Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. Mike and Mark wrap up their series on Plato’s universal leadership qualities with number 8: Don’t be a bastard. It’s perhaps the foundation of the entire list. Questions or ideas for the podcast? Email Mike and Mark.
Podcast 56: Plato’s 8 Universal Leadership Qualities (Part 7: Enjoying Work)
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. Do you enjoy not just the mental work of your job but the physical? Do you see a purpose the makes it worth pushing through the discomfort? Plato says good leaders answer “yes” to both questions. Questions or ideas for the podcast? Email Mike and Mark.
Ensure you think things through using the “Common Topics”
Signs that your team needs to better think things through: You don’t meet to discuss it and instead decide on your own. You do meet to discuss it but have no disagreement in the room. The meeting is short or feels like checking a box instead of having a discussion. There is little silence during the meeting. There are few …
Podcast 55: Plato’s 8 Universal Leadership Qualities (Part 6: Tenacity)
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. A good leader is tenacious. Socrates said so. (At least, Plato’s Republic said Socrates said so.) Mike and Mark look at another universal leadership quality, one that helps you stick with your efforts to grow. How do you show up tenacious? Listen in to find out. Questions or ideas …
Podcast 54: Plato’s 8 Universal Leadership Qualities (Part 5: Good Memory)
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. Last episode, Mike and Mark explored what it is to be sharp and quick at learning–one of eight characteristics Socrates (in Plato’s Republic) says a leader must have. Now we turn to one of three keys to keeping at your learning: memory. It seems so simple, but it means …
Wrestle to grow
Ripe Fruit The story goes that one of Plato’s students invited him to come teach Dionysios, king of Syracuse. Dionysios was a decadent king, and the student hoped Plato could help the king learn to love wisdom, develop self-discipline and rightly lead his people. Instead, the king exiled Plato’s student, then kept Plato under an informal house arrest. He couldn’t, …
Podcast 51: Plato’s 8 Universal Leadership Qualities (Part 2: Courage)
Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple … or watch below. In Plato’s Republic, Socrates defines eight characteristics a leader must have. Number 2 is courage. Can you stand short-term pain for long-term gain? Are you willing to show your heart? If you don’t see the connection, this episode is for you. Questions or ideas for the podcast? Email Mike and …
Leadership qualities: How do you compare to Plato’s list?
Worldwide influence If you are willing to wrestle and grow more organized, confident and influential, consider the leadership qualities listed in Plato’s Republic. Some context: Socrates taught Plato. Plato taught Aristotle. Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered most of the known world. He died young but left an impact, spreading Greek thought and culture throughout the globe–a foundation of …
Want to be attractive to Google? Learn to wrestle.
This Washington Post article from a few years back has always impressed me. Short version: Technology and STEM-oriented Google researched its employee performance. It turns out technology and STEM were not what their stars had in common. Instead, it was soft skills. The article goes on to talk about a second study that further confirmed the finding by looking at …
Want performance? Learn your stories.
Your organization’s performance improves as soon as you start paying attention to your stories. They are the building blocks of your culture. First things first: Let’s define culture as “how we do things around here.” If “how we do things” is “with excellence” or “showing ultimate care” or “always serving the customer” or [insert what makes you stand out here] …