We believe character flows out of an individual’s core values. Legendary Coach John Wooden was the UCLA basketball coach (1948–1975), who won ten NC AA national championships in a twelve-year period. He used “two sets of threes” to guide him: “Never lie, never cheat, never steal.   Don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses.” We use these as a starting point for 5C character. 5C leaders do not curse, libel, or slander another, nor are they unfaithful to vows or promises. 5C character incorporates the seven classical virtues of prudence (judgment, foresight), justice (moral rightness based upon ethics), temperance (restraint), fortitude (courage), faith, hope, and love. We believe C. S. Lewis was right when he said: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every other virtue at the testing point.” We understand that there will be times when we will fail to meet these standards.  In these rare cases, we will quickly confess our failures and attempt to redress them to the best of our abilities.

We believe 5C leaders have a passion for sustainable excellence in every area of Rowland Taylor and within their individual lives. This is the heartbeat of competence. 5C leaders run their area of business like they own it, seek each other’s counsel, and try to eliminate pride that kills teamwork. Although excellence is our goal, we understand that occasional failure is an unavoidable consequence of courageous leadership, and we therefore embrace the ancient adage “Failures are the fingerposts on the road to achievement.”

We believe 5C leaders take communication seriously and strive to become the best they can be in this crucial area of life. Peter Drucker, the father of American management, was on point when he said, “Sixty percent of all management problems result from faulty communication.” The core of 5C communication is courageous truth, but this should be balanced by William Barclay’s test: “Before speaking, one should ask: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it necessary? 3) Is it kind?” Manners are an important form of communication between people who periodically may not like each other very much during certain times of stress and heated vetting, and they are crucial for maintaining a sound 5C communication culture. A 5C leader strives toward excellence in written and oral communication in both big picture leadership—vision, strategy, and core values—as well as in detail leadership—guideposts, processes, decision logics, one-minute updates, and vetting. All of these are important parts of 5C communication.