Home / Topics / Stoicism for Leadership
Stoicism for Leadership
Stoic leaders lead themselves first. Authority is a trust, not a trophy; the person who cannot govern their own impulses will govern others badly. The best leaders are the ones least rattled when things go wrong.
Stoic ideas for this
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good person should be. Be one.”
Marcus Aurelius · Meditations
“Do not be ashamed to need help. Like a soldier storming a wall, you need your comrades.”
Marcus Aurelius · Meditations
“What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee.”
Marcus Aurelius · Meditations
“All things are interwoven with one another; a sacred bond unites them; there is scarcely one thing that is isolated from another.”
Marcus Aurelius · Meditations
When you are in a position of authority, remember that the person you were before the office will remain.
Epictetus · Discourses
Treat your inferiors as you would like to be treated by your superiors.
Seneca · Letters from a Stoic
No one has ever lived a good life without helping others to live theirs.
Seneca · Letters from a Stoic
Teach by example, not by words alone; the pupil follows what you do, not what you say.
Musonius Rufus · Lectures
Put it into practice
A Stoic tool is only useful if you actually use it. Try this small loop the next time leadership shows up:
- Name it plainly. Say what is happening without the story you are adding on top of it.
- Split what’s yours from what isn’t. Invest your energy only in the part you can actually choose.
- Do one small thing. A single deliberate action today beats a week of intending to.