Quote of the day by Plato: “The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is…”

Leade ship
ca
look
appeali g
f om
a
dista ce,
but
taki g
espo sibility
fo
othe
people’s
decisio s,
wo k
o
wellbei g
is
a ely
as
simple
as
holdi g
a
title.
The e
a e
times
whe
people
step
fo wa d
because
they
wa t
autho ity,
a d
othe s
whe
they
do
so
because
obody
else
is
willi g
to
take
espo sibility.
Plato’s
famous
obse vatio
exami es
the
othe
side
of
that
choice.
“The
heaviest
pe alty
fo
decli i g
to
ule
is
to
be
uled
by
someo e
i fe io
to
you self”.
The
thought
is
ot
simply
a
a gume t
fo
seeki g
powe .
It
aises
a
mo e
difficult
questio
about
what
happe s
whe
people
who
may
be
capable
of
maki g
sou d
decisio s
choose
ot
to
pa ticipate.
Fo
Plato,
avoidi g
espo sibility
could
ca y
its
ow
cost.
The
quote
of
the
day
offe s
a
way
to
thi k
about
leade ship,
judgeme t,
compete ce
a d
the
co seque ces
of
leavi g
impo ta t
decisio s
to
othe s.

Quote
of
the
day
by
Plato

“The
heaviest
pe alty
fo
decli i g
to
ule
is
to
be
uled
by
someo e
i fe io
to
you self.”

What
Plato’s
wo ds
actually
mea

Plato
was
i te ested
i
the
espo sibilities
attached
to
gove i g
a d
i
the
qualities
that
make
someo e
suitable
to
hold
autho ity.
His
obse vatio
suggests
that
efusi g
to
take
espo sibility
does
ot
mea
emovi g
you self
f om
the
co seque ces
of
decisio s.
Someo e
else
will
still
make
them.Imagi e
a
wo kplace
whe e
a
expe ie ced
employee
epeatedly
avoids
taki g
a
leade ship
ole
because
they
do
ot
wa t
the
additio al
p essu e.

A
less
expe ie ced
pe so
eve tually
takes
cha ge
a d
makes
decisio s
that
the
fi st
employee
co side s
poo .
The
expe ie ced
employee
may
have
avoided
the
st ess
of
leade ship,
but
they
have
ot
avoided
its
co seque ces.The
same
p i ciple
ca
apply
to
smalle
situatio s.
A
g oup
has
to
choose
betwee
seve al
optio s.
Someo e
with
useful
k owledge
stays
quiet
because
they
do
ot
wa t
a
a gume t.
The
decisio
goes
a othe
way.
Late ,
they
ealise
that
thei
i put
might
have
cha ged
the
outcome.Plato’s
poi t
is
ot
that
steppi g
fo wa d
is
always
ight.
It
is
that
steppi g
back
is
ot
always
eut al.

Plato’s
jou ey
f om
Athe s
to
o e
of
philosophy’s
most
i flue tial
ideas

Plato
was
bo
a ou d
427
BC
i
Athe s
o
its
su ou di g
a ea
a d
came
f om
a
wealthy
family.
He
became
closely
associated
with
Soc ates,
whose
questio i g
method
had
a
majo
i flue ce
o
his
philosophical
thi ki g.The
death
of
Soc ates
i
399
BC
was
a
impo ta t
eve t
i
Plato’s
life.
Soc ates
was
co victed
by
a
Athe ia
ju y
a d
se te ced
to
death,
a
episode
that
co t ibuted
to
Plato’s
co ce s
about
justice,
political
decisio -maki g
a d
the
eliability
of
public
judgeme t.Plato
late
fou ded
the
Academy
i
Athe s,
whe e
philosophy
a d
othe
a eas
of
lea i g
we e
studied.
A istotle
was
amo g
those
who
studied
the e.
Much
of
Plato’s
wo k
was
w itte
i
the
fo m
of
dialogues,
allowi g
diffe e t
cha acte s
to
questio
assumptio s
a d
exami e
competi g
ideas.
The
Republic,
whe e
the
quotatio
is
fou d,
deals
with
justice,
educatio ,
politics
a d
the
o ga isatio
of
society.His
political
ideas
we e
fa
emoved
f om
the
st uctu e
of
mode
democ acies.
Yet
his
questio s
about
who
should
gove
a d
what
qualifies
someo e
to
exe cise
autho ity
have
emai ed
subjects
of
discussio
fo
ce tu ies.Why
efusi g
espo sibility
ca
have
co seque cesPeople
ofte
have
good
easo s
fo
avoidi g
leade ship.
A
se io
positio
ca
mea
lo ge
hou s,
difficult
decisio s,
disag eeme ts
with
colleagues
a d
g eate
accou tability
whe
somethi g
goes
w o g.
Remai i g
outside
the
decisio -maki g
p ocess
ca
seem
like
the
easie
optio .But
decisio s
still
have
to
be
made.
A
p oject
eeds
somebody
to
decide
its
di ectio .
A
team
eeds
p io ities.
A
commu ity
eeds
people
willi g
to
o ga ise
its
affai s.
A
compa y
eeds
people
who
ca
make
choices
whe
the e
is
o
obvious
a swe .If
capable
people
co siste tly
efuse
those
espo sibilities,
somebody
else
eve tually
takes
them
o .That
pe so
may
tu
out
to
be
pe fectly
capable.
Plato’s
a gume t
does
ot
gua a tee
that
the
eplaceme t
will
be
poo .
His
wa i g
is
about
the
possibility
that
people
who
a e
bette
equipped
to
make
a
decisio
may
su e de
thei
i flue ce
simply
because
they
do
ot
wa t
the
bu de
that
comes
with
it.

