Leadership Lessons from Around the World: Greece - What's Your Leadership Philosophy?

Standing atop the Acropolis with the Parthenon at my back, the Temple of Nike to my front and the Ancient Agora floating at my feet, I gained a new living appreciation for the contributions of the ancient Greeks. As I stood contemplating how these ruins survived the onslaught of time and war, I realized that it was not the physical remains that made Greece so special, but the power of the intellectual giants who brought new ideas that have endured the test of time.

When we think about the practical application of ancient Greek philosophy to modern day leadership, it can be boiled down to the underlying concepts represented by the original “Big Three” Greek philosophers - Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Below is a summary of each philosopher’s thoughts and accompanying questions for us to reflect on as we determine our own leadership philosophy.

Socrates’ Inquiry

“For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing...” – Socrates (1)?

Socrates was a man who in today’s corporate world would be considered to either have a “learning mindset” or be a “problem employee” (or both). What made him so special was not that he thought he was the smartest person in Athens, but that he did not know anything at all, leading him to probe deeply and challenge society’s underlying assumptions. By asking the tough questions and not being afraid of the consequences, he pushed people to uncover truths for themselves. As a result, his famous Socratic method has unleashed wisdom across the ages. Sadly, his methods and persistence in asking big hairy audacious questions to the Athenian powers did not result in his promotion but to the contrary led to his imprisonment and death.

·????? Are you the leader who refuses to accept the status quo by always asking the tough questions that others are afraid to ask?

·????? Are you the risk taker who doesn’t care about upsetting your investors, board, or C-suite as long as the real questions that need answering get answered?

·????? Are you vulnerable enough to show you don’t have all the answers?

Plato’s Idealism

?“There is a heavenly realm of greater reality consisting in forms, ideals, or ideas.” – Plato (2)

?In Plato’s Republic, he asserts that the material world is simply a reflection of a more abstract, more perfect reality called the “Realm of Forms.” Plato believed that this abstract domain is more real than what we see in our everyday life, and as such we should strive to deepen our understanding of ideals such as beauty, truth, or wisdom. In other words, taking reality for what it is, is only seeing half of the equation – the real power comes in understanding that there is an ideal unseen reality that we should strive more deeply to understand and work towards uncovering it.

·????? Are you the type of leader who strives to connect your team’s day to day work to a larger ideal?

·????? Are you the leader who puts your organization’s values at the forefront when making tough decisions?

·????? Are you the leader who pushes your team to connect to a higher calling beyond project deadlines or bottom-line financial performance?

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Aristotle’s Analytics

“Here and elsewhere, we shall not obtain the best insight into things until we actually see them growing from the beginning.” – Aristotle (3)

The third of these three great Greek philosophers is Aristotle, the father of many philosophical treatises and lines of thoughts. One of these belief systems was built on the power of empirical evidence and logic. Aristotle believed that through observation, data, facts, and logical reasoning, one could reach a deeper understanding of how the world operates, particularly in the realm of science and nature. Largely thought to be the father of the modern-day scientific method, Aristotle put great credence in the power of observation, data, and analytics.

·????? Are you the type of leader who loves solving problems through rigorous analysis of data?

·????? When solving organizational and business problems, do you use the scientific method of developing a hypothesis and testing it through observable data and information?

·????? When pushed to decide, do you prefer relying on logic and facts rather than intuition and gut feel?

I recognize that I have vastly simplified some of the most complex and sophisticated philosophical minds in less than just a few paragraphs and have left out a multitude of other leadership philosophies. However, the underlying essence of these three great minds continues to inform us of our own leadership preferences, which is the key to allow us to be more intentional in how we choose to lead.?

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So, the question for today is simple: What is your leadership philosophy?

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below!

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References

(1)?? Plato, Apology 22d, translated by Harold North Fowler, 1966

(2)?? Republic by Plato

(3)?? In Politics as quoted in James R. Newman, The World of Mathematics (1957), Vol 1. 170