Two Origins, One Identity: Leadership Lessons from a Day in Northern Portugal

My wife Lynn and I were in Portugal earlier this year, and after a full day of exploring Porto, we took a driving tour with Victor, our wonderfully insightful driver from the Forte de Gaia hotel. He insisted we couldn’t understand Portugal – really understand it – without seeing two places that shaped its earliest story: Guimarães and Braga.

What I didn’t expect was how much these two locations would speak to me as a leadership guy. But standing in the original heart of Portugal, then in its spiritual center just an hour later, I found myself reflecting on origins, identity, and the two forces that shape both nations and leaders: what forms us politically and structurally, and what forms us spiritually and internally.

Both matter. And both were on full display that day.

Guimarães: The Political Birthplace

Our first stop was Guimarães, the original capital of Portugal and, as every Portuguese proudly proclaims, “the cradle of the nation.” And honestly, it was breathtaking.

The old castle sits on a rise surrounded by beautifully kept greens, and the tall, Portugal-style sycamore trees were right on the front end of losing their leaves. Their fading greens and pale yellows framed the grounds like something from a painting. Granite buildings – massive blocks of stone that have stood for centuries – lined the streets with a quiet, sturdy presence.

Walking around, you can feel it: this is where the structure began. The laws. The organization. The political identity. The early muscle that held a young nation together.

As leaders, we all have a version of Guimarães in our story: the place (or season) where our competence took shape. Where we learned the systems, built the foundations, made our early decisions, and discovered our professional footing. These moments create structure. They give us a castle to stand on. They teach us how to lead.

But they are not the whole story.

Braga: The Spiritual Heart

From Guimarães, Victor took us on to Braga: Portugal’s spiritual capital. The moment we arrived at the base of the Bom Jesus do Monte, it felt different. Quieter. More reverent. Almost like the air had a memory.

The setting is extraordinary: a cascade of Baroque fountains climbing up the hillside, connected by more than 600 steps and culminating in a majestic Catholic church at the top. The symmetry. The craftsmanship. The symbolism built into every twist of the staircase and every water feature – it felt like walking through layers of meaning.

Braga itself, just down the road, is the historical spiritual center of Portugal. Where Guimarães shouts its claim with fortresses and granite, Braga whispers with cathedrals and courtyards. One built a nation’s structure; the other shaped its soul.

Leaders have a Braga, too. These are the moments, mentors, and experiences that form our conviction and character – the internal compass, not the external framework. The quiet shaping, not the public proclamation.

And that’s where the leadership lesson crystalized for me.

What Portugal Teaches Us About Leadership

The Portugal we know today exists because of two origin stories:
• One political
• One spiritual
• One structural
• One soulful
• One that built an identity
• One that shaped a purpose

Great leaders need both.

And that brings me right back to the Four Leadership Necessities: Conviction, Competence, Character, and Covenant.

Conviction: Your Internal North Star (Braga)

Conviction comes from your “Braga moments” – the spiritual, emotional, and values-driven experiences that clarify why you lead. It’s formed quietly, slowly, and often away from the public eye. Just like Bom Jesus, it’s built step by step.

Competence: Your Structural Foundation (Guimarães)

Competence is your Guimarães – the skills, systems, technical abilities, and execution that make leadership possible. Formed early. Tested often. Strengthened with time. It’s your granite blocks.

Character: The Bridge Between the Two

Character is where the spiritual meets the structural. It’s integrity shaped by conviction, expressed through competence. It’s knowing what is right – and then doing it consistently. You can’t build it without a political capital and a spiritual center. You need both.

Covenant: The Sacred Responsibility of Leadership

Finally, covenant is the relational commitment you make with the people you lead. And like Portugal’s identity, it is strengthened when your foundations (competence) and your soul (conviction and character) are aligned. Covenant leadership says: “I’m responsible for more than myself. I’m responsible for us.”

Most leaders try to lean on one origin story or the other. Technical skill without internal grounding. Passion without structure. But the Portugal we explored that day reminded me: it takes both to build something worth following.

A Question for Leaders

What are your Guimarães and your Braga?
Where were you shaped structurally?
And where were you shaped spiritually, emotionally, ethically?

Great leaders know both parts of their story. Extraordinary leaders align them.

Portugal has done that for nearly 900 years.

Maybe there’s something in that for the rest of us.