Concepts discussed from scientific perspective
Ancient Views on the Psychological Laws of Success, Modern Research on the Psychological Characteristics of Successful Individuals, and Methods of Selecting Potentially Successful Company Founders in the Slovenian Context
My observations from practice led me early on to the idea that there exist universal psychological laws of success in life, business, the economy, and politics. That there are certain universal rules of the game that increase an individual’s potential for success and determine their long-term breakthrough and persistence at the top. Rules of the game and psychological laws of exceptional success that matter regardless of how “players change and stages shift” (Aurelius, 2002), to quote the thought of an ancient emperor. I came to the idea that I could find more grounds to believe my hypothesis if I identified parallels between ancient and East Asian philosophical views on leadership, professional insights, and the practical observations of current politicians and business leaders in the Republic of Slovenia.
Psychological Principles of Success and the Key Elements of the “Winner’s Psyche”
In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (1925) highlights courage, practical reasoning, and self-control as the essential qualities of a successful individual and a long-term effective leader. Cicero (1913), meanwhile, emphasizes integrity, eloquent rhetoric, and a predisposition toward serving and giving back to the society one is part of. Daft et al. (2020) point to personal characteristics commonly found among successful individuals in leadership positions—traits such as energy, physical endurance, self-confidence, honesty, integrity, optimism, the desire to lead others, independence, a strong need for achievement and excellence, conscientiousness, risk-taking, persistence, education, mobility, interpersonal skills, cooperativeness, the ability to encourage collaboration, tact, critical thinking, decisiveness, knowledge, intelligence, and cognitive capacity.