Plato is considered by many to be the most important philosopher who ever lived. He is known as the father of idealism in philosophy. His ideas were elitist, with the philosopher king the ideal ruler. Plato is perhaps best known to college students for his parable of a cave, which appears in Plato’s Republic.

The founder of logical theory, Aristotle believed that the greatest human endeavor is the use of reason in theoretical activity. One of his best known ideas was his conception of The Golden Mean — to “avoid extremes,” the counsel of moderation in all things.

Plato’s most famous work is the Republic, which details a wise society run by a philosopher. He is also famous for his dialogues (early, middle, and late), which showcase his metaphysical theory of forms—something else he is well known for. Because of this, he became known as the “maker of mathematicians.”

12 Modern Life Lessons from Plato.

• “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
• “For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.”
• “I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.”
• “Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.”

Plato regards education as a means to achieve justice, both individual justice and social justice. According to Plato, individual justice can be obtained when each individual develops his or her ability to the fullest. In this sense, justice means excellence. For the Greeks and Plato, excellence is virtue.

Five Lessons from the Trial of Socrates

• Steelmanning the Opposing Argument. Many contemporary arguments fail to progress because at least one interlocutor does not even understand the opponent’s position.
• Ideas, more so than Laws, Can Improve People.
• Unintended Consequences.
• Consistency is of Fundamental Importance.
• Do not Bend to Unrighteousness.

Socrates (469-399 B.C.) was a classical Greek philosopher who is credited with laying the fundamentals of modern Western philosophy. He is known for creating Socratic irony and the Socratic method (elenchus). He has had a profound influence on Western philosophy, along with his students Plato and Aristole.

Today, Socrates is alive and well in highly effective leaders. His Socratic method of questioning is a timely and timely leadership tool for engaging teams and nurturing critical thinking. Asking questions is both selfless and self-serving.

He was described as brave and fearless, for he saved the life of General Alcibiades. Other than being a war hero, Socrates was a philosopher and teacher. He was inspired by the Philosophical School of Thought located in Athens. Socrates would ask people, “What is courage?” His mission was the pursuit of truth.

Aristotle says a leader also needs practical wisdom. Instead, he believes the virtue manifested by those rare leaders is an acquired trait; he believes leaders are made, not born. Indeed they are self-made.

Aristotle’s ‘master virtue’ of phronesis, which combines ethics and action so that people can ‘live well’ and be happy, is often seen as the key to effective leadership. But it tends to be too narrowly defined. For Aristotle, doing the right thing partly depended on seeing and appreciating the fine thing.

He was perhaps the first great thought leader. Greek philosopher Aristotle had much to say about ethics, logic, politics and science. While only a small portion of his writings have survived the ages, they contain powerful messages relevant to today’s leaders.

As Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader.” Being a good follower isn’t about being one of hundreds of lemmings that execute instructions with blind loyalty. Today’s followers are more evolved. They judiciously choose who they follow and make followership part of their education.

The difference between a leader and a follower is the willingness to be wrong. When you’re a follower, you ask the leader what to do. When you do this, you will never be “wrong.” If the leader’s decision turns out to be wrong, your hands are washed of any responsibility.

Whether times are good or bad, people notice who’s present, who’s effective, who’s working hard without distraction. When that person is you, others naturally follow you–and you are a leader. 6. If you are not making excuses or blaming others but holding up the standard of excellence and quality, you are a leader.

A true leader influences others to be their best. Likewise, anyone can become a follower, even while holding a leadership position. If you’re a slave to the status quo, lack vision, or don’t motivate everyone around you to be their absolute best, then you’re a follower.

The important role of followership in organizations is increasingly recognized. People are followers more often than leaders, and effective leaders and followers share similar characteristics. An effective follower is both independent and active in the organization.

As a team member and a follower you’re encouraged to complement and support the leadership role. Followers are highly motivated to engage with their leaders to achieve organizational goals. In order to strengthen the team in a followership role, you’re encouraged to: Demonstrate job-related knowledge and competence.

5 Ways to be an Effective Follower in the Workplace

1. Independent critical thinking. Followers help a company succeed by uniting under a leader to help bring their goals to fruition.
2. Strong listening skills. Active listening is a soft skill that many professionals may take for granted in this technological age.
3. Work well collaboratively.
4. Motivation and drive.
5. Creativity.

There’s nothing bad with being a follower. You can still do great things in life. Every leader started off following someone until they cultivated a presence and came out of their comfort zone. Being a college student I am always told that I should do more things that increase my leadership skills.