Croesus

In 560 BCE the mighty King Croesus of Lydia issued a request for proposals (RFP) to the major oracles of ancient Greece. u201cWhy should I choose you as my oracle of choice?u201d he asked.

u201cI know the number of the sand and the measure of the sea,u201d began the Pythia, sybil, sorceress, lead consultant for Delphi.

u201cI understand the speech of the dumb and hear the volcanoes. . . .u201d She went on as sybils do, but Croesus interrupted.

u201cOK, OK, you had me at u2018the number of the sand,u2019 Delphi is the winner. Youu2019re my new Oracle Pythia-baby, Hereu2019s my question, Iu2019m thinking of attacking Persia. I think this Cyrus guyu2019s a real cream puff and they have all those pomegranates, and the rugs – you should see the rugs!u201d

As a hedge, Croesus also asked the Oracle at Thebes, but both Thebes and Delphi gave the same answer. u201cIf you attack Persia, a mighty empire will be destroyed.u201d

He asked some other questions about which city states would make the best allies and lined up Team Greece, but before he left, he asked,

u201cJust checking here, gotta think about the kids and grandkids. How long will my dynasty last?u201d

u201cYou and your issue will rule Lydia until a mule is king.u201d

u201cWell, that ainu2019t never gonna happen,u201d said Croesus.

Cyrus it turned out was only half Persian and half Mede, on his motheru2019s side. The Mede joined the fight, despite the fact that the Persians called Cyrus a u201cmuleu201d because he wasnu2019t purebred Persian. The great empire that was destroyed was Croesusu2019 own.

Leaders in change are always looking for oracles, consulting firms, university professors, other firms that have gone through a similar change. It is understandable; in change, there are a lot of unknowns.

An important leadership lesson from Croesus at Delphi is:

n

When asking for advice make your question specific and even if you think you know the answer ask, u201dTell me what you mean by that.u201d

n

The Oracle and her Prophesies

Historians are divided about the origins of the Oracle at Delphi. Some place it as early as 1400 BCE, when it was a Temple of Phoebe, a Titan associated with the moon and grandmother of Apollo and Artemis. By the eight century BCE, Delphi had become a Temple of Apollo and the Pythia, the high priestess received her gifts directly from Apollo.

There is some disagreement about the Oracleu2019s process. Did she go into a trance from inhaling fumes from under the cave? Did she just mediate and come clear speaking dactylic hexameter? We donu2019t know, but we do know that leaders in Ancient Greece sought her out to ask advice.

She may or may not have given Lycurgus the constitution of Sparta, helped Solon create the laws that laid the foundation of the worldu2019s first democracy and given Pythagoras his moral precepts.

The Pythia allegedly called Socrates u201cthe wisest of men.u201d This may have gone to Socrates head who started saying he took u201cno instruction from the gods, but only from my own intuition.u201d This, according to Professor Paul Cartledge of Cambridge, in staunchly religious Athens led to his charges of u201cImpiety and corruption of youth u201d Canu2019t be smack-talking against the gods especially right after a plague and a big loss to the Spartans.

According to Dr. Cartledge, Socrates could have still avoided death if he hadnu2019t mocked the charges saying he should be rewarded or fined small change. So Socrates might not have been so wise, but in the end did his civic duty, followed the verdict of a majority of 501 jurors and drank hemlock. Personally, I would have u201cblown that pop stand.u201d

The Pythiau2019s words did tend to puff leaders up. The priestess of the Oracle of Delphi was the most powerful woman in male dominated ancient Greece, and she wasnu2019t above u201cblowing a little smokeu201d to get you to listen.

Lycurgus was u201ca god,u201d Euripides was the u201cwisest of artists.u201d

She apparently didnu2019t like Macedonians. She told Phillip he couldnu2019t conquer the world because he couldnu2019t ride her unbroken stallion. She first refused Alexander an audience, but the impetuous twenty-something dude stomped into her cave and pulled her out by her hair.

u201cOK, OK you are immortal.u201d

Alexander felt he then had her blessing to conquer the world and he did pretty well, until he didnu2019t. We still call him the Great, but he wasnu2019t immortal in the physical sense. He died at thirty-two in Babylon of malaria, or typhoid or alcoholic liver failure or poisoning or the neurological disorder Guillain-Barru00e9 Syndrome. In the end he was reported to have said, u201cAll is vanity,u201d and asked that his empty hands be shown at his funeral to demonstrate u201cYou canu2019t take it with you.u201d

Leaders got some good answers from the Oracle at Delphi and some misleading ones accompanied by flattery, not unlike oracles we consult today. In the case of Delphi some advice is carved in stone, the Maxims of Delphi.

The Maxims

There are three main maxims carved into Doric columns at the temple entrance.

The first is u201cKnow thyself.u201d

I often say that change leaders have two primary accountabilities.

Be clear about direction – the u201cwhyu201d we are changing, the vision of the world after the change, the path to get there, all those places to display your optimism and passion.

Attract followers u2013 people have to come with you. You can attract them by the excitement and passion of your vision, or your belief and support of them or both.

The Delphi maxim u201cKnow thyselfu201d tells us to know what aspect of these accountabilities weu2019re good at and to attract others you fill in our flat-sides. u201cKnow thyselfu201d also says u2013u201cDonu2019t let this stuff go to your head. Caesar Augustus had a slave ride behind him in his parade-chariot whispering Alexanderu2019s dying words, u201cAll is vanity.u201d

The second maxim of Delphi is u201cNothing to excess.u201d

Too much vision and passion can make a leader out of touch. Too much focus on attracting followers can make a leader a doormat, or otherwise perceived as catering to the unwilling at the expense of the people who have already signed up.

The third main maxim at Delphi has a translation problem.

Some translate it as u201cA pledge brings troubleu201d- be careful not to make easy promises that you might not be able to keep i.e. donu2019t say u201cNothing will change,u201d or u201cNo one will lose their job.u201d Some translate it as u201cSurety brings pain,u201d u2013 be careful of guarantying others debts, u201cAll shareholders, or depositors, will be made whole.u201d Still others translate it as u201cCertainty brings danger,u201d u2013 never stop questioning what you think you now and how you know it.

I donu2019t read ancient Greek, but I think all three are good advice.

The 147

There are also 147 other maxims that have come down to us from a fifth century CE anthology assembled by Macedonian Joannes Stobaeus . These are often attributed to the Oracle at Delphi, but are really from many collected writers.

They make interesting reading. Some say they are blueprint for a happy life.u00a0

They range from the hopefully obvious, #31 shun evil, #51 shun murder, to the ones that should stay in ancient Greece, #95 rule your wife.

Leading change is about direction, vision, insight so I like #9 u201cknow your opportunity.u201d

Leading change is also about attracting followers so I like #11 Think like a mortal.

And the last four I see as a blueprint for progressing through change and maybe through life.

#144: As a youth u2013 self-disciplined u00a0I wasnu2019t a self-disciplined youth, but In the beginning of a change discipline to a process is critical.

#145: As of middle-age u2013 just – visible fair process in change.

#146: As an old man u2013 sensible – accepting our mistakes and correcting them.

#147: On reaching the end u2013 without sorrow u2013 in change as in life we want to look back without regret.

The ancient Greeks focused on growing the leaders for their city state. Spartans trained disciplined warriors; the Athenians trained thinkers and statesmen. All the Hellenic leaders asked oracles for advice. The smartest may have questioned more or just followed the maxims.

“,”tablet”:”

Croesus