Greek Philosophers vs

Vicky Evangeliou EU Alumna

Vicky Evangeliou has two decades of business experience, largely in the communication and marketing sector. She is the founder of Marketing Lead, a company which provides business development, concept design, PR and social network marketing services for international companies, nonprofits, startups and new divisions within large corporations. She has experience working in multinational organizations such as Johnson & Johnson, as well as the European Commission, with roles ranging from managerial posts to more recent mentor work. She has received lots of media coverage as a guest speaker at various events.

WHEN DO ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS MEET BUSINESS LEADERS?

EU alumna and marketing expert, Vicky Evangeliou highlights the importance of ethics in the working world and discusses Aristotle’s ideas in modern terms.

The 21st century has given rise to great challenges in the social, political and business worlds. The role of ethics in business is now crucial and forms an important element of managerial practice.

The mission of a business leader must adhere to four golden rules: 1. Building a successful business in terms of profitability 2. Contributing to society 3. Being responsible toward humanity 4. Becoming a role model

As Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup Company, outlines in her personal mission: “To serve as a leader, live a balanced life and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference.”

In this article, I want to concentrate on how ancient Greek philosophy and its concepts can be applicable to modern business leadership models.

It is important for leaders to be well connected with their team, partners, stakeholders and co-workers, as well as being sensitive toward society. For an effective leader to be persuasive to their team, they should apply integrity, emotional appeal and purpose to their message. Aristotle describes these qualities as ethos, pathos and logos.

Ethos refers to the ability to convince one’s audience through character. Respected individuals are more likely to be persuasive and leaders can influence their team not only through their authority and expertise on the subject but also their character, consistency and authenticity.

Pathos enables a leader to persuade their audience by appealing to their emotions. Texts ranging from historical treaties to modern adverts promote pathos as a means of persuasion. The language and discourse is chosen to trigger an emotional response and engage audiences.

Logos is the ability to persuade through reason, which Aristotle favored. It includes deductive and inductive reasoning and postulates an effective argument with reasons provided to support it.

Aristotle also wrote of eudemonia, which can be considered a broader concept integrating ethos, pathos and logos. Eudemonia focuses not on the emotional state of individuals, but the realization of human potential within a system which activates ethos, pathos and logos. In the business world, leaders should pursue eudemonia as a guide in order to reach their potential and also to push others to achieve and grow personally.

Virtues, or aretes, are essential for leaders who need not only intellectual capacity and knowledge, but also wisdom to apply their vision for the common good. Aristotle defined phronesis, or judgment, as master virtue which combines ethics and action.

Nowadays, the corporate world is talking about corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and sustainability. Companies spend big budgets on programs for “change and values” or “implementing values in business strategies”. We can also see that big corporations have their own credo that defines their corporate culture. Johnson and Johnson for example communicates that “The values that guide our decision-making are spelled out in our credo. Put simply, our credo challenges us to put the needs and well-being of the people we serve first.”

“It is important for leaders to be well connected with their team, partners, stakeholders and coworkers, as well as being sensitive toward society.”

Aristotle’s ideas are intrinsically linked to ethical leadership today. As such, a credo can only be effectively realized if it is applied in line with the timeless principles of ethos, pathos and logos. How can we enhance our knowledge of such virtues and values while at the same time applying leadership? As a Greek business professional with a love for discovery and philosophy in my DNA, I strongly believe that the following question should always be kept at the forefront of our minds: “Am I behaving in a virtuous way?”