisle at all levels of government, dive right into vulgarity when sparing with their adversaries. It’s a terrible tribal attribute so prevalent in our society where we shame and blame those who don’t subscribe to our ideology, and we project our disdain through vulgar means. Our tolerance for vulgarity creates divides among families, friends, workmates, and social and professional networks. It corrupts our society.

However, when we choose to be virtuous leaders, magic happens. People gravitate towards you and your purpose and vision. They sense an abundance of thinking and want to share in it, even replicate the qualities you are portraying. They intuitively know that exceptional leaders beget exceptional leaders and want to be one! Most importantly, and at the center of leadership, virtuous leaders drive followers to righteous actions.

As Ken Burns so aptly stated in his commencement speech to the 2024 Brandeis University graduates, a message we all should heed: choose virtue over vulgarity; our society will be much better when you do.

COL?Paul?A.?Raggio (Ret),?the owner of Five Star Leader Development, is a fractional CEO/COO who develops C-Suite executives,?business owners, and their management teams on leadership, management principles, and best business practices. Contact him to achieve exceptional results in your company!?His email address is [email protected], and his phone number is (252) 571-7368. Visit his website at https://www.fivestarleaderdevelopment.com.