Stoicism Can Keep Us Human in an AI World

A Leader’s Guide to Embracing Stoic Virtues, Helping Organizations Succeed, and Assuring People Thrive

What makes a workplace function well? What is the most important factor in a successful business?

More often than not it is the people. And the experience and growth we get from interacting with others.

We learn a lot from the good times, the bad times, the victories, the disappointments, the shockingly dysfunctional behavior we sometimes engage in or experience, and the remarkable considerations and moments of grace and generosity we occasionally offer or witness.

But it is a struggle to thrive – or to motivate and inspire teams – when projects get delayed, mistakes happen, deadlines are not met, tempers flare, or colleagues act unreasonably. Sometimes, we can be that colleague.

As AI, robotics, and other technology are making skillsets obsolete and creating new professional anxieties, it is even more imperative to defuse these additional tensions and find ways to create cooperation and goodwill – as a society and in the workplace.

For all the advances and efficiencies of AI and technological advancement, people still need fulfillment, camaraderie, and human connection. Indeed, a Harvard Business Review article just a few weeks ago outlined how the number one way people are using GenAI is for therapy and companionship.

That is a striking statistic. But GenAI need not be our only salvation. Many of us are reaching back to a philosophy that is more than two thousand years old to find answers to the potential alienations of existence. And, it can help organizations thrive.

Perhaps, more importantly, it can help people in those organizations to heal.

Stoicism – What is it and why is it important now?

I have a dog-eared copy of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Paragraphs of thoughts, feelings, and observations – in no particular order – candidly expressing universal emotions and feelings around everyday situations and challenges. The ancient Romans and Greeks wrestled with the same conflicts and toxic behaviors we experience today and built guidance on how best to handle them.

A dear friend recently turned me on to Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman’s wonderful guide to life – The Daily Stoic. It offered immediate benefits – calling out a key stoic insight each day and providing modern context. It has changed so much for me in inspiring and managing teams. (Try their daily email!)

Far from the general colloquial understanding of the word as “emotionless,” Stoicism emphasizes living actively through the practice of its four cardinal virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.

These principles, designed to guide and shape individual character, also hold transformative potential for the workplace environment. By integrating them into organizational life, employees and leaders can foster maturity and consistency, creating a more cohesive and effective – and less conflict-laden – work environment.

Quite possibly, the healing that Stoicism can bring to a work environment could be the key ingredient to a successful future for technology and humanity.

Virtue 1 | Wisdom: The Foundation of Sound Decision-Making

Wisdom, in Stoic terms, is the ability to reason well, distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot, and make our choices accordingly. Stoic wisdom brings balance, maturity and rationality to the workplace and heals people by promoting a culture of deliberation over rashness.

I left a position some years ago when confronted with a bullying supervisor who threatened my year-end bonus as he continuously issued unreasonable deadlines for projects that would typically take at least five times the number of hours allocated.

Stoicism teaches us that our emotions are often not helpful when navigating a challenge like this. Let’s assume we perceive our options as few, and we feel great fear in this situation. A wise employee will determine that regardless of the fairness (or lack thereof) in this supervisor’s actions and demands, the Stoic option is to simply do the best one can and allow the supervisor to do what they will in response. Instead of succumbing to fear and impulse, one can calmly make decisions that demonstrate their own integrity. In my case, looking for another role was the only answer.

In the alternative, I probably would have stayed in that role had the supervisor behaved differently. The supervisor could have faced that same difficult deadline by calmly assessing the team’s capacity, rather than panicking or bullying their team. The supervisor could have tried to simultaneously communicate realistic expectations in managing up, demonstrating emotional maturity and stabilizing the team.

Organizations benefit from leaders and employees who practice this wisdom during high-pressure moments. Not every organization has a safe space or empowers you to turn to your boss with problems. Those that do allow people to behave more rationally and consistently and suffer less toxic stress and burnout because their actions and reactions stem from principle, not fear and fleeting emotions. Further, this builds trust among peers, colleagues, bosses, and team members, and decreases turnover.

The bullying leader can incapacitate us and our organization. Stoicism shows us another way forward.

Virtue 2 | Justice: Fostering Fairness and Collaboration

Justice, for the Stoics, goes beyond basic fairness – it calls for actively treating others with respect, empathy, and a sense of overall communal good.

Let’s think of that manager we may have had who berates their team members – either privately, in front of others, or indirectly via talking to other colleagues behind their back.

We have probably all had that manager.

Applying Stoic thinking, a just leader would do none of these things. A just leader would address an underperforming employee directly with constructive feedback and define for them a clear path to success. That act itself shows care for the other person’s growth, and a team that practices this kind of behavior creates a culture where people feel valued, encouraging them to act maturely and support one another. Further, it reduces pettiness and fosters kindness.

In the workplace, justice translates to equal, positive treatment of all team members and shared team goals—giving credit where it is due, a voice where possible, and prioritizing team success over personal gain.

Virtue 3 | Courage: Facing Challenges, Building Resilience, and Creating Accountability

Stoic Courage is the strength to face fear, uncertainty, or difficulty while adhering to what is right. It is not a call to mask feelings with bravado or a refusal to show vulnerability. It is in fact quite the opposite – it is an open display of one’s strengths, such as resilience and moral fortitude.

Let’s say you have missed a deadline. As a CMO, I respect employees guided by their Stoic Courage who demonstrate integrity and candidly acknowledge the error, setting an example of honesty that others can follow.

This behavior further encourages accountability and maturity in group settings. Whether admitting a mistake, confronting a toxic dynamic, or pushing forward on a challenging