Has Leadership Changed in the Last 2000 Years?

Has Leadership changed in the last 2000 years? You read that right! Has Leadership changed in the last 2 millennia? A lot has changed in the world over the last 2000 years but has Leadership changed? Has the ‘core’ or ‘fundamentals’ of Leadership changed? First, why this question? Well, recently, I read a book titled “How to be a Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership” written by Plutarch, who lived during the first and second century CE. Jeffrey Beneker selected key writings (3 essays) from Plutarch and put together this small book on Leadership. Beneker translated the original text from Greek to English and provided an introduction/commentary to each of the essays.?

Plutarch was an ancient biographer and essayist. In is magnum opus, titled “Plutarch Lives”, he wrote about famous people from Greece and Rome including Emperors, Generals, Senators, and Politicians. He wrote about people like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Pericles, Mark Antony, Cicero, among many others. This massive work originally consisted of close to 50 biographies of famous men, arranged into pairs (one Greek and one Roman). What has survived are 23 paired biographies, comparing one Greek and one Roman and 4 unpaired biographies. With these biographies, Plutarch’s goal was a little bit different than to write about the lives of these men or just provide a historical account. Instead, Plutarch’s goal was to focus on moral virtues and vices of these great men. Apart from this, Plutarch also wrote about 60 or so essays on the topic of morality, which have been grouped together with the title “Moralia” or “Moral Essay”.?

Suffice to say, Plutarch studied and wrote about some of the world’s prominent ‘Leaders’. With this body of work, he also distilled what he learned about wise leadership into some of his essays. This essentially is what Beneker focused on when he put this book together. The goal is to take key lessons from Plutarch’s writings and distill it into a small book with essential lessons for anyone aspiring to be a Leader.?

The 3 essays of Plutarch that Beneker used as a basis for this book are: 1) To an Uneducated Leader 2) How to Be a Good Leader and 3) Should an Old Man Engage in Politics? Through these 3 essays, Plutarch explains how to be a great leader.

What makes a great leader? How much should leaders care about their reputation? Should they do what’s right or do what’s popular? What qualities or characteristics does a person need to become a great leader? Are mentors important for young leaders? Should experienced leaders step-aside and make room for young and upcoming leaders? These are some of the questions Plutarch answered through the 3 essays that Beneker selected for this book.?

But is this book still applicable today? Plutarch wrote about these men thousands of years ago. So much has changed. The world is not what it used to be then. People are not what they used to be. Life is not what it used to be. Is this book still relevant? Is Plutarch’s thoughts on what makes a great leader relevant for today? More importantly, does any of this apply to the business world??

After reading the book, I strongly believe the answer to all of these questions is a resounding ‘yes’. I believe that the ‘core’ of ‘fundamentals’ of what it means to be great leader hasn’t changed at all in the last 2000 years. I think what Plutarch wrote about not only applies today and applies to the business world, but they are also more important now than ever before.?

We are dealing with what’s called the “Great Resignation” or the “Big Quit”, which according to Wikipedia is the ongoing trend of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs from early 2021. Millions of workers are quitting their jobs. According to NPR, Anthony Klotz coined this ongoing phenomenon as the “Great Resignation”. Klotz is an organizational psychologist at Texas A&M University. In one episode of NPR’s Consider THIS podcast, the topic was “The Great Resignation: Why People Are Leaving Their Jobs in Growing Numbers”, Klotz says the pandemic has made workers reevaluate what they are actually getting out of their jobs. He said: "During the pandemic, because there was a lot of death and illness and lockdowns, we really had the time and the motivation to sit back and say, do I like the trajectory of my life? Am I pursuing a life that brings me well-being?"i??Scholars say that the balance of power has shifted from the employers to the employees.?

OK, what does this have to do with leadership? According to research, a lot. According to Gallup, leadership from Managers is central to having an engaged workplace. “Amid changes in workplaces and the economy, building an engaging workplace with great managers remains centrally important. During tough times, it predicts the resiliency of the workforce. During recovery times, with lower unemployment, it predicts the retention of star employees. During all times, engaging workplaces with great managers build organizational reputation and employment brand.”

According to Gallup, only 36% of U.S. employees are engaged in their work and workplace. When you look globally, that number drops to 20%. The percentage of actively disengaged employees is at 15%, which is higher than it was in 2020. According to Gallup, actively disengaged employees “report miserable work experiences and are generally poorly managed.”

