I can almost hear some of you thinking: “Oh no, this isn’t a history lesson, is it?” Well, no, but it’s historical-ish. As the saying often attributed to Mark Twain goes, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” So, at times, peeking backward can be beneficial.
In this case, our subject is Marcus Aurelius, who served as Roman emperor from A.D. 161-180. As an ancient Stoic master and one of the “five good emperors,” Marcus can make a case for being one of the best leaders of all time. In a position of absolute power, where emperors could literally get away with anything, he had the discipline to rule with compassion, wisdom and justice.
To help cope with the pressures of the job, Marcus wrote private notes to himself about how to be a good person and live a virtuous life. This included advice on how to deal with people, personalities, problems and circumstances beyond his control. Although these private journal entries were never intended to be seen or published, Marcus’ insights not only survived to see modern times but eventually were compiled into the book we now know as Meditations.
So, the question is, what can we communications pros learn from an ancient emperor’s personal meditations? As it turns out, a lot.
Even though we are separated from Marcus by thousands of years, his thoughts are just as relevant today as they were when he jotted them down. No matter how much time passes, or how advanced we become as a global society, we continue to deal with the same human challenges, emotional battles and mental hurdles as our earliest ancestors. It’s amazing to think that we’re still grappling with the same life issues faced by people in the ancient Roman Empire!
The bright side of sharing indelible human traits with our ancestors is that truly great advice on life will stand the test of time. From 12 books and 170 pages in the Gregory Hayes translation of Marcus Aurelius’ personal journal, there are literally hundreds of gems just waiting to be pulled out and put into practice by communications professionals, both in work and in life. So many, in fact, that we need to break this up into a two-part series just to give some highlights! So, from the mind of a great Stoic emperor, here are the first seven of 14 big lessons that apply to our daily lives as communicators:
“Patience in teaching”; expertise in teaching is the “humblest of virtues.”
Teaching and mentoring the next generation of comms pros is our job, so let’s not forget to be patient in a busy world and take the time to “humbly” pass along our insights, expertise and knowledge.
“Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds.”
A great way to describe active listening and concentrating on what people want to tell you versus waiting for your turn to talk. It’s the old adage of two ears and one mouth. At LDWW, for instance, our entire mantra is “What Matters to You,” which is grounded in this exact concept. Listen first!
“We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. When you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, remember that your defining characteristic—what defines a human being—is to work with others.”
Awesome. Didn’t realize some ancient Romans didn’t want to get out of bed! But a great point: Humans are meant to work together to accomplish big things, and communicators have the power to lead this mentality. Even when it’s difficult, we should push for the collaboration that’s inherent in all of us.
“Don’t waste your time … worrying about other people … about what other people say, or do, or think. It never ceases to amaze me: We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
Whoa, how true? As communicators, we’re paid to worry about what audiences think, but in our careers, it may be better to focus on good work and collaboration and not worry about the noise.
“Welcome with affection what is sent by fate.”
Control what you can control and then be able to accept and manage whatever happens that is beyond your direct impact. It’s especially true with campaigns when there are so many factors outside of your control that can affect your team’s best-laid plans. Welcome these challenges, deal with them, pivot and move on.
“Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been. … Nothing … in anyone else’s mind can harm you. Nor can the shifts and changes in the world.”
This is a mindset. No matter what happens, you are in complete control of how you react to any situation. As one of Marcus’ idols, Epictetus, put it: “It’s not things that upset us but our judgments about things.” Consider this a superpower that no one can take away.
“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time. … Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’”
How absolutely true is this? From organizing your day to prioritizing work to only executing programs that support strategic goals and eliminate superfluous activities, this one is a truth for all of us.
There you have it—just a small sample of life maxims from a Stoic king who lived nearly two millennia before our industry was even born. Yet somehow, these life lessons and nuggets of virtue and wisdom seem to apply not just to what we do as PR/comms pros but to almost any profession and any walk of life you could imagine.
For part two of this Stoic series, we’ll continue looking over Marcus’ shoulder and politely borrowing from his genius with seven more leadership lessons for our careers in communications.
FORBES
