This series of articles seeks to examine the character attributes of highly successful leaders, regardless of their adherence to a strong faith or moral standard. In presenting these thoughts, Leadership Ministries is not agreeing with or advocating these traits or practices, but rather presents these as ideas for discussion and development in your own leadership journey.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts.[1] His theories relied heavily on observations versus experiments. He is one of the most important figures in Western philosophy. His writings include many practical principles that have survived the centuries and are still lived out by leaders today.

As with many ancient people of note, details of Aristotle’s life are speculative. His father was the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedon, and Aristotle learned biology and medicine from him. Both of his parents died when he was a teenager. As a young adult, he continued his education under Plato. He was later appointed to the Royal Academy of Macedon, where he educated royalty, including future kings. In 335 BC he established his own school, and for the next 10-12 years composed most of his well-known works. He died just a year later in 322 BC of natural causes.

Encourage curiosity. In his work Metaphysics, Aristotle wrote that “philosophy begins in wonder”. He understood that one must recognize their own ignorance, and explore those things with a sense that we don’t know everything completely. The religious leaders of his time often settled on doctrines that dealt in what was already known, and thus were not to be questioned. Instead, Aristotle pressed his students to ask questions and be curious about all matters of life and philosophy.[2] He wrote, “All men by nature desire to know.”

Do something meaningful. Aristotle connected actions to philosophy. He wrote, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. Men become builders by building and lyre players by playing the lyre; so too we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”[3] Many leaders avoid action so they also avoid criticism. Indeed he taught that ignoring conflict around us and indifference on important issues, was to be avoided. Of this he wrote, “Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.”

If you don't have the courage to oppose bad behavior and if you ignore the good works of people, you're not leading. Aristotle taught that we cannot please everyone, and it is more important to do something of merit, than to try to please all parties. If you are without criticism, you are probably also without meaning. As Aristotle wrote, “To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”[4]

Great leaders are great followers. Aristotle was perhaps the most practical of ancient philosophers, and wrote on leadership. He believed that to be an effective leader, one must first learn to be a good follower. Today we might state this as the philosophy of “servant leadership.” The idea is to take a keen interest in those we lead, their concerns, challenges and progress, so that we are equipped to help them along a successful path in life and work. Aristotle wrote, “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”

What we have today of Aristotle’s works aren’t the originals, but likely could be considered “lecture notes”. There is evidence he likely composed more than 200 works, though just 31 survive. The “Organon” is a set of writings for use in philosophic or scientific investigation. He also wrote on animals, cosmology, physics and metaphysics. His most often quoted works today are from his writings on ethics and politics. Centuries after his death, Andronicus of Rhodes assembled and edited what remained of Aristotle’s writings, around 30 BC. These became the basis for all later editions, including those we possess today.[5]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle

[2] https://www.askphilosophers.org/question/1110

[3] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aristotle-leadership-development-sean-kennedy/

[4] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aristotle-8-top-leadership-traits-today-cory-galbraith/

[5] https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/aristotle

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