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Using a values‐based leadership perspective, the paper aims to explore the Aeneid, Virgil's foundation epic of the Latin canon. Specifically, it aims to analyse the Aeneid in order to juxtapose the resonant leadership elements of vision, culture and values – and their corresponding equivalent Roman themes of fatum, pietas, and virtus.

Using a thematic analysis approach, the Aeneid was coded for key leadership themes; and a mixed‐method research framework was employed to juxtapose the leadership lessons identified to the demands of modern leadership.

The paper finds resonating elements of a compelling vision and strong culture – and coded the following eight values: integrity, good judgment, leadership by example, decision making, trust, justice/fairness, humility, and sense of urgency – in the Aeneid. Whether viewed qualitatively or quantitatively – or across sectors (i.e. for profit, non profit, government) – the findings of this study affirm the explicit relevance of the Aeneid to the demands of modern leadership. Moreover, integrity was found to be a superordinate value – without which the remaining values have far less significance.

This research highlights a leadership paradox – while managerial traits are an important consideration for the prevailing operational context in the short term, a values‐based approach to hiring, promoting and retaining leaders may be superior in achieving organizational sustainability and performance over the long term. This study illustrates the practical contemporary relevance of the Aeneid specifically, and illustrates a humanities laden and values‐based approach to reflecting on leadership effectiveness generally.

The popular use of labels such as Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Millennials suggests that the nature of effective leadership changes over time in response to the prevailing modern context. Using a values-based leadership lens, defined as the moral foundation underlying stewardship decisions and actions of leaders, the purpose of this paper is to explore the alternative notion that fundamental leadership ideals – from antiquity to modern executives to MBA students – are timeless in nature.

Using a thematic analysis approach, The Aeneid was coded for key leadership themes (integrity, good judgment, leadership by example, decision-making, trust, justice/fairness, humility, and sense of urgency); and a mixed-method research framework was employed to juxtapose the leadership lessons identified to the demands of modern leadership. Deductive thematic analysis was utilized to examine key themes from responses of 13 multi-sectoral leaders (for profit, non-profit, government) and 137 MBA students (from three MBA programs in differing regions).

Whether viewed qualitatively or quantitatively, or across sectors, the findings of this study affirm the explicit relevance of The Aeneid to the demands of modern leadership. Additionally, it was found that the way managers ranked leadership values was not significantly different from how MBA students ranked the same values. Moreover, the authors found integrity to be a superordinate value – without which the remaining values have far less significance.

This research highlights a leadership paradox – while managerial traits are an important consideration for the prevailing operational context in the short term, a values-based approach to hiring, promoting and retaining leaders may be superior in achieving organizational sustainability and performance. This study illustrates the practical contemporary relevance of The Aeneid specifically, and illustrates a humanities laden and values-based approach to reflecting on leadership effectiveness generally.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cultural intelligence in MBA curricula. Shaping global corporate culture that manifests itself in powerful‐shared values, group behavior, and persists despite changes in‐group membership is decisive to organizational performance. In turn, cultural intelligence (CQ), defined, as an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings, has recently emerged as a likely indicator of management ability and leadership potential.

The authors utilized the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) – metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral – to capture data from MBA students attending three universities in the USA.

These results, coupled with the open‐ended survey responses, suggest that in general the students have a firm understanding on why CQ is essential in an increasingly globalized business world, as well as a strong desire to interact with other cultures. However, although students appear highly motivated to study about other cultures, the results indicate that many of the MBA students lack an in‐depth knowledge of the values, beliefs, and practices of other cultures. Further, the data suggest that the most important attributes that increase an individual's CQ are international work experience, learning an additional language other than English, and/or obtaining an undergraduate degree from a foreign country.

This is the first empirical study to examine the role of cultural intelligence in MBA curricula.