Stoicism for the Modern Professional

If only there were a “Code of Conduct” beyond the one you signed when you were hired. Something to help navigate the daily challenges of the modern workplace: deadlines, stress, heavy workloads, KPIs, budgets, and difficult people. 

There is! It’s called Stoicism. But not the watered-down “pop-stoicism” that floods the internet; the original philosophy, born in Athens around 300 BC, when Zeno of Citium taught in the stoa poikile (painted portico).

Zeno and his followers developed a comprehensive way of life aiming for eudaimonia which roughly translates as joy, good spirit, or fulfillment. From Zeno, stoicism developed over five centuries in Greece and Rome. The extant writings from Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius are still bestsellers today.

Of course, no short article can do justice to the depth of Stoic philosophy. I will only touch on the basics.

So, what are the basic and core principles; and how can they be applied at work?

The concept is Socratic in its essence with virtue being the highest good. At its heart, Stoicism is about becoming the best version of yourself. It’s about cultivating habits and behaviors that put you in harmony with yourself and the world around you.

The most important principles involve learning the difference between right and wrong (ethics), thinking logically and clearly, and understanding the nature of the universe. This requires contemplation , introspection, and daily reflection; which can be achieved by simple daily journaling.  

Living with ethics and integrity, no matter the circumstances, is at the core of stoic philosophy. Stoicism views all challenges and situations as opportunities to react with, and put into practice, four cardinal virtues:  

• Wisdom: For better decisions. This requires self-awareness and constant learning, sharpening logic and critical thinking.

• Temperance: For emotional control. Self-discipline is practiced, not innate. Fear, anger, stress, and excesses can all cloud judgment. Good habits grow through repetition.

• Justice: To act fairly and respectfully. We are interconnected and so to harm another is to harm ourselves. Fulfilling our duties and obligations with integrity benefits the whole. 

• Courage: To face all situations bravely and with integrity. Courage is not the absence of fear but acting rightly despite it, examining it rationally, and responding with clarity.

Many successful professionals embody these principles without naming them. They remain calm under pressure, industrious, respectful, and humane, whether rising high or falling low. Their conduct is beyond reproach. 

For the stoics, no matter your profession, your position, or your station in life; no one gets an easy ride – no one; not Superman, not Miss Universe, not His Holiness the Pope, nor his Highness the King of England. Every single one of us will face circumstances beyond our control.

Regardless of your lot, there is no excuse for letting circumstances dictate your character. True virtue and resilience come from how you choose to respond, not from what happens to you; and besides wrote Seneca, “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”

Consider a manager frustrated by a struggling team. They could waste energy wishing for a better one. A Stoic asks, “How can I become a better leader through this challenge?” The obstacle becomes the training ground for wisdom and strength. As Epictetus stated, “Don’t demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do, and you will go on well.”

Recently I watched the classic Bruce Lee movie ‘Enter the Dragon’ who embodies many stoic qualities. When his antagonist, Mr. Han, traps him in a cave he cannot escape from and taunts him, he does not panic – he maintains his composure. He assumes the lotus position and calmly begins to meditate. In that moment, he controls the only thing he can control in that situation – his breathing. That is stoicism.   

Stoicism doesn’t remove professional challenges, but it provides a framework to respond with clarity, courage, and integrity. A consummate professional may not call themselves a stoic, but if they embody wisdom, temperance, justice, and courage — they are one. Character is always a choice.

To go deeper into the primary sources, three timeless works remain: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, and Discourses and Enchiridion by Epictetus.