Leadership Lessons from Socrates
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.
Socrates (470-399 BC) was a Greek philosopher credited with founding Western philosophy and the first among moral philosophers and the ethical tradition of thought. He was the son of a stonemason and likely received a simple education and was expected to follow in his father’s trade. Described as short and stubby, with a flat nose and bulging eyes, it was not his physical characteristics but rather his intellect and character that attracted followers. He also served as an Athenian soldier and fought in three military campaigns during the Peloponnesian War.
Socrates did not author any texts, and what is known of him is through accounts of other classical writers including Plato and Xenophon. In his time Socrates was a polarizing leader. In 399 BC he was accused of corrupting youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. He spent his final day in prison and was executed by poison.[1]
Soon after Socrates’ death, several members of his circle preserved and praised his memory by writing works that represent him in his most characteristic activity—conversation. Participants in these adversarial exchanges included people he happened to meet, devoted followers, prominent political figures, and leading thinkers of the day. Many of these “Socratic discourses,” as Aristotle calls them in his Poetics, are no longer available; there are only brief remnants of the conversations written by Antisthenes, Aeschines, Phaedo, and Eucleides. But those composed by Plato and Xenophon survive in their entirety.[2] Some of Socrates’ best practices for life and leadership include:
Know yourself. Socrates was passionate about the human condition, believing that our chief preoccupation was the pursuit of happiness, and that true wisdom came from knowing ourselves. In studying our own strengths and weaknesses, Socrates believed that we would make better choices to bring about prosperity for the greatest number of people. Of leaders, he said, “People should be governed by those with the greatest knowledge, abilities and virtues, and who possessed a deep knowledge of themselves.” His learning style was not to lecture, but rather to ask questions. Later this became known as the Socratic method, a style of debate between individuals based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking. This approach made important leaders of the time uncomfortable.
Know that you don’t know. Socrates is known for proclaiming his total ignorance; he used to say that the only thing he was aware of was his ignorance, seeking to imply that the realization of our ignorance is the first step in philosophizing. As a leading thinker of his time, Socrates placed a great emphasis on continuous learning, encouraging his followers to “employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.” He also advocated that we should live as our ideal self through the means of constant self-improvement and refinement of character.[3]
Stay humble. Despite his self-assurance, Socrates was known as a humble leader. He once declared that if he was the wisest person in Athens, it was only because he was well aware of his own ignorance. In his practical pursuit of truth, he focused less on understanding the external world and more on the study of people’s behaviors, beliefs and inner values. Socrates’ study led to the formal logic and ethics systems that underly the democracies of our modern era. The example of Socrates serves as an inspiration to lead a life of reflection, courage, virtue and understanding, so that we might build societies of peace and enduring prosperity.