What does character have to do with democracy, coaching, and personal growth? Everything.
Adelle—a top global executive coach, founder, and scholar—joins us to explore how character is the foundation not only for strong leadership, but for shaping systems, transforming democracies, and sustaining coaching relationships.
With decades of experience leading culture and strategy in South Africa, Adelle reflects on what Nelson Mandela taught the world about leadership character—and how we can carry that legacy forward.
🧠 What you’ll hear:
🇿🇦 Why character is essential to building a healthy democracy—especially in younger nations
🤝 How executive coaching can be a powerful system-level tool for transformation
📉 What institutional weakness teaches us about the need for individual integrity
🧭 Why Mandela’s leadership was a masterclass in humility, humanity, and drive
🔄 The contagious nature of character—and what happens when leaders model it well
📱 How the Virtuosity program helped Adelle confront her blind spots around consistency
🧩 The surprising depth behind “simple” virtues like candour and accountability
⚖️ How character can recalibrate us in moments of pressure and conviction
💡 What it means to bring the coaching lens into everyday conversations
If you’re a coach, a systems thinker, or simply someone navigating complexity—this conversation will challenge and inspire your own journey toward character.
Resources
• Character Quotient Assessment in Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/marycrossan/2025/03/26/from-good-to-great-10-ways-to-elevate-your-character-quotient/)
• Leader Character Framework with Culture, Virtues, and Vices (https://virtuositycharacter.ca/organization/storage_production_6e2934b8-3e20-47a7-aa79-59a612f967be/990340a0-9980-4919-9456-ab5640b405a0.pdf)
About Virtuosity
• Website (https://virtuositycharacter.ca/)
• Monthly Newsletter (https://mailchi.mp/virtuositycharacter/subscribe-to-the-virtuosity-monthly-newsletter)
• LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtuosity-character)
• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/virtuositycharacter/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
Host, Dr Corey Crossan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreycrossan/), is a research and teaching fellow at The Oxford Character Project where she develops and facilitates character development programs for students, industry, and university partners. Corey’s love for elite performance developed as she competed in top-level athletics for most of her life, highlighted by competing as a NCAA Division 1 athlete. Corey translated her understanding of elite performance into a passion for helping individuals and organizations develop sustained excellence. She is also the co-founder of Virtuosity Character, a mobile software application created to support the daily, deliberate practice of character-based leadership development.
