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What does character have to do with public service leadership, national infrastructure, and long-term stewardship?
Sonia Zouari—Chief Architect at the Department of National Defence—joins us for a powerful, deeply human conversation on why character is the stabilizing force leaders need in a VUCA world. Drawing on 25+ years across architecture, sustainability, policy, and public service, Sonia shares how character transforms technical expertise into service, how it shapes decision-making under pressure, and why leadership today demands deliberate inner work.
From mission-ready infrastructure to parenting, aging parents, and daily leadership choices, Sonia illustrates how character shows up not in grand gestures, but in the small moments that quietly shape trust, culture, and outcomes.
🧠 What you’ll hear:
🔥 Why technical excellence alone cracks under pressure—and how character turns skill into lasting impact
🧭 “How do I want to be as a leader now?” — the question guiding Sonia’s transition into the Chief Architect role
🏗️ Why the hardest challenges in infrastructure and public service aren’t technical, but human
⚖️ How integrity shifts from a concept to a daily practice through humility, temperance, and judgment
🛠️ The power of micro-practices: naming virtues in real time, habit stacking, and creating steadiness in high-pressure systems
❤️ How character-based leadership extends beyond work—to parenting, elder care, and showing up with presence rather than pressure
This episode is a masterclass in character as a habit of being—one that enables leaders to navigate ambiguity, steward public trust, and create environments where people can bring their best, even when the stakes are high.
Resources
• Connect with Sonia Zouari on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniazouari/)
• 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.