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QSource The F3 Manual of Virtuous Leadership

Leadership is a skill that a person must learn and master during their lifetime rather than an attribute of their character with which they are born. As a skill, it is like learning to play the piano. If it were an attribute, it would be like having blue eyes or a square jaw.

Because it is a skill, a person must commit to learning to lead in the same way that they would learn to play the piano. The degree to which they will ultimately master it will depend both upon their natural ability and their willingness to practice. Because we are all born with some leadership ability, even a man with very little natural skill can still be an effective leader if he is willing to practice hard. But a man who will not practice at all will never master the skill even if he is born with the heart of a lion. The decision to become an effective leader is volitional. No one else can make it for you.

F3 was born on January 1, 2011. Its initial purpose was to give men a way to improve their lives by exercising together as part of a workout community. While that worked, we quickly realized that the members of F3 needed more than just physical fitness to improve their lives. They also needed help in mastering their leadership skills. Their families, their workplaces and their neighborhoods were all communities that needed leadership just as much as the F3 workout community did. From this need, F3’s mission of the invigoration of male community leadership evolved.

To help the men of F3 learn and master leadership we began to develop a body of practices that we drew from the timeless principles of leadership and their effective application in our workout community. Initially, these leadership practices were transmitted between us verbally, like a set of oral traditions passed around a campfire.

As F3 grew, and the limits of this rudimentary method became increasingly clear to us, we began cataloguing our practices more deliberately through blogs and social media. While this was an improvement over the verbal transmission method, its effectiveness was limited by the lack of cohesion among the various principles and practices themselves, which was exacerbated by the geographical separation of our growing organization. We began searching for a way to provide a common set of principles that were internally integrated and were as useful to our group in Seattle as they were to the men in Savannah.

From this search, the QSource was born. It is the integrated expression of F3’s leadership philosophy. It is our leadership manual. As such, it is designed to be used by F3 members to improve their leadership skills for the benefit of their families, workplaces and neighborhoods. However, because it is based on timeless principles, it is also useful for any group that wants to improve the leadership skills of its members.

QSource Podcasts

How to Use this

Download the “Best Practices Manual” Here

Follow along with 43Feet’s weekly QSource Podcast or Listen below, join a local Region’s QSource meetup, or study on your own using the resources found below.

Each QSource Point has original text, includes additional study content including Socratic, Spurs, Questions, Podcasts and More. Use these to drive additional discussion in your region or for personal meditation.

 

Example Material4
F3 Nation QSource F1 - Disruption

DISRUPTION (F1)

Disturbance To The Status-quo Leaders influence movement to advantage A leader is a person who can influence people to do things that they would not have done otherwise. Put another

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F3 Nation QSource F2 - Language

LANGUAGE (F2)

The Lexicon Of Virtuous Leadership  Leadership is evolutionary, not revolutionary The QSource is not a revolutionary theory of leadership. Revolutionary leadership theories are a myth because all leadership is founded

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F3 Nation QSource F3 - Group

GROUP (F3)

A Voluntary Combination Of Two Or More People Man is by nature a Group-forming animal A Group is a voluntary combination of two or more people. There are three distinct

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F3 Nation QSource F4 - ldp

LDP (F4)

The Process Employed By A Group To Develop New Leaders Great Leaders develop new Leaders While leadership is critical to all Groups, Leaders are always in short supply in most

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F3 Nation QSource F5 - Preparedness

PREPAREDNESS (F5)

Getting Ready For The Expected While Being Ready For The Unexpected There are four quadrants of preparedness: get right, live right, lead right and leave right Because it is a

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GET RIGHT (Q1)

The Pursuit Of Proper Personal Alignment A man must Get Right before he can do anything else To understand the Get Right, picture a man vigorously rowing a boat across

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F3 Q Source Q1.1-DRP

DRP (Q1.1)

The Daily Commitment To Accelerate Fitness Fellowship And Faith A man needs help to Get Right The boats of some men have been so long capsized that they have gradually surrendered

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F3 Q Source Q1.2-King

KING (Q1.2)

The Daily Discipline Of Physically Training The Body A man’s Right relationship with himself–his Fitness–begins with his body Because it is his most fundamental piece of physical equipment, a man

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.3-Queen

QUEEN (Q1.3)

The Daily Discipline Over What Is Put Into The Body Man does not stay Fit through exercise alone The Queen is an integral Guardrail in the HIM’s pursuit of proper

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.4-Jester

JESTER (Q1.4)

The Daily Discipline Over The Temptation Of The Flesh That Hinders Acceleration Every man has his own personal Jester The Jester is the temptation of the flesh that hinders Acceleration.

