I listed the 4 Stoic Virtues last week below..
They are in no specific order according to the Stoics. But the best way I digest them specific to leadership is attacking COURAGE as number 1.
The fact is that strong Leadership often times means going against the grain. It means taking action not that is NOT part of the status quo. Many times, this action ruffles feathers.
And sometimes a strong leader even has to make decisions that hurt some of the followers to protect the whole tribe.
You need COURAGE to lead this way.
In fact, here’s one of my favorite leadership quotes by the late Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc.
“If you want to make everyone happy, Don’t be a leader – Sell ice cream.”
And while you need all 4 other virtues to lead, without COURAGE to execute, nothing else matters.
This is the hard part of leadership. But why it’s so valuable.
The good news is that COURAGE is a just muscle that you can improve. The more you flex it, the stronger it becomes.
I look forward to diving into Wisdom next week.
- Courage
- Wisdom
- Justice
- Moderation
