The Positive Power of Character Strengths and Virtues for Global Leaders

In a globalized world, transnational companies are implicated in power relations with many other organizations, including states, and are responsible for millions of people's lives and livelihoods. Building positive organizational performance and contributing to the creation of a better planet requires having global leaders with positive qualities in senior positions in these organizations. In this chapter, using Peterson and Seligman's (2004) framework, we explore how the character strengths and virtues of global leaders can make them more effective and better able to develop flourishing organizations and people within and around them in the contexts in which they operate. We also explore how global leaders with such positive qualities are more motivated to accept and/or look for global leadership development opportunities, and better able to learn from such opportunities. Some research directions are also considered.