Deep understanding - Excellent leadership! Do you know the “real” meaning of words as lead, leader and leadership? Do you know what to do to become a god leader? An excellent leader? Which answers would the great philosophers of ancient times give you to these questions? What secret did the mystical woman Diotema tell Socrates? A wisdom that gave the foundation of the philosophy of Socrates and Plato. This free series of slides might give you some of the answers.

1. The Philosophy of
Leadership
Deep understanding – Excellent practice!
Dr. ing. Leif-Runar Forsth
Philosopher of leadership

2. Leadership is important!

3. What is leadership?

4. What is leadership?
"Leadership is one of the most
observed and least understood
phenomena on earth".
Burns 1979

5. We need a powerful modern
philosophical tradition!

6. ”leden” or ”loedan”: «to make go»
Old English:
Original meaning of
«To lead»

7. Who leads
who?

8. Today
Lead - Leader - Leadership
methaphors:
Used as

9. Can Philosophy of
Language give us the
the answers?

10. Can Philosophy of
Language give us the
the answers?
The «real» meaning
of the words?

11. Let us try!

12. Let us ask Frege!

13. Frege answers:
Our ideas of the word:
“an internal image,
arising from memories”

14. We have different memories
Not sufficient in common

15. Frege:
Explains why we have
so many different
definitions of words

16. Let us ask Kripke!

17. Kripke answers: Family of meanings
The word «Cat»
Many different cats

18. Meaning of words:
“is determined not by a single
description but by
some cluster or family”.

19. Kripke:
“cluster of use of words”:
Makes it even more complicated

20. Let us ask Putnam!

21. Putnam answers:
“Meanings are public property”

22. “Meanings are public property –
that the same meaning
can be “grasped”
by more than one person
and at different times”.

23. “But for words like “leadership”
the meanings are so different
that there is no public
“same meaning”.

24. Putnam tries again:
The experts decide the
correct meaning of a word!

25. BUT:
The experts disagree even
more than non-experts

26. Conclusion from Putnam:
Even the experts can not help us
to get the correct meaning of
words like leadership

27. Let us ask Davidson!

28. Davidson answers:
The triangel of language
Speaker
Listener Object

29. Speaker:
Points and
says:
«Cat»
Listener:
Sees the cat and hear the
word «Cat»

30. Davidson concludes:
“There is nothing for true
sentences to correspond to”
“In shearing a language, we
share a picture of the world.”

31. Conclusions from
Philosophy of language:
Not one “right” meaning of the words:
Lead – Leader - Leadership

32. Your meanings of the words come from:
• What you have been told!
• Your experiences

33. What is leadership?
• You have your own opinions
• They might be right for you
• They might be wrong for you

34. What is leadership?
You must find your own
understanding that fits you and
your leadership situations

35. What is leadership?
A minimal definition is all we can get
“The only definition of a leader is
someone who has followers.”
Drucker 1996

36. Let us ask
the Great Philosophers!

37. What is leadership?
What is good leadership?
What is excellent leadership?

38. Plato

39. Plato answers:
"The true ruler is not meant
by nature to regard
his own interest,
but that of his subjects."

40. Plato answers:
"There is no one in any rule who,
in so far as he is ruler,
considers or enjoins what is for his own interest.
On the contrary,
a ruler attends to the subject which he has
undertaken to direct;
to that he looks,
and in everything which he says and does,
considers what is suitable or advantageous to it."

41. Plato answers:
"Virtue seems, then, to be a
kind of health, fine condition,
and well-being of the soul,
while vice is desease,
shamefull condition,
and weakness."

42. Plato answers:
"They must raise the eye of
the soul to the universal light
which lightens all things, and
behold the absolute good”

43. Aristoteles

44. Aristoteles answers:
"Our present inquiry does not aim,
as our others do, at study;
for the purpose of our examination
is not to know what virtue is,
but to become good,
since otherwise the inquiry
would be of no benefit to us."

45. Aristoteles answers:
"Now happiness more than
anything else seems
unconditionally complete,
since we always (choose it, and
also) choose it because of itself,
never because of something else."

46. Aristoteles answers:
"Happiness requires both
complete virtue and
complete life."
"Happiness is
an activity of the soul
expressing complete virtue."

47. Aristoteles answers:
"In justice
all virtues are summed up."

48. Seneca

49. Seneca answers:
“Nobody can wear a mask for a long time,
falseness soon will show its true nature.
What comes from truth will grow
bigger, stronger and better.”

50. Seneca answers:
“For nobody is so free of mistakes
that he is not happy to sometimes
appeal to mildness. He sees that as
the shelter for all human mistakes.”

51. Seneca answers:
“Then we act from the best
quality of man,
humanity.”

52. Seneca answers:
“Systematic punishment can stop
the hate of some very few,
but wake it up at everybody else.”

53. Machiavelli

54. Machiavelli answers:
So it is necessary for a ruler,
if he wants to hold on to power,
to learn how not to be good,
and to know when it is not
necessary to use this knowledge."

55. Machiavelli answers:
"So you should seem to be
compassionate, trustworthy,
sympathetic, honest, religious,
and, indeed, be all this things”

56. Machiavelli answers:
“Everyone sees what is happening,
but not everyone feels the consequences.
Everyone sees what you seem to be;
few have direct experience of who you
really are."

57. Lao Tzu

58. Lao Tzu answers:
“The name that can
be named
is not the constant
name.”

59. “The way that can be spoken of
is not the constant way.”
Lao Tzu answers:

60. Lao Tzu answers:
"The reason why people
are difficult to govern is
that they are too
clever."

61. Lao Tzu answers:
"Those who are good
I treat as good.
Those who are not good
I also treat as good."

62. Lao Tzu answers:
"Knowing when to
stop, one can be
free from danger."

63. Lao Tzu answers:
"He who knows
others is clever."

64. Lao Tzu answers:
"Hence the superior
must have the inferior
as root, the high must
have the low as base."

65. Lao Tzu answers:
• "The best of all rulers is but a
shadowly presence to his subjects.
• Next comes the ruler they love and
praise;
• Next come the one they fear;
• Next come the one with whom they
take liberties. ...

66. Lao Tzu answers:
…
When his task is accomplished and his
work is done the people all say:
"It happened to us naturally.“

67. Zun Su

68. Zun Su answers:
"Leadership is a
matter of
• intelligence
• trustworthiness
• humaneness
• courage
• sternness"

69. Zun Su answers:
"There are only five notes in
the musical scale,
but their variations are so
many that
they cannot all be heard."

70. Zun Su answers:
"Therefore victory in war
is not repetitious,
but adapts its form
endlessly."

71. Zun Su answers:
"The Way means
inducing the people to
have the same aim as
the leadership,
so that they will share
death and share life,
without fear of danger"

72. Zun Su answers:
"Look upon your soldiers as
you do infants,
and they willingly
go into deep valleys with you.
Look upon your soldiers as
beloved children,
and they willingly
die with you."

73. Huainanzi

74. Huainanzi answers:
"When leaders are worthy of respect,
the people are willing to work for them.
When their virtue is worthy of admiration,
their authority can be established."

75. Huainanzi answers:
"When people are personally upright,
others go along with them even though
they are not commanded to do so.”

76. Huainanzi answers:
"A good leader doesnt' forget the
populace.
If leaders can truly love and truly benefit
the populace,
then everyone can follow."

77. Huainanzi answers:
"Clarity does not mean seeing
others, just seeing oneself."

78. Huainanzi answers:
"Those who can be strong
are able to use the power of
other people.
To be able to use the power of
other people,
it is necessary to win peoples' hearts.
To be able to win peoples' heart,
it is necessary to have selfmastery."

79. Huainanzi answers:
"When a thousand people are of like mind,
they gain the power of a thousand people.
When ten thousand people are of different
minds, then no one is really useful."

80. Miaoxi and Zhu-an

81. Miaoxi and Zhu-an answers:
"There are three essentials to leadership:
humanity, clarity, and courage."

82. Miaoxi and Zhu-an answers:
"The body of leadership has four limbs:
• enlightenment and virtue
• speech and action
• humaneness and justice
• etiquette and law."

83. Miaoxi and Zhu-an answers:
"When above and below are in harmony,
then the path of leadership goes through."

84. Miaoxi and
Zhu-an
answers:
"God leaders
make
the mind of
the community
their mind."

85. Miaoxi and
Zhu-an
answers:
"The leader
should be
humble and
respectful in
dealing with
subordinates."

86. Miaoxi and Zhu-an answers:
"Essentials to leadership is winning the
community.
Essential to winning the community is
seeing into the hearts of the people.
Always depend on human hearts."

87. Musashi

88. Musashi answers:
“The strategy is to know one thing
and hence know ten thousand things.”

89. Musashi answers:
“The language is not rich enough to
explain the way in detail.
It can only be understood intuitively.”

90. Musashi answers:
“It is not enough to read,
remember and copy.
You have to do it so your
understanding comes
from your heart.”

91. “The leader must know
his troops.
This is always true in my
strategy.”
Musashi answers:

92. Musashi answers:
"This is the Way for those who want to
learn my strategy:
1. Do not have any dishonest thoughts.
2. The Way consists of training.
3. Get to know all arts.
4. Know the Ways of all crafts.”

93. Musashi answers:
"5. See the difference of winning and losing
in daily life.
6. Develop intuition and understanding in
everything.
7. Notice the things that cannot be seen.
8. Pay attention to every detail.
9. Do not do anything that is not
purposeful."

94. Those were the words
of the Great Philosophers

95. What did we learn?

96. • Personal qualities are necessary
• Care for those you lead
• Harmony between you and them
• The quests of leadership are the
quests of life
• Learn the practical tools and
techniques of leadership
• Lead from higher goals and values

97. What can you do?
• Reflect on the words of the Great
Masters!
• Learn from leaders:
Those you experience, read about,
see on TV or in movies!
• Choose your own path to leadership!

98. Then!
The words of
The Greatest philosopher
of them all!!!

99. Diotima
Teacher and
coach of
Socrates!

100. Diotima
“A woman wise in
this and in many
other kinds of
knowledge”
Socratres

101. Diotima spoke:
"Socrates, do you follow if you can!”

102. First:
“Perceive the beauty
of one form
(in one person).”

103. Then:
“Recognize that beauty in
every form (persons)!”

104. “In the next stage,
consider the beauty of the mind.”

105. “Recognize that the beauty
in every form is the same!”

106. “This, my dear Socrates,
is that life above all others
which man should live!”

107. The last word:

108. from a modern
philospher of
leadership

109. Koestenbaum:
"Leadership –
The Inner side of Greatness –
A Philosophy for leaders",
1991

110. «Bussiness
is a possibility for
personal and
organizational
greatness»

111. Your must find your own answers!
Who are you?
Who do you want to be?
What do you want to be?
In life!
In your leadership!

112. Your path in life?

113. Be
a Philosopher of Leadership!
Be yourself!

114. Thank you!
for your attention

115. Pictures: