3 Leadership Lessons from Greek Philosopher Epictetus

In March of last year as a leader with the growing responsibilities of family,  a new company and community, I found myself committing to do something and then doing what I knew others would view as a good job. However, I was aware of gaps in the result, and these bothered me. I wanted to always know that I had done the best possible work. That I had closed all actions and finished a task as completely as possible. I sought guidance, I spoke with friends and read articles about religion and philosophy. Though they all helped, I still had not found what I needed. Then I came across Courage Under Fire  by James Stockdale. In this short book Stockdale describes how after studying Epictetus at Stanford, he put those learnings to test during seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. Reading this I became more interested in the Stoics and Epictetus's The Enchiridion. You can find it in the Stoic Six Pack. Epictetus was a slave in Rome later freed and after which he began teaching his philosophy. When philosophers were banned from Rome, Epictetus founded a school in Greece. The Enchiridion is the most accessible of Epictetus's writings. I've read most of his work and have tested it out in my own life. As a result of that investigation, I discovered three things that leaders must do to succeed.

#1: Choose the Right Thing

There is something personal about choosing the right thing. What is the right thing for me to do with this moment? I have passion for work, community, relationships (wife, children, parents, co-workers and friends). What is the best thing to do right now? That is not an easy question to answer.

#2: Know What Success Looks Like

In chapter 28 of the Enchiridion there is a discussion on preparation for winning at Olympia;

You must submit to discipline, eat to order, touch no sweets, train under compulsion, at a fixed hour, in heat and cold, drink no cold water, nor wine, except by order; you must hand yourself over completely to your trainer as you would to a physician, and then when the contest comes you must risk getting hacked, and sometimes dislocate your hand, twist your ankle, swallow plenty of sand, sometimes get a flogging, and with all this suffer defeat. When you have considered all this well, then enter on the athlete's course, if you still wish it. 

Before you choose the right thing consider all the above and make sure you know what it takes to succeed. You also must understand that due to many things outside your control you may suffer defeat along the way. Make sure to consider all this prior to committing.

#3: Deliver Flawlessly

Having chosen that this is the right thing to do and determined that you can do it, now it is time to deliver. No excuses. When you have finished the work, there should be a sense that everything possible was completed, there are no gaps and there is pride in the accomplishment. You don't care what others think of the result, because you know it is well-done. Think of a professional actor that has agreed to take a role. This actor knows the process that leads to success, they know to practice the lines, rehearse alone and onstage with others. The actor knows the techniques needed for a great performance. Having prepared fully and delivered on opening night, can the actor control how the audience reacts? No! Do they care? Think about it. Reflect on the times when you know you've done a great job. Did you care what others thought? Epictetus is very clear on this subject.

The Golden Sayings of Epictetus

On a side note I also started reading the Golden Sayings of Epictetus. The only problem with those is that they are organized by number with no subject information, so to choose what to read is difficult since all you have to go by are the numbers. As I read each of the sayings, I created subject references for them which I am sharing at the Subject Index to the Golden Sayings of Epictetus.