Leadership Starts at Home: How My Father Taught Me the 7 Traits of Transformational Leaders
When I began crafting the Circle of Growth framework back in 2015, I thought I was simply writing about the traits that make a good leader. I believed leadership started with who you are, not just the title on your business card. Many leaders like to assume they already embody these traits – some even fancy themselves heroes. But as I gathered research and reflected on my own life, I kept returning to one inspiration that shaped my understanding of true leadership: my father.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!My father, Theodore Roosevelt Schiele, was the youngest of 12 children born to a humble family in rural Frogmore, Louisiana. He carried the name of a U.S. President known for strength and reform – and indeed, he lived up to it in his own quiet way. Born in 1931, he grew up in an era of great challenges. He served in the Korean War from 1952 to 1954, earning an honorable discharge. After the war, he made his living as an oilfield mechanic, raising a large family and helping anyone who needed a hand. He never held an important corporate title; he wasn’t a CEO or a famous general. But in our community and in our family, he was the definition of a leader.
He led by example – through his integrity, his kindness, and his unwavering work ethic. He and my mother raised ten of us and still made room in their hearts for neighbors and friends. My father’s influence rippled out to dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless others. He didn’t just live life – he built a legacy of values and love. When he passed away on November 13, 2015, I realized that the richest inheritance he left us wasn’t money or possessions. It was an example of his character.
That realization lit a fire in me. I set out to understand what made him the kind of person who could quietly shape so many lives for the better. The answer became the foundation of this chapter: Personal growth isn’t optional – it’s the foundation of leadership. You cannot truly lead others if you haven’t learned to lead yourself first. Who you are when no one’s watching – your habits, your mindset, your “internal compass” – determines how you show up when everyone is watching. My father taught me that. And later, I found that business research confirmed it: for instance, leaders with greater self-awareness make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and even lead more profitable companies. In other words, inner growth drives outer success.
I eventually organized these lessons into what I call the SCHIELE Method of personal growth – a tribute both to the traits themselves and to my family name. It’s built around seven core traits that I believe form the bedrock of transformational leadership. These aren’t trendy buzzwords or “feel-good” platitudes. They are the character traits I saw in my father and in great leaders everywhere, the traits that any of us must cultivate if we wish to inspire and lead others. When you truly live these seven traits day in and day out, something amazing happens: you don’t just improve performance – you uplift people. You influence teams, cultures, even entire communities, because who you are inside radiates outward and sets the tone for everyone around you.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is ground zero for growth. It’s the trait that everything else builds upon. To be self-aware is to know yourself – to understand your strengths and weaknesses, your values and fears, and to recognize how your behavior affects others. My father had a quiet confidence that came from this trait... Nothing changes until we do. Self-awareness gives you that chance to change – to align your leadership with your deepest values and to ensure that the face you show the world genuinely reflects who you are inside.
Courage
If self-awareness is knowing what needs to change, courage is the resolve to act. It’s speaking the truth, making the tough decision, or venturing into the unknown without guarantees. Courageous leadership doesn’t mean being fearless; it means moving anyway. Every brave act widens the path for those behind you – that’s how teams break new ground.
Humility
Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. The most transformational leaders are often the quiet ones who share credit, absorb blame, and keep learning. Humility creates a culture where feedback is welcome, voices are heard, and people go the extra mile because they are seen as partners, not peons.
Integrity
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. It aligns words and actions and turns values into daily practice. Teams follow leaders they trust; trust is built by consistent honesty, fair dealing, and owning mistakes. Integrity makes life simpler and leadership stronger.
Empathy
Empathy is seeing through another’s eyes and leading with human connection. It converts managers into mentors and workplaces into communities. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care – empathy is how you show it.
Learning
Leaders who stop learning stop leading. Curiosity, feedback, and adaptation turn setbacks into stepping stones. A learning mindset keeps you relevant, resilient, and ready – and it spreads, creating learning organizations that can navigate change with courage and clarity.
Execution
All the vision in the world means little without follow-through. Execution is where intentions meet actions: disciplined systems, clear ownership, real deadlines, and the habit of finishing what you start. Talk builds trust; results build credibility. Do the work. Finish the work.
Legacy If you commit to these seven traits, you won’t just hit targets—you’ll change lives. That was my father’s quiet lesson: leadership starts at home, and the richest inheritance we leave is our character, lived out loud.