Ep.43 - Leadership Born of Love and Duty with Matt Pride

In this episode of the Virtuous Leaders Podcast, Dr. Johann D'Souza engages in a captivating conversation with Matt Pride, a US Army military officer and director of ROTC at the City College of New York. Matt shares his profound insights on the essence of leadership, drawing from his military experience, Catholic faith, and intellectual journey.Key Discussion Points: • Matt's role as a military officer and director of ROTC at the City College of New York, serving the community that invested in him • The challenges faced during combat deployments and the responsibility of being a leader in understanding what leadership truly means • Matt's personal experience of a dangerous indirect fire situation and the selfless actions of his soldiers in administering life-saving care • The profound impact of Matt's conversion to Catholicism in unlocking a comprehensive and integrated answer to the question of leadership • The definition of leadership as a human act by which one exercises power provided by another to direct others to pursue a good esteemed by those united in common purpose, without regard for self • The implications of understanding leadership as an act of love, willing the good of another for their sake, and elevating others into human excellence • The importance of virtue, particularly the virtue of obedience, in the relationship between leader and follower • The distinction between a good leader who moves others and a manager who merely produces, and the need for leadership to be grounded in moral virtue • Matt's personal conversion story, the witness of his wife and other Catholics, and the resources that helped him embrace the Catholic faith • The importance of intellectual formation and the virtue of study for a leader in guiding others to excellenceTimestamp: 00:07 - Discussing Matt's role as a military officer and director of ROTC at the City College of New York 01:26 - Exploring the challenges faced during combat deployments and the responsibility of being a leader 02:53 - Recounting a dangerous indirect fire situation and the selfless actions of Matt's soldiers 05:56 - Examining the question of what leadership is and the impact of Matt's conversion to Catholicism on his understanding 11:14 - Discussing the implications of understanding leadership as an act of love and willing the good of another 15:56 - Reflecting on the definition of leadership as bringing out the best in others for the good of the team 19:13 - Highlighting the distinction between the true good and the perceived or apparent good in leadership 22:34 - Presenting Matt's definition of leadership as a human act involving power, direction, and common purpose 25:39 - Sharing Matt's personal conversion story and the witness of his wife and other Catholics 29:53 - Discussing the resources and intellectual journey that helped Matt embrace the Catholic faith 33:23 - Emphasizing the importance of intellectual formation and the virtue of study for a leaderResources and Links:• Watch this episode on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Listen to this episode on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Dr. Johann D'SouzaClinical Psychologist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Values First Therapy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X(Twitter)Matthew Pride US Army Military Officer Director of ROTC at the City College of New York https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-pride-b1143613/#LeadershipAsLove #MilitaryLeadership #CatholicIntellectualTradition #VirtueOfObedience #IntellectualFormation #ConversionStory #VirtuousLeaders #ValuesFirstCollective #DrJohannDSouza