Plato’s
view
of
powe
was
mo e
complicated
tha
ambitio

Plato’s
wide
thi ki g
makes
the
quotatio
mo e
complicated
tha
it
fi st
appea s.
He
was
ot
simply
celeb ati g
people
who
wa ted
to
ule.
I
fact,
his
ideal
ule
was
ot
supposed
to
be
motivated
by
wealth,
p estige
o
pe so al
powe .I
The
Republic,
Plato
imagi ed
a
class
of
philosophe – ule s
who
would
be
educated
to
u de sta d
justice
a d
the
wide
i te ests
of
society.
The
pe so
most
suitable
to
gove
might
ot
be
the
pe so
most
eage
to
obtai
autho ity.Ambitio
ca
make
someo e
seek
espo sibility,
but
it
does
ot
p ove
that
they
a e
capable
of
ha dli g
it.
A
co fide t
speake
may
ot
be
a
good
decisio -make .
Someo e
who
co sta tly
seeks
p omotio
may
be
less
p epa ed
fo
leade ship
tha
a
quiete
colleague
with
deepe
expe ie ce.Plato’s
co ce
was
the efo e
ot
simply
who
gets
powe .
Who
is
p epa ed
to
use
it
p ope ly.

How
failu e
to
lead
ca
become
a
p oblem

Avoidi g
espo sibility
ca
sometimes
be
mistake
fo
humility.
The e
is
ce tai ly
value
i
ecog isi g
whe
a othe
pe so
is
bette
suited
to
a
task.
A
good
leade
does
ot
eed
to
be
the
best
pe so
at
eve ythi g.
K owi g
whe
to
liste ,
delegate
o
step
aside
ca
be
pa t
of
sou d
judgeme t.
The
p oblem
a ises
whe
elucta ce
has
othi g
to
do
with
suitability.Someo e
may
efuse
to
speak
because
they
fea
c iticism.
They
may
avoid
taki g
cha ge
because
they
do
ot
wa t
to
be
blamed
if
thi gs
go
w o g.
They
may
watch
a
poo
decisio
developi g
but
emai
sile t
because
i te ve i g
feels
u comfo table.I
such
cases,
steppi g
back
ca
become
a
fo m
of
dise gageme t.Plato’s
quotatio
asks
what
happe s
afte wa ds.
If
a
pe so
capable
of
maki g
a
useful
co t ibutio
efuses
to
do
so,
a othe
pe so
will
still
have
to
make
the
decisio .

What
Plato’s
philosophy
says
about
good
ule s

The
quotatio
makes
mo e
se se
whe
placed
alo gside
Plato’s
b oade
ideas
about
leade ship.
He
believed
that
ule s
eeded
educatio
a d
a
developed
u de sta di g
of
justice.
K owledge
alo e
was
ot
e ough.
A
pe so
also
eeded
discipli e
a d
the
ability
to
look
beyo d
immediate
pe so al
i te ests.This
was
ve y
diffe e t
f om
the
idea
that
political
leade ship
should
simply
belo g
to
whoeve
could
pe suade
the
la gest
umbe
of
people.Plato
had
se ious
ese vatio s
about
democ acy
as
p actised
i
a cie t
Athe s,
pa tly
because
he
believed
political
decisio s
could
be
i flue ced
by
popula ity
athe
tha
k owledge.
His
p oposed
alte ative
was
highly
theo etical
a d
has
bee
c iticised
fo
good
easo ,
but
it
eflected
a
ce t al
co ce
u i g
th ough
his
wo k.

