Models of Leadership in Plato and Beyond

Leadership has become a prevalent concept across a variety of disciplines, among them history, politics, management studies, economics, and psychology. An array of definitions and theories have been proposed both by those who study leadership, and by those in leadership positions themselves. Here, Dominic Scott and R. Edward Freeman adopt a highly innovative approach by going back to one of the greatest thought leaders of all time, the Greek philosopher Plato.

Plato brought a richness and complexity to common ideas about the nature and purpose of leadership. Rather than attempting to give a single 'one-size-fits-all' definition, his strategy was to break it into its different strands. He presents several 'models' of leadership, mostly through images or analogies: the leader as doctor, navigator, artist, teacher, shepherd, weaver, or sower. Each model points to features of leadership that we intuitively recognize to be important, and which still carry significant weight today, such as curing a social malaise or charting a new course. Scott and Freeman set out the essentials of Plato's thought and illustrate each model through modern case studies, including presidents, CEOs, and Nobel laureates. They also measure Plato's models against more recent concepts, using his insights to throw light on contemporary theory and practice. With a principal focus on leadership, and an assumption of no prior knowledge of Plato's works, this book takes a multi-faceted approach to a complex phenomenon.

Dominic Scott, Professor of Philosophy, Oxford University,R. Edward Freeman, University and Olsson Professor, The Darden School, University of Virginia

Dominic Scott is a professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford. He has previously held positions at Cambridge and the University of Virginia, as well as visiting positions at Princeton, Harvard, and the Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington DC. In 2001-3 he was a British Academy Research Reader and in 2016 a Humboldt Fellow based in Munich. He has written numerous books on ancient philosophy, as well as co-authoring The Humanities World Report 2015.

R. Edward Freeman is University Professor, Olsson Professor, and Academic Director of the Institute for Business in Society at the University of Virginia. He is best known for his award-winning book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach (Pitman, 1984; reprinted by Cambridge University Press in 2010). He has received six honorary doctorates (Doctor Honoris Causa) for his work on stakeholder theory and business ethics. He is the host of The Stakeholder Podcast, sponsored by Stakeholder Media, LLC.