Again, Gallup considers leadership from Managers an important element in addressing employee engagement (or lack thereof) in organizations. According to Gallup, “Only managers are in a position to understand the unique situation of each person, how and where they work best, and their contribution to their team and organization.”

Thomas Friedman (Pulitzer Prize winning author) wrote an article in New York Times titled “We Need Great Leadership Now, and Here’s What It Looks Like”ii??. In this article, he highlights that: “These times are testing leaders from the schoolhouse to the White House, from city halls to corporate suites.”

Friedman points out that leadership matters exponentially more in a time of crisis, like we are in now. Here what he says: “In a time of crisis, like we are in now, with people feeling frightened and uncertain, leadership doesn’t just matter more. It matters exponentially more.”

According to leadership stats gathered by GoRemotelyiii, 70% of employees in the US are unhappy in their jobs due to negative management, one in five employees is at risk of burnout due to low employee and leadership engagement, only 2.6% of management are highly engaged. Only about 10% of C-level Executives are natural leaders who guide staff by example, and according to employee turnover statistics, 8 in 10 employees quit if they don’t receive valuable appreciation from their leaders.?

As we can see, leadership is extremely important now. Great leaders inspire others to achieve desired business outcomes. Leading by example, leaders set the tone for the company culture. People feel energized, motivated, and engaged, if the right leaders are doing the right things and for the right reasons. Great leaders also inspire others to become leaders themselves. But what can we learn from Plutarch about leadership? What from 2 millennia ago is still applicable? What are these ‘core’ or ‘fundamentals’ of leadership that hasn’t changed in the last 2000 years??

Plutarch wrote at the height of the Roman empire. Beneker’s selection from Plutarch’s writings provide some timeless and simple advice on leadership. While Plutarch primarily focused on the political area, the core concepts and lessons from his text are applicable to any form of leadership and to any domain.?

Here’s a quick summary of the key tenets of leadership, according to Plutarch:

• Great Leaders want to lead for the right reasons.?
• Great Leaders have a strong moral foundation.?
• Great Leader understand the importance of persuasion.?
• Great Leaders understand the importance of learning from experienced leaders (mentors).

One of the first things Plutarch highlights is that those aspiring to be leaders need to do it for the right reasons. He mentions that Leaders should have the best intentions. He highlights the difference between those that want to Lead vs. those that want to dictate. The key is the ‘why’ behind the leader’s intent. The goal should be to serve others and not do it for praise or to receive acclaim. Plutarch uses Cato the Elder as an example. Cato the Elder was a Roman Solider, Senator, and Historian. At the time when Rome was already filled with statues, Cato would not allow one to be made of himself. When people offered to build him a statue, Cato said: “I would prefer to have people asking why there is no statue of me rather than asking why there is one.”?

The intent behind the desire to lead is very important. Almost 15 years back, I was working on a project as a Management Consultant. One of my team members was vocally displeased with her job. One day I asked her if she doesn’t like her current role, what role would she prefer. Her response was that she wanted to be in a Leadership role. She wanted to be a Project Manager. I asked her why and her response was that she has spent a lot of time in her career ‘taking’ orders from others. Now she wants to ‘give’ orders to others. I was taken aback. That was 2 weeks into that project, and I didn’t know the team members that well. I didn’t know the Project Manager. I started wondering if it was my colleague’s perception of what a leader does or if the leaders she worked with in the past acted that way; and if that is what this Project Manager did. Unfortunately, how my colleague thought about ‘leadership’ and why she wanted to be a ‘leader’ are exactly why some people want to get into leadership. What’s worse, that’s how some people currently in leadership positions act. Instead of leading, they dictate. Instead of doing the right things for the right reasons, they do what will bring them praise or what they perceive leaders should do.?

This is where the next tenet that Plutarch outlines comes in. The need for leaders to have strong moral foundation. In the first essay titled “To an Uneducated Leader”, Plutarch’s primary point is that moral philosophy is a foundation for great leaders. He talks about the importance of leader’s moral state and development. He points out that leader’s actions and decisions should be based on reason. According to Plutarch, if leader’s actions are not based on reason, then they are likely based on emotions and impulses. Plutarch also talks about the importance for leaders to achieve self-mastery. For Leaders to motivate others, they should be role-models. Here’s what he says:

“Those who govern must first achieve governance of themselves, straighten out their souls, and set their character aright, and then they should assimilate their subjects to themselves. For the one who is tripping over cannot straighten up someone else, nor can the ignorant person teach, the disorderly establish order, the disorganized organize, the ungoverned govern.”