Why
leade ship
ca
be
u comfo table

The
espo sibilities
attached
to
leade ship
a e
easy
to
u de estimate.
A
pe so
i
cha ge
may
have
to
eject
a
colleague’s
p oposal,
educe
a
budget,
cha ge
a
pla
o
admit
that
a
p evious
decisio
was
w o g.
They
may
have
to
make
a
choice
despite
i complete
i fo matio .That
ca
make
avoidi g
leade ship
att active.
Someo e
who
does
ot
hold
espo sibility
ca
obse ve
a
decisio
f om
the
outside
a d
poi t
out
what
should
have
bee
do e
diffe e tly.
The
pe so
maki g
the
decisio
does
ot
have
that
luxu y.
They
have
to
choose
with
whateve
i fo matio
is
available
at
the
time.This
is
o e
easo
Plato’s
obse vatio
should
ot
be
t eated
as
a
simple
celeb atio
of
autho ity.
Leade ship
b i gs
obligatio s
as
well
as
i flue ce.The
questio
is
whethe
the
espo sibility
is
wo th
accepti g
i
a
pa ticula
situatio .

What
to
do
whe
you
believe
you
ca
co t ibute

Plato’s
wo ds
ca
be
applied
without
tu i g
eve y
situatio
i to
a
competitio
fo
co t ol.The
fi st
step
is
to
co side
whethe
you
ge ui ely
have
somethi g
useful
to
offe .
Havi g
a
diffe e t
opi io
does
ot
automatically
mea
havi g
a
bette
o e.
Expe ie ce,
evide ce
a d
a
u de sta di g
of
the
ci cumsta ces
matte .If
you
do
have
eleva t
k owledge,
emai i g
sile t
pu ely
because
espo sibility
feels
u comfo table
may
dese ve
a
seco d
thought.That
does
ot
ecessa ily
mea
taki g
comma d.
It
could
mea
aisi g
a
issue
i
a
meeti g,
offe i g
a
alte ative,
volu tee i g
fo
a
difficult
task
o
accepti g
espo sibility
fo
a
p oject
that
eeds
di ectio .Leade ship
does
ot
always
begi
with
a
title.
Sometimes
it
begi s
with
bei g
willi g
to
take
espo sibility
fo
a
decisio .

Why
the
message
still
has
eleva ce

Mode
wo ki g
life
places
co side able
emphasis
o
i dividual
achieveme t.
People
a e
e cou aged
to
build
ca ee s,
develop
expe tise
a d
seek
oppo tu ities
fo
adva ceme t.
At
the
same
time,
the e
ca
be
a
u de sta dable
elucta ce
to
accept
the
isks
that
come
with
g eate
espo sibility.
The
two
ca
pull
i
opposite
di ectio s.Someo e
may
wa t
thei
ideas
to
i flue ce
a
decisio
without
wa ti g
to
be
accou table
fo
the
esult.
A othe
pe so
may
have
the
ecessa y
expe ie ce
but
avoid
se io
positio s
because
the
additio al
p essu e
does
ot
seem
wo thwhile.Plato’s
obse vatio
p ovides
a
diffe e t
way
of
looki g
at
that
choice.
I flue ce
a d
espo sibility
a e
ofte
co ected.
If
you
wa t
a
mea i gful
ole
i
decidi g
what
happe s,
the e
may
be
occasio s
whe
accepti g
espo sibility
is
pa t
of
the
ba gai .That
does
ot
mea
eve y
leade ship
oppo tu ity
should
be
accepted.
It
mea s
the
decisio
to
decli e
o e
dese ves
some
thought.

What
the
quote
eally
teaches
us
about
leade ship

Leade ship
is
ot
simply
about
autho ity:
Holdi g
a
positio
does
ot
automatically
make
someo e
a
good
leade .
K owledge,
judgeme t
a d
espo sibility
matte .

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