우암이 주장하는 가장 중요한 지도자 덕목은 국가의 인륜 도덕을 확립하고 어려운 난관 속에서도 이를 실천하기 위해 조정과 왕실과 백성을 이끌어 갈 수 있는 능력이다. 우암이 특히 강조한 지도자의 덕목은 삼전도의 치욕을 당한 비상시기에 처하여 仁義禮智라는 개인의 덕성 차원을 넘어 尊君父라는 人倫을 지키는 춘추대의를 중시했다. 우암은 지도자란 지속적으로 인륜을 지키고 행한다는 일관된 신념을 바탕으로 조정의 기강 수립, 민심 안정, 공론 통일 등을 중요한 임무로 삼아야 한다고 주장했다.
따라서 선비는 자기 임의로 그때 그때의 의리와 행동의 방침을 정하는 것이 아니라 성현이 가르친 학식을 바탕으로 하여 선현의 식견으로 자기가 처한 시대 상황에 따라 개인과 국가나 나아갈 길을 행하여야 한다고 보았다. 그러므로 지도자는 그가 지녀야 할 덕목을 기르기 위해 誠心으로 학문을 해야 한다. 우암은 지도자란 天理/人慾, 正/邪, 是/非를 가르는 명백한 가치관에 입각하여 君子/小人, 中華/夷狄, 正學/異端을 결단하는 단호한 경지에 도달해야 한다고 보았다. 우암이 효종에게 당 시대를 해결해 가는 제일의 방도는 임금이 正心 誠意하여 자신의 私心을 없애고 公道를 바로 세우는 데에 있다는 것으로 요약할 수 있다.
우암이 요구한 지도자의 덕목과 책무는 오로지 주자와 한국 도학자들의 학문과 사업의 전통을 계승한 것이며, 우암 이후로도 지속적으로 도학 선비들은 이를 계승하고자 노력한 것이었다. 우암은 정치 지도자가 철저히 尊王攘夷의 大義를 우선시하여 政事에 임하기를 촉구했다. 이에‘尊王賤覇’의 춘추정신과 이에 입각한 ‘尊君父’의 윤리사상은 가장 큰 덕목이다. 이를 위해 우암이 자임하고자 한 世道는 ‘明天理․正人心․闢異端․扶正學’이었다. 우암에게 있어 지도자의 덕목이란 이러한 세도를 시행해 나가기 위한 학문과 사업을 행하는 총체적인 자질과 능력을 의미한다.
U-am(尤庵) Song Si-yeol(宋時烈; 1607~1689) summarized the virtues of leadership as the abilities of cultivation and living "Learning of the Way". He clearly distinguished between ‘justice'/‘injustice', or, ‘right'/‘wrong’, ‘the dignified man’(大人)/‘the undignified man’(小人), ‘the rule of right’(王道)/‘the rule of might’(覇道) and culture/uncivilization. A leader was able to remove injustices or wrongs. It was significant to leader’s work, the pursuit of ‘right' and the removal of ‘wrong'. This resulted in a clear distinction between The seventeenth century, due to the invasion of Ching(淸), was a perilous period for the Chosoen Dynasty. U-am recognised this as the catalyst which changed a once civilized community into a dispirited civilization. A collapse of spirit, a collapse of man. He thought leader’s mission was to regain these virtues of humanity and justice. That is, he thought to "light the heavenly reason and to align the human mind"(明天理 正人心). More concretely he wished to "stop the heretical study and repulse uncivilization".(闢異端 扶正學) U-am possessed an uncomprimising will guiding him to stabilize the country by rejecting uncivilization. Above all, he insisted, the King of Chosoen should rule not as an autocrat but with ‘heavenly reason'(天理) while presenting himself as a model of behaviour and action. He also insisted the King should control his selfish desires and strive to recover civilization and destroy uncivilzation. Therefore the best virtue of leader was ‘respecting the rule of right(尊王道) and treating the rule of might(賤覇道) as a dirt’ and ‘respecting King and Father’(尊君父). For these, U-am emphasized ‘clarifing the heavenly reason and aligning the human mind’(明天理 正人心), ‘preventing heresy’(闢異端), ‘protecting right studies’(扶正學) U-am tried to "stop the heresy and repulse uncivilization"(闢異端 攘夷狄) and present this ideology as ‘the Right way of Human Society(世道)’.
U-am(尤庵) Song Si-yeol(宋時烈; 1607~1689) summarized the virtues of leadership as the abilities of cultivation and living "Learning of the Way". He clearly distinguished between ‘justice'/‘injustice', or, ‘right'/‘wrong’, ‘the dignified man’(大人)/‘the undignified man’(小人), ‘the rule of right’(王道)/‘the rule of might’(覇道) and culture/uncivilization. A leader was able to remove injustices or wrongs. It was significant to leader’s work, the pursuit of ‘right' and the removal of ‘wrong'. This resulted in a clear distinction between The seventeenth century, due to the invasion of Ching(淸), was a perilous period for the Chosoen Dynasty. U-am recognised this as the catalyst which changed a once civilized community into a dispirited civilization. A collapse of spirit, a collapse of man. He thought leader’s mission was to regain these virtues of humanity and justice. That is, he thought to "light the heavenly reason and to align the human mind"(明天理 正人心). More concretely he wished to "stop the heretical study and repulse uncivilization".(闢異端 扶正學) U-am possessed an uncomprimising will guiding him to stabilize the country by rejecting uncivilization. Above all, he insisted, the King of Chosoen should rule not as an autocrat but with ‘heavenly reason'(天理) while presenting himself as a model of behaviour and action. He also insisted the King should control his selfish desires and strive to recover civilization and destroy uncivilzation. Therefore the best virtue of leader was ‘respecting the rule of right(尊王道) and treating the rule of might(賤覇道) as a dirt’ and ‘respecting King and Father’(尊君父). For these, U-am emphasized ‘clarifing the heavenly reason and aligning the human mind’(明天理 正人心), ‘preventing heresy’(闢異端), ‘protecting right studies’(扶正學) U-am tried to "stop the heresy and repulse uncivilization"(闢異端 攘夷狄) and present this ideology as ‘the Right way of Human Society(世道)’.
