Ship of State (part 1)
If you have read Plato’s The Republic, you will be familiar with “The Ship of State” parable. However, perhaps a refresher is in order.
By the way, if you have not read this book, please do so for your own happiness and enlightenment. Taking a few courses on The Republic might also be a good idea, since professors can clearly explain things. This book is one of the few books that can transform your perspective on life and free you from many of the things that keep you unhappy and chained down in spirit.
In The Republic, Plato has Socrates describe a fabled ship. Basically, this ship is analogous to a democratic government. The ship is owned by a man who doesn’t have a clue about sailing, so he hires a group of people to sail it. The people he hires have some ability and initiative, so we know that they are at least partly competent.
The ship sets sail, and very soon the crew starts to jostle for the premier spot of captain, the person who steers the boat.
The crew is made up of a variety of individuals who think that they would make the best captain. There is, in fact, just one person among them who is an expert captain through natural ability and personal experience.
The true captain is so committed to being the best captain, that she spends all her time looking up at the stars, and calculating where the ship is and where it should be going. The problem with this, is that she has no time, or will, to convince the rest of the sailors that she knows how to steer the ship in the right direction.
The rest of the crew spends their time not worrying about where the ship is going, but instead about who gets to steer. They are only focused on what the other sailors have to say, and how best to position themselves so that they are picked to be the captain.
The eventual outcome is that the ship ends up being captained by a sailor who doesn’t know where to steer. However, he talks a very good game and convinces everyone that he knows where they are heading.
If you take the time to look deeply enough, does this not sound familiar when looking at the organizations we encounter in our lives?
Do some of our big corporations not fit this analogy?
An exception could include some early start up companies, where you have the “true captain” who gives up working for a large corporation, “The Ship”, and goes out to run a business the way he or she thinks it should be run. Is this why most of the job and economic growth is generated by entrepreneurs and their small start up companies?
What’s really cool, is that if you look at Darwinism, you see the “true captain” getting his or her just deserts.
What we now need is Malcolm Gladwell, or someone like him, to write an article or book on the above. We need someone who writes with extreme clarity to tackle this interesting Platonic observation.
We would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this, and where you see this parable present in your everyday life. Please contribute your ideas!
Moralities and the Moral Republic 
The “Ship of State” concept is deeply rooted in philosophical thought, and can be widely observed within all societies, specifically North America. Which is quite amazing considering the youth of the later. Take a look at our education system in Ontario. Currently, there is a mad dash to attract seasoned teachers out of the classroom and into the romanticized realm of administration. The reality is that most of the hardened and battle-scarred rank and file will have nothing to do with the lure of comfy chairs and catered lunches. The only teachers who are presently attracted to the leadership roles of Vice-Principal and Principal are the climbers. Those who got into teaching for all the wrong reasons. The other group scrambling to qualify are those who couldn’t hack it in the trenches, some with as little experience as 3 or 4 years of teaching. The one skill that most of the individuals in these two categories possess is the “Art of BS-ing”. The sad thing is, in education anyway, is that most of us would rather see these people in mid-administration positions as opposed to the classroom. Frankly, they can do less damage there.
If you want a good leader, you need someone who started out moping the floors.
Building from within is the only way to ensure that your leader has a sense of commitment and dedication to the endeavors of the company or organization. Entrepreneurs (Spelling?) will always be the most successful because they have put everything on the line for what they believe in.
I run my classroom like a community, and dedicate and invest everything I have into my students drive for success each year. And when one of my citizens starts to falter and fall behind, we all chip in to help build them back up. Like a finely run platoon of soldiers, my troops are lead by example, and I never expect anything more from them than I, myself, am willing to give.
Being a good leader is one thing, but easily faked. If your employees don’t believe in your drive and dedication, they will rob you blind and job ship every time something better comes along.