Stoicism, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship
This was an invited lecture at Rockford University, hosted by the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, focused specifically on what Stoic philosophy and practices might have to offer to leaders and entrepreneurs.

This is a very basic level talk for an audience of business students with very little background in – or exposure to – Stoic philosophy. We discuss .

We start by discussing the recent contemporary interest in Stoicism in business, management, leadership, and entrepreneurial circles. I then introduce them to some key ideas of Stoic ethics that are particularly relevant to those fields.

In particular, we discuss: what benefits people are getting from Stoic philosophy; the distinction between what is and what is not in our control; how to deal with unproductive emotions and desires; resiliency and finding opportunity in adversity; and what a Stoic ethics would require.

We bring the discussion to a close by addressing a recurring tension that taking on Stoicism would bring to the fore – does Stoic ethics get in the way of doing business or being effective as a leader or an entrepreneur?