Leadership--what I think about the wisdom from the ancients; Part 1
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."
--John Maxwell
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” --Lao Tzu
"Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men -- the other 999 follow women."
--Groucho Marx
So, for the past few weeks in my MBA class I've been learning about various styles and practices of leadership from different sources--guest speakers, Authentic Leadership and other books.
At times it can seem like none of it is the same, and at other points the underlying principles seem identical. I wondered looking over if some of the thoughts by ancient philosophers might affect my thoughts or help to get them in order.
So, below are some of the basic principles, quotes or stories about leadership according to Plato, Aristotle, and their teacher Socrates told in both text and pictures.
Plato
Plato, according to Raphael's famous School of Athens fresco in the Vatican. He described in his famous work The Republic (Politeia) his ideal state--one of greatly prepared and educated leaders who had spent their lives training for that one purpose.
Plato's idea was to have a certain group of people that spent their lives training in various forms of mental and physical education, with only the best moving on to the next round of studies. These would include gymnastics and studying the art of dialectics, astronomy, etc. At the age of 50 they would finally become leaders.
Aristotle
The teacher of Alexander the Great disagreed with Plato on what makes up a leader regarding their education. His basic principles are that formal education does not make a great leader but instead a true desire to make present conditions better.
He also had two ideas that each have merit but also seem contradictory.
The Golden Mean
This principle said that everything should be done in moderation, avoiding extremes. Don't eat a banquet sized dinner but don't go for only bread and water. The middle ground is the golden area that one should strive to stay in. The Golden Mean does not apply to everything but there are many times it can be followed.
The Law of Excluded Middle
*one is not better than the other here, just that it seems at times they will never agree about anything
The opposite of the Golden Mean, stating that something has no possible middle ground--it's one way or the other with a non-existent middle ground.
(Sadly, it doesn't seem the middle earth exists either)
Examples of the need to follow this practice might be how there is no mean for cheating on your taxes (or your spouse)--these are things that just cannot be compromised.
Socrates
Of these ancient philosophers, the ideas and practices of Socrates are the most compelling and relevant ot leadership of today to me.
It started with hearing a quote by Socrates somewhere that I might be paraphrasing a little but it was: A group of donkeys led by a lion will easily defeat a group of lions led by a donkey.
While my first inclination upon hearing such a statement was to qualify it into times when an actual donkey might have better experience with things such as being stubborn or moving items, I got the point and meaning quickly. It seemed to be most easily applied to athletic teams for today. How many times do we hear about that amazing underdog team that gets a great new coach and ends up triumphant? The highly successful teams always get praise heaped on the coaches or team captains.
Another area of Socrates' leadership past I really enjoyed was the story of the pronouncement of the Oracle of Delphi.
The Oracle of Delphi proclaims to a man that there is none in Athens wiser than Socrates. When Socrates hears of this he protests that it cannot be true and sets out on a mission to find one that is wiser. After speaking to many pompous Athenians who believe they possess great knowledge he realizes they do not possess any true wisdom. Thus, Socrates understands that the oracle is correct and he is the wisest of them all because he alone truly knows his own lack of knowledge.
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." --Socrates
Of all the leadership elements of these philosophers, the story of Socrates' journey resonated the most. Despite all the different theories about leadership, all the books, and all the speakers, there's been one common element: the need to know yourself, including your strengths and weaknesses. You cannot be expected to lead a group if you don't understand yourself. Various leaders that have spoken during class have emphasized the need for you to find your own style of leadership that best works with who you are. Constantly be on the lookout for those who have good qualities where your own are poor. Find and hire those who are smarter than you.
So much of leadership foundation seems to come from this story from so long ago. It seems the oracle was right--Socrates was the wisest of them all.
**Pictures came from various sources from Google Images, not meaning to use them for profit just wanted to enhance my discussion