Chapter 3: All My Best (Leadership) Thoughts Were Stolen by the Ancients

Emerson said it first—all my best (for me—leadership) thoughts were stolen by the ancients. Throughout my years of early education I read these great works by great thinkers. And now in my middle years I return to them as I have come to teach at a college that is rooted in the liberal arts tradition. I was asked to teach a course shortly after I arrived, “Leadership and the Classics.” This course brought me back to the rich academic experiences of my earlier years, and proved to be precisely what I had been seeking: a means to convey the timelessness of the leadership topic, insightful, personalized, and filled with inspiration. Ah, the classics.