Friedman, the author of the New York Times articles I referenced above, wrote about a conversation he had with Dov Seidman about what great leaders have in common. Seidman is Friedman’s teacher and friend. He is also the founder and chairman of both the ethics and compliance company LRN and the How Institute of Society, which promotes values-based leadership. Here’s one of the very first things Seidman mentioned:

Great leaders trust people with the truth. And they make hard decisions guided by values and principles, not just politics, popularity or short-term profits.

Doesn’t that sound very much like what Plutarch said 2000 years ago? The need to do things for the right reasons, based on values and principles (morals and reason) and not for popularity or to receive acclaim. Plutarch also talks about how it is impossible for vices to go unnoticed when people hold positions of power. He mentions how if fortune elevates someone without the right intent and the right moral foundation to a position of power, it shows their vices and potential downfall. When someone is elevated to a position of power, that is when you know what their true intentions are, and it is impossible not to see someone for who they are when they are, when they are in a position of power. Here’s what he says:

When jars are empty you cannot distinguish between those that are intact and those that are damaged, but once you fill them, then the leaks appear. Just so, cracked souls cannot political power, but they leak with desire, anger, boasting, and vulgarity.

The next tenet of leadership that Plutarch talks about is the importance of persuasion. He talks about the power of speech and the need to be eloquent when speaking to persuade listeners. While he was concerned primarily with the political arena, we can all see the why public image, knowing your audience, and speaking eloquently to persuade audience are important to leaders of any domain. While morals and virtues are important, Plutarch points out that leaders should not neglect the grace and power of speech by placing all their emphasis on virtues. They should also use rhetoric and effective speaking to use persuasion as a collaborator. He mentions that contrary to what Menander (a Greek Dramatist) thought, what persuades people is not just the leader’s character. While character is extremely important, Plutarch points out that both the character and the ability to speak & persuade are important for leaders. According to Plutarch, the ability to communicate and persuade effectively crucial skills for leaders to be successful.

In the Harvard Business Review article titled “The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years”iv??by Carmine Gallo (Author and Harvard University Instructor), the author highlights how more than 2,000 years ago Aristotle outlined a formula on how to master the art of persuasion in his work Rhetoric, and how that is still relevant today. He points out that many great communicators have used it throughout the ages to deliver some of the most influential speeches, presentations, and share their ideas with the world. For e.g., Warren Buffet uses the formulas Aristotle outlined to “enliven” his annual letters, according to Gallo. The author points out that ideas are the currency of the 21st century. The ability to persuade, to change hearts and minds, he says, is perhaps the single greatest skill that will give you a competitive edge in the knowledge economy. And according to Gallo, knowledge economy is an age where ideas matter more than ever. He considers persuasion as a fundamental skill. Here’s what he says:

Persuasion is no longer a “soft skill”— it is a fundamental skill that can help you attract investors, sell products, build brands, inspire teams, and trigger movements.

By the way, what is the formula that Aristotle outlined on how to master the art of persuasion more than 2000 years ago? Here they are: 1) Ethos or “Character” 2) Logos or “Reason” 3) Pathos “Emotion” 4) Metaphor and 5) Brevity.?

In another Harvard Business Review Article titled “Good Leadership is About Communicating Why”v??by Nancy Duarte (Author, Communication & Persuasion Expert), she talks about how clear communication is more important and more difficult during an ongoing crisis than during normal times. She points out that employees and customers are hungry for information. She also points the importance of careful planning vs. just pulling together presentations and communicating with urgency. Unless we address the core questions of what, how, and why, she points out, that we’ll sow more confusion than we bring clarity. According to Duarte, many times, the ‘what’ and ‘how’ are addressed but rarely the question of ‘why’. Duarte explains that answering the ‘why’ is one of the most important things a leaders should do. She uses an example of a boss coming to an employee and asking them to take on additional project on top of their current workload. She points out that in this situation, more than the “what” and “how”, the most important question on the employee’s mind is the “why”.?

Why do people crave the “why” more than the “what” and “how”? Duarte says: “because you’re not going to try something new or hard unless you’re motivated to do so.”

Plutarch and Aristotle, more than 2000 years ago, strongly felt that the art of persuasion was important for leaders. Based on research today, that hasn’t changed at all. If anything, it has become even more important.?

Plutarch then talks about the next tenet of leadership, which is the importance of learning from experienced leaders. According to Plutarch, older people, those with a wealth of experience, have much to offer the younger generation. He points out that those with experience not only can share lessons from their experience, but they can also be role-models; specifically, as to how not to give into passions, which Plutarch argues that younger generation are prone to do. Plutarch argues that those who have a wealth of experience are more reasonable in their judgments whereas young people tend to be impulsive.?

According to Plutarch, he sees those with experience, playing the role of Mentors. He sees Mentors teaching young and upcoming leaders how to think, behave, and act. Plutarch talks about how Mentors can provide feedback without creating hostility. When feedback is received with hostility, the essence of feedback is lost, and change is very difficult. Plutarch points out that while it is important to have Mentors, it is more important to have the right Mentors. He mentions that those seeing to find Mentors should not select as a guide someone who is merely highly esteemed and powerful. Rather, they must select someone who has become esteemed and powerful on account of their virtue. He uses an analogy to drive home the point. He says that not every tree is willing to accept and support the vine that wraps itself around its branches, but some actually choke and destroy the vine’s growth.

Plutarch cautions that while an aspiring young leader may have learned the ropes from his/her Mentor, careful attention must be paid so glory is not snatched away from mentors. Plutarch says that “we must instead receive glory from them, together with their goodwill and friendship, since, as Plato says, people cannot be good leaders unless they have first been good servants.”?

The importance of mentorship is well known and documented. Here’s some statistics on various studies?on Mentorship: 71% of Fortune 500 organizations have a formal mentoring program, 94% of employees say they would stay longer at a company if they were offered opportunities to learn and grow, 9 in 10 workers who have a career mentor say they are happy in their jobs, 67% of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring, 89% of mentees go on to mentor someone themselves and contribute to a culture of learning. But here’s the thing. Even though 97% of those with mentors consider them valuable, about 85% of employees currently do not have a Mentor.?

Mentoring matters outside of work as well. According to mentoring.org, young adults with Mentors are: 55% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school, 78% more likely to volunteer regularly, 90% are interested in becoming a mentor, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.?

So, there is no doubt that mentoring is important. Research clearly shows the benefits of having a mentor at work and outside work. We all need help from others. It is important to not be hesitant to reach out to others and ask for that help. As the famous Zen saying goes:

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.

Now that we know what Plutarch considered as core tenets of leadership, the question remains. Do leadership principles from 2000 years ago still matter? Does the actions of key leaders that Plutarch talked about important? Is history important? As Cicero said: “to remain ignorant of history is to remain forever a child”. Or, as Theodore Roosevelt said: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”?

Again, Plutarch wrote at the height of the Roman Empire but his advice on what makes a great leader remains as relevant as ever. Scholars call the principles that Plutarch outlined on what means to be a great leader as “timeless” wisdom. Having a strong moral foundation, working to be a virtuous person, understanding the importance of communication & persuasion, and learning from mentors, all qualities we need to embody as Leaders, whether it is at work, at home or out in the community at large. It is important to understand that we are all Leaders, whether we have formal titles or not. We all have leadership responsibilities.?

While a lot in the world has changed, the ‘core’ or ‘fundamentals’ of leadership hasn’t changed in the last 2000 years.?

I’ll end with this quote from Plutarch:

Leaders must be more afraid of inflicting harm than of suffering harm themselves. This is what causes them to be revered. This is the benevolent and noble sort of fear that leaders possess: to be afraid on behalf of those they govern, and so to remain vigilant and keep their constituents from harm, they act not in their own interests but on behalf of those they are protecting.

We can use guidance from Plutarch to be the leaders we can and need to be.

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ihttps://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048332481/the-great-resignation-why-people-are-leaving-their-jobs-in-growing-numbers

iihttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/opinion/covid-dov-seidman.html

iiihttps://goremotely.net/blog/leadership-statistics/

ivhttps://hbr.org/2019/07/the-art-of-persuasion-hasnt-changed-in-2000-years

vhttps://hbr.org/2020/05/good-leadership-is-about-communicating-why

vihttps://halorecognition.com/10-compelling-facts-about-national-mentoring-month/