This article analyzes in detail the virtue of practical wisdom as described by Thomas Aquinas, and on this basis it develops a comprehensive framework to enrich Authentic Leadership theory, establishing the virtue of practical wisdom as foundational for the authentic leader’s behavior and character development, and highlighting shortfalls that may stem from vices opposed to it. The goal of the article is twofold: First, it seeks to fill a void on the role of virtues –and in particular practical wisdom– in leadership studies; second, it aims to show how cultivating the virtue of practical wisdom as described by Aquinas promotes the development of exactly those traits that are characteristic of an authentic leader, offering a set of propositions delineating these correlations.