_____________________________________________________________________________ Journal of College & Character VOLUME VIII, NO. 1, November 2006 Engaged Vincentian Leadership: The Values and Competencies That Inspire leaders to serve in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul MarcoTavanti, DePaul University 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Abstract What are the values and competencies behind engaged leadership practices? This article presents the competencies and themes emerged from the analysis of in-depth interviews and leadership assessments administrated by DePaul University’s Leadership Project. The emerged profile of engaged Vincentian leaders indicates the importance of balancing mission, service, task and people orientations. _____________________________________________________________________________ n 1617 Madame Gondi who witnessed the poverty and needs of French peasants asked Vincent de Paul: “What must be done? What must I do? What must we do to meet the challenges that we see so clearly before us?” St. Vincent de Paul, considered the founder of organized charity, spent all his life trying to answer those questions. After almost four centuries, these fundamental questions shed light on community engagement, the mission, and the praxis of many individuals and organizations. DePaul University is among these institutions that support countless examples of social engagement and dedicated commitment to service, social justice, empowerment, inclusiveness, and personal attention. This article results from the analysis of values and competencies emerged from 68 in-depth interviews and 883 Vincentian leadership assessments administrated by The William and Mary Pat Gannon Hay – Vincent de Paul Leadership Project between 2003 and 2006. The analysis of the Vincentian leadership practices shows that effective service and quality management go hand in hand. As Vincent would say, “doing good, by doing it well.” Engaged Vincentian leaders demonstrate unique competencies in service entrepreneurship and servant-transformational leadership practices. The competencies and leadership model emerged from this study indicate how engaged leadership practices are best achieved when actions are accompanied by a value-centered education and personalized leadership development process. I At DePaul University, the Vincentian mission and values are much more than a passing nod to a statue of a seventeenth century saint. They are the vivid characters that animate and inspire the programs, services, activities and leadership practices of the DePaul community. As the largest Catholic higher education institution in the United States, DePaul University is a Vincentian founded institution best defined as Congregatio Missionis, “a community gathered together for the sake of the mission” (Udovic, 2003, p. 4). This definition is confirmed by the many examples that DePaul University students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni offer 1 Tavanti, a native of Italy, is Assistant Professor in the Management of Public Services Graduate program at DePaul University and Research Director of the Hay Leadership Project. His field of research includes cross-cultural leadership and leadership ethics. ________________________________________________________