Leaders: Stay Humble and Kind
An exemplary ethical climate is not created by policy alone, but by leadership character expressed consistently in daily interactions. Drawing on the simple yet profound principles captured in Tim McGraw’s song “Humble and Kind,” this presentation examines humility and common courtesy as foundational elements of ethical leadership. Leaders who lead humbly and treat every member of the organization with dignity embed these traits into the organization’s DNA. This presentation explores how leaders can intentionally develop and sustain these qualities to create a culture of trust, accountability, and ethical excellence.
Colonel Athens is the former Director of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and the Academy’s first Distinguished Military Professor of Leadership.
He is a retired Marine, having served in significant command and staff positions in all four Marine Aircraft Wings, as a Space Operations Officer with the U.S. Space Command, and as an instructor at the Marine Corps’ equivalent to the Navy’s Top Gun. Additionally, he was a White House Fellow and the Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator following the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.
He graduated, with distinction, from the Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies.
Colonel Athens currently speaks around the country, addressing leaders in the military, law enforcement, business, health care, public education, and collegiate athletics.
He and his wife Misti have 10 children and 25 grandchildren.