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.5-M

M (Q1.5)

The Transformative Relationship Between A Man And A Woman Accelerating Fellowship requires relational rhythm A HIM who has gotten his relationship with himself Right naturally begins to Accelerate his Fellowship,

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.6-Shorties

SHORTIES (Q1.6)

The Sacrificial Relationship Between A Man And His Children A man gives everything he has for his children After the M, Shorties are next on the next ring on the

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.7-Shieldlock

SHIELD LOCK (Q1.7)

The Horizontal Relationship Between Men Man hunts best in a pack Eyes to the side have the animals that hide. Eyes up front have the animals that hunt. Man’s eyes

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.8-Whetstone

WHETSTONE (Q1.8)

The Vertical Relationship Between Men A man must be sharpened like a knife blade Both a man and a knife are made to cut, but neither can be Effective until

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F3 Q-Source Q1.9-Mammon

MAMMON (Q1.9)

The Sustaining Relationship Between A Man And His Work Work is a Virtue Men earn their daily bread through the sweat of their labor. We call this the sustaining relationship

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.10-Prayer

PRAYER (Q1.10)

The Daily Discipline Of Talking With The Creator In Order To Build Faith A Virtuous Leader must have Faith The third component of the Get Right is Faith, which is

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.11-Study

STUDY (Q1.11)

The Daily Exploration Into The Foundations Of Faith The Acceleration of Faith requires a belief system While I write from the Christian perspective (because that is what I have come

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q1.12-Meeting

MEETING (Q1.12)

The Public Manifestation Of Faith Faith is best Accelerated in the company of others However he seeks answers to the WHAT-WHAT, the HIM does not go about it alone. He

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F3 Nation QSource Q2-Live Right

LIVE RIGHT (Q2)

The Dedication To Purposefulness To Live Right a man must have an ultimate Purpose in mind Live Right is the second quadrant of the QSource. It is the HIM’s dedication

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.1-Impact

IMPACT (Q2.1)

Forcible Contact To Strong Effect Forcible contact is Proximity initiated by Movement Proximity, a nearness in geography or relationship, does not occur in stasis. Some sort of Movement–action taken in

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.2-Influence

INFLUENCE (Q2.2)

Igniting A Palpable Desire For Movement Movement must be voluntarily A HIM IMPACTs other people through forcible contact to strong effect. The result, the strong effect, is an Advantageous change

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.3-Missionality

MISSIONALITY (Q2.3)

Serving In The High Impact Zone The comfort zone (and the need to expand it) is a cultural myth that encourages men to be in-Effective Merriam-Webster defines the comfort zone

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.4-Positive Habit Transfer

POSITIVE HABIT TRANSFER (Q2.4)

Ingraining Advantageous Tendencies In Others A man cannot give away what he himself does not possess A Habit is a regular tendency that is hard to give up. By regular,

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.5-Accountability

ACCOUNTABILITY (Q2.5)

Submission To Standard Through Enforcement and Consequence The HIM seeks Accountability because his life is not his own No matter how dedicated or deliberate a HIM is in the building

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.6-Correction

CORRECTION (Q2.6)

Zealously Advocating For Shared Virtue The HIM preaches what he Practices An advocate is a public champion of a particular cause or policy. Zealous advocacy is the voicing of full-throated

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F3 Nation Q-Source Q2.7-Targeting

TARGETING (Q2.7)

Initiating Missionality In Others Missionality is an Essential Virtue In the Q2.3 we learned that Missionality is Essential to Living Right because a man’s IMPACT is greatest when he is

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F3 Nation QSource Q3-Lead Right

LEAD RIGHT (Q3)

The Practice Of Virtuous Leadership The Leadership Skills are the four capabilities of Effective Leadership that enable a man do what a Leader does Leadership is Influencing Movement to Advantage.

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.1-Shared_Leadership

SHARED LEADERSHIP (Q3.1)

Influence Through Combination Shared Leadership is a conspiracy to Influence Movement to Advantage A conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to act in harmony toward a common

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.2-Mutual_Competence

MUTUAL COMPETENCE (Q3.2)

The General Alignment Of Skill Within A Shared Leadership Team Competence is critical to Group Prosperity To be Effective, a Group must be in constant motion toward the accomplishment of

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.3-Trust

TRUST (Q3.3)

Reliance Between Team Members Trust is an essential element of Shared Leadership The provision of Virtuous Leadership to a larger Organization or Community is a heavy responsibility. While absolutes invite

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VISION (Q3.4)

Recognizing Advantage And The Movement Required To Achieve It Through Vision, the Effective Leader charts his Group’s pathway forward Vision is the first of the four Leadership Skills, the capabilities

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.5-Articulation

ARTICULATION (Q3.5)

Describing Vision To Others Every person can Articulate, but most most people choose not to An Articulated Purpose is a Visualized end-state that is substantively distinct from the Status Quo.

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.6-Persuasion

PERSUASION (Q3.6)

The Initiation Of First Movement Compulsive chicanery cannot sustain Momentum Persuasion is the third of the four F3 Leadership Skills. It is the Effective Leader’s ability to initiate Movement toward

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.7-Exhortation

EXHORTATION (Q3.7)

Incentivizing The Breach Of Obstacles Exhortation is encouragement on steroids Obstacles are Problems impeding Movement that must be solved before the Group can continue forward. If an Obstacle arises before

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.8-Candor

CANDOR (Q3.8)

Graciously Telling The Hard Truth And Demanding To Hear It From Others Only hard Truth requires Candor Candor is the first of the five F3 Leadership Virtues–the Habits and Ethics

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.9-Commitment

COMMITMENT (Q3.9)

Unwavering Loyalty To The Group And Unflinching Determination To Accomplish It’s Mission Loyalty requires abandonment of self Commitment is the second of the five F3 Leadership Virtues–the Habits and Ethics

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.10-Consistency

CONSISTENCY (Q3.10)

Unchanging In Nature, Standard Or Effect Over Time Simplicity is the foundation of Consistency Consistency is the third of the five F3 Leadership Virtues–the Habits and Ethics of moral excellence.

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.11-Contentment

CONTENTMENT (Q3.11)

Stability Of Emotion Engendered By The Continual Pursuit Of Joy Rather Than Happiness Joy is the stainless steel of the soul Contentment is the fourth of the five F3 Leadership

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F3 Nation QSource Q3.12-Courage

COURAGE (Q3.12)

Setting Aside Fear To Turn Hardship Into Grace Fear is a natural state that can and must be governed Courage is not the absence of fear. There is no such

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F3 Nation QSource Q4-Leave Right

LEAVE RIGHT (Q4)

The Construction Of Legacy Only a Virtuous Leader can leave a Legacy The Leave Right is the fourth quadrant of the G3L. In the first quadrant we explored what a

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.1-Sua Sponte Leader

SUA SPONTE LEADER (Q4.1)

A Man Who Has Been Freed To Lead Make clear the Mission Sua Sponte is Latin for “of his own accord”. In the law, a judge acts sua sponte when

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.2-Schooling

SCHOOLING (Q4.2)

The Phase Of An LDP During Which Formal Leadership Training Is Provided The principles of Leadership are both universal and timeless Schooling is the first phase of the the LDP.

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.3-Apprenticeship

APPRENTICESHIP (Q4.3)

The Phase Of The LDP Within Which Positive Habit Transfer Takes Place An apprentice first watches, then helps and finally does The idea of Apprenticeship seems quaint and dated now,

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.4-Opportunity

OPPORTUNITY (Q4.4)

A Position Within A Group That Provides The Holder With Leadership Experience As Part Of An LDP When choosing Leaders, experience matters Opportunity is the third phase of the LDP.

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.5-Failure

FAILURE (Q4.5)

An Undesirable Outcome That Builds The Leadership Foundation Failure is the crucible of the Leadership Development Process From Schooling, a man obtains the head-knowledge of what a Leader is supposed

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.6-Team Development

TEAM DEVELOPMENT (Q4.6)

The Formation And Deployment Of A Dynamic Team Dynamic Teams are essential to both Communities and Organizations A Community exists solely to respond to the human need of its Members

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.7-Equipping

EQUIPPING (Q4.7)

Matching A Team’s Members To Its Mission Teamwork is a cocktail of concerted effort Teamwork is combined action that is efficient and potent. It requires proficient performance by each Member

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F3 Qsource Q4.8-Accountability (Team)

ACCOUNTABILITY.TEAM (Q4.8)

Setting And Maintaining High Standards Within The Team A Team needs collective Accountability just as a HIM needs individual Accountability In the Live Right we described how important individual Accountability

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.9-Missionality (Team)

MISSIONALITY.TEAM (Q4.9)

Prioritizing Team Mission Accomplishment Teamwork begins and ends with Mission A HIM, because he is a Virtuous Leader, forms and deploys his Team to perform a specific Mission for the

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F3 Nation QSource Q4.10-Lizard Building

LIZARD BUILDING (Q4.10)

The Building Of Effective Organizations Effective Organizations are built through relationships, not rules An Organization is a Group of two or more people that voluntarily combine for the accomplishment of

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