I was born Catholic and remain steadfast in trying get better at it every day. I recognize that the church is a flawed institution. It has to be. It's run by humans
So I consider other ways too
As a result of a naggingly fierce intellectual curiosity,I've spent my whole life investigating new ways of looking at things
Stoicism is one of those things
For context, stoicism is essentially the pursuit of a virtuous life. And a virtuous life is one filled with "goodness"
Pretty ambiguous I know. I think that is ironically part of the attraction for me
I can't recall when I first bumped into stoicism, but it keeps coming back into my life with a frequency that makes me believe it belongs
Another lifelong interest has been leadership. I was the captain of most of my sports teams. I ran my own company for most of my professional life
I was recently selected foreman of a jury overseeing a double homicide trial and we put a horrible young man in prison for life
I am attracted to leadership
.
In my opinion we need more and we need better
So when I was recently asked by a client if I offered leadership training, I said yes
As I put my energy into preparing a curriculum from 60 years of experience and Google, it started to become clear to me that stoicism is riddled with leadership concepts
I'm sure that there are more than 10, but I like 10 so 10 it is
10 things great leaders can borrow from stoicism
- Focus on what you can controlI have found that in my life almost everything is beyond my control. Recognizing this has made my life easier and happier. Exercising my influence on the few things I can control makes me feel responsible. Not worrying about things over which I have no control makes it easier for me to manage stress and get things done. Controlling my reaction to things is a superpower and mine to sabotage
- Learning is a lifelong journeyI'll never be done learning. The great leaders I know are always learning. Learning keeps you fresh and interesting. I have always marveled at people who can speak effectively about a myriad of different topics
- Self-accountabilityIn our Imperfect Mens Club Podcast
, Jim and I talk about the self in the context of our life experiences. We contend that everything starts with the self and radiates out from there into the world. Being personally responsible for their actions is what great leaders do. No blame. No victimhood
- Failure is fuel for developing wisdomWisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from failure. Great leadership requires courage. The courage to risk failure.
- Integrity when no-one else is lookingMy kids ask me all the time, "daddy, how do you know who's telling the truth". Of course I tell them to do the research and see what both sides of the argument are. But one of my favorite sayings is, "listen to what people say and then. watch what they do. When those two things are the same, you have integrity". Great leaders do what they say consistently
- Mindfulness is paying attention with intentionI've heard more than one person say that when they spoke with Bill Clinton, he made them feel like they were the only person in the room. Listening with intent
is the ultimate compliment you can give someone. Be mindful when you talk with your people
- Forgiveness for others and one’s selfForgiveness doesn't just apply to others. Certainly people deserve second chances (most of the time). In order to learn and move forward you also have to forgive yourself. Analyze the "why's" and move on
- Discipline comes incrementally with consistencyMost of the significant progress and success I've had has come very slowly over time. Building a culture of disciple includes showing up every day and making small but important progress. Patience is key because you won't notice progress for a while with anything important
- Courage is not the absence of fearFear is at the edge of success. I've heard from many successful friends that they were almost ready to quit when they crossed a threshold. Chances are, if you're scared, you're close
- Empathy is treating people how they want to be treated
People say that you should treat people the way you want to be treated and I think that's wise. But putting yourself in their shoes and treating them the way THEY want to be treated is what real leaders do
The world needs more real leaders. If you aspire to be a leader or you are a leader and want to get better, run your current style through these 10 lenses and see what happens
I'd love to hear your thoughts about leadership
What additional leadership ideas would you share?
#leadershipdevelopment #stoicism #empathy #leadership
