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Episode 53: The Stockdale paradox
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” — Admiral James Stockdale.
The Stockdale paradox is about stoicism! The Stockdale paradox takes its roots from Epictetus’ Enchiridion.
James Stockdale was a US Navy vice admiral and aviator. He was a prisoner of war for over 7 years in Vietnam. Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam.
The book that saved his life was Epictetus’ “Enchiridion”. For 3 years non stop, Stockdale read Epictetus’ books. These books taught him the importance of autonomy and the freedom of his own mind. Something that no one could never be take away from him!
To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.
Stockdale Paradox in business:
On a higher level, and when it comes to business leadership and management, this duality helps to guard against disappointments that will hit you in the business world. Optimism may drive innovation, but that needs to be put in check to help ensure that you're still on this plane of reality and not bumbling naively into something that can't happen.
It's a great mechanism to keep yourself grounded, but also entertain the idea of being incredibly successful in whatever pursuit you're after.
The Stockdale Paradox can help out an organization assess a current situation and plan accordingly to tackle the challenges they come across. It enforces both the idea that you can be positive and believe you will overcome all difficulties while at the same time you are confronting the most brutal facts of your current situation. The latter is what turns people off, because it can be misconstrued as negative or overly pessimistic.
Epictetus - Wikipedia
Enchiridion of Epictetus - Wikipedia
James Stockdale - Wikipedia
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nadjmat/support
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By Nadjmat
5
11 ratings
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” — Admiral James Stockdale.
The Stockdale paradox is about stoicism! The Stockdale paradox takes its roots from Epictetus’ Enchiridion.
James Stockdale was a US Navy vice admiral and aviator. He was a prisoner of war for over 7 years in Vietnam. Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam.
The book that saved his life was Epictetus’ “Enchiridion”. For 3 years non stop, Stockdale read Epictetus’ books. These books taught him the importance of autonomy and the freedom of his own mind. Something that no one could never be take away from him!
To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.
Stockdale Paradox in business:
On a higher level, and when it comes to business leadership and management, this duality helps to guard against disappointments that will hit you in the business world. Optimism may drive innovation, but that needs to be put in check to help ensure that you're still on this plane of reality and not bumbling naively into something that can't happen.
It's a great mechanism to keep yourself grounded, but also entertain the idea of being incredibly successful in whatever pursuit you're after.
The Stockdale Paradox can help out an organization assess a current situation and plan accordingly to tackle the challenges they come across. It enforces both the idea that you can be positive and believe you will overcome all difficulties while at the same time you are confronting the most brutal facts of your current situation. The latter is what turns people off, because it can be misconstrued as negative or overly pessimistic.
Epictetus - Wikipedia
Enchiridion of Epictetus - Wikipedia
James Stockdale - Wikipedia
---
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nadjmat/support