What did the Greek sage Bias of Priene* mean by this phrase? A phrase that in our day gains ever greater value, signalling not only the wisdom of our ancient ancestors but also the emptiness that prevails today.
Archē andra deiknysi. Office reveals the man. In a free rendering into modern Greek, “the quality of a man shows when he is given power”.
Obviously, the great sage of antiquity did not mean only men with this phrase, but people in general. In just three words of ancient Greek he condensed a vast subject, while at the same time highlighting the value of integrity, ethics and values in management.
Through the pages of this blog we have referred several times, if not many, to the characteristics of the Leader and the building blocks of Leadership.
There are countless references, both in books and online, from distinguished and recognised citizens of this world.
The subject has occupied not only the philosophers of Ancient Greece (and of other civilisations) but also later, contemporary researchers.
In this post I will not refer to any of these sources. Instead, I will try to put into writing my personal view on the subject. Without grand concepts, definitions and references.
Everyone knows the greatest weakness of the human species, of our species! And that is none other than the base instincts we all have, without exception! And, as if by miracle, these base instincts are elevated into higher feelings, leading us to pompous declarations, at first internal ones, that create a sense of superiority. This, in turn, waits for the right moment to show itself, since, as I said, the fermentation happens internally at first. And the longer the fermentation, the stronger the feeling!
So what happens? When this sense of superiority surfaces, which happens when those who carry it take power, their true image surfaces too. The person’s character is revealed! And, you know, the arrogance is by now at its peak, to the point that those who carry and display this feeling do not realise they are moving into an extremely difficult position!
A difficult position! For whom? someone might ask with a smile. For themselves, obviously! Because, as I said above, base instincts exist in all of us. Therefore, what is not needed is to provoke these instincts. On the contrary, they need to be reined in. For this to happen, in my personal view, the one who holds power must first have taken care to rein in his own instincts. To avoid the pompous internal declarations and to work on building his own character, with Integrity, Respect for Uniqueness, Honesty and, finally, Meritocracy as its building blocks.
In short, whoever takes power must work on acquiring education. Real education, and in no case a superficial one. Then, and only then, will he acquire strength of character and, with it, the respect of his colleagues.
What will happen then? I leave the answer to that question to you! I will limit myself to this:
Anyone can gain power, by any means. But without Character, he will not gain Respect!
* The phrase is attributed both to Bias of Priene, one of the Seven Sages of antiquity, and to Pittacus of Mytilene, a Greek general and statesman and also one of the Seven Sages of antiquity.
First published on the blog We Talk About Business on 13 May 2015.