Leadership is not the same as administration. The alchemy of talent and skill that makes a good leader is complex. To become a true leader is not an easy task, and there is no quick solution. Michael A Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas, both professors at Long Island University, pass these fundamental truths from the Ancient Philosophers of Greece to us in the first paragraph of  their book The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership: Classical Wisdom for Modern Leaders. Published by the American Management Association, the authors show off their skill at breaking down the complicated philosophical lessons by Classical philosophers into something a busy professional can read and benefit from.

The lessons might not be easy, but understanding them is.  For example, the first rule of leadership is to “Know Thyself.” Like all major tasks, it is defined by the barriers to our success in accomplishing it. The Authors expertly dissect how human nature, our modern culture and even our own desire to be leaders block our path to accomplishment.  The lessons contained in the book might seem harsh by my description, but they are delivered with a mixture of the optimism and grit it takes to succeed. The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership make it clear that leadership is not a position to be attained, but a journey that individual undertakes. Chapters such as “Office Shows the Person” sound like common sense, but the authors lead us to a deeper understanding that we have the ability to control whether we are good or bad leaders.

Michael A. Soupios, one of the authors of The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership will be discussing the book and signing copies at the Patchogue Theater on January 10th. Michael A. Soupios has earned doctorate degrees from Columbia University, Fordham University and the University of Buffalo. He has been teaching for more than 30 years, and he is currently a Professor of Political Philosophy at Long Island University. He is the author of numerous publications, and this is the second book  that he coauthored with Panos Mourdoukoutas. The authors also wrote the book The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life that explains how the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers can help you in day to day life. The book is of the same high quality, and it is written in a similar style to The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership.

We are proud to have Michael A. Soupios, Author and Educator, as our inaugural Library in the Lobby. “Library in the Lobby” is a collaboration between the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Patchogue-Medford Library. “Library in the Lobby” events are free, but the space is limited. Please RSVP to the Patchogue Theatre Box Office at 631-207-1313 or email boxoffice@patchoguetheatre.org to make a reservation

You can read more about Library in the Lobby in the Long Island Advance and on GreaterPatchogue.com