Mortals And Empires - Timeless Leadership Lessons From History
"?????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ????."
~?Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
. . .
Generally, for executives and leaders in corporate and entrepreneurial business environments, knowledge and education in the classics of ancient myths, history, and philosophy have always proven to be beneficial.
And specifically, in moments of delusions of personal grandeur, self-awareness is the hallmark of exemplary displayed and executed self-leadership!
MEMENTO MORI
For example, "Memento mori" is a Latin phrase that means "remember that you will die/remember you are mortal", and it was intended to remind emperors, empresses, kings, queens, rulers and leaders of their own mortality and the brevity and fragility of human life.
In the Roman Empire, there was even a person whose only job was to hold the laurel wreath over the head of a returning victorious celebrated leader when entering Rome.
Also, from time to time, whisper "Memento Mori" simultaneously into their ear while the people along the streets were cheering and clapping!
The sole intention of this "whisper" was to prevent those celebrated leaders from losing their sense of proportion in the excesses of the celebrations by reminding them of their mortality.
In other words, to keep them and their applauded, cherished, overinflated and victory-drunk egos in check!
FATE OF EMPIRES
Another example of the benefits of knowledge and education in the above-mentioned areas of classics is the prevalent (over)use of the word "empire" in today's entrepreneurial and corporate business environments.
Mainly when people tend to describe the expansion and growth plans of their businesses, companies or organisations!
Evidently, two historically proven facts about all empires are directly connected to the meaning of the Latin imperium/inperium - (command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, an empire).
? Every empire was built by aggressive expansion and oppression.
? Every empire was doomed to crumble, fall and disappear.
And there are no documented exceptions!
领英推荐
Instead and frequently over-displayed in today's language, those lessons humanity learnt the hard way over centuries seem to slip the minds of far many executives and leaders in corporate and entrepreneurial business environments too often too quickly.
It turns out that we cannot or don't want to learn from our past!
Indeed, a classical case of history repeating, and there are many words put into the wrong context due to Zeitgeist.
Or even worse, because of a lack of knowledge, education or simply ignorance!
So if anyone in a position of leadership or authority is declaring the building of an empire, even when it's a proclaimed "heart-based" one - which turns out to be a paradox in itself - then maybe instead of taking on buzzwords, they should look into the root and meaning of them first.
LEADERSHIP LESSONS AND RESPONSIBILITY
Of course, being put on a figurative and literal pedestal while being crowned with a laurel, getting another award or accolade and being applauded by a devoted circle of followers is much more comfortable.
A truly transferrable statement as a metaphor for today's culture of corporate and entrepreneurial business environments and the (over)use of social media!
"Human, All too human" [1], as 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche titled his book in 1878 and went into more specific context in its content.
But particularly executives, self-made kings, enigmatic empresses or ambitious leaders should be aware that they are indeed mortal - "Memento Mori" and every empire is eventually doomed to fall.
Undeniable, proven, and yes, dead certain!
On the other hand, history has shown over and over again that those leaders who were least driven by ego, who stood apart from the crowd and without any need for external validation, were the long-lasting and successful ones.
And sometimes, modern-day executives and leaders may need this reminder, as they often fail to see the whole picture that spans generations, centuries, millennia and all recorded time!
. . .
[1] Human, All Too Human
. . .