Philosophers and Kings

The Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus said, "I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a philosopher, and the philosopher is from the outset a kingly person."  The Greek philosopher Plato believed in a utopia ruled by a philosopher king and wrote in The Republic that "Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide…cities will have no rest from evils…there can be no happiness, either public or private, in any other city."

We are living in a turbulent world.  Let's take a brief look at what confronts today's leaders: The pandemics of COVID-19, racism, and violence, Climate change, Political division and unrest.  The issues that we face as leaders are not going away anytime soon.  The entrepreneur and former Icelandic presidential candidate Halla Tómasdóttir suggests that "Hard times often precede great awakenings. If we choose to meet this moment with courage, humility and collective leadership, hope will overcome fear, hate and violence. It is up to us to confront the crisis of conformity in leadership.  In a recent TED talk ("The crisis of leadership --- and a new way forward"), Tómasdóttir explains this "crisis of conformity" further by saying, "It's a crisis of conformity when we continue to do business the way that we always have, yet the evidence is overwhelming that the world needs us to change our ways."  She goes on to say that leaders must be ten times bolder in the ways that we lead.  We can start by embracing philosophy.

The U.S. Army recently developed a leadership framework of "Be, Know, Do".  "Be" refers to character, "Know" refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities (expertise), and "Do" refers to the application of leadership by influencing, operating, and improving.  The "Be" in this leadership framework encompasses the following key values:

L         Loyalty

D        Duty

R        Respect

S        Selfless Service

H        Honor

I         Integrity

P        Personal Courage

Whenever a leader is faced with a serious challenge, dilemma, or crisis, it's helpful to fall back upon the teachings of some of the philosophers of the past through self-reflection and introspection.  David Brendel refers to the "SANE" mnemonic in his Harvard Business Review article "How philosophy makes you a better leader".  The "SANE" mnemonic draws upon four key questions from the Western philosophers Socrates, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and the Existentialist Sartre:

Socrates: What is the most challenging question someone could ask me about my current approach?

Aristotle: What character virtues are most important to me and how will I express them?

Nietzsche: How will I direct my "will to power", manage my self-interest, and act in accordance with my chosen values?

Existentialists: "How will I take full responsibility for my choices and the outcomes to which they lead?

I am not advocating for one brand of philosophy over another (I have found the Stoic philosophers to be the most useful for me).  My point is that the lessons of philosophy can help us confront the challenges that we face as leaders in this rapidly evolving and turbulent world in which we live.  The concept of the "philosopher king" will help us be "ten times bolder" and overcome the "crisis of conformity", so that we can move forward and change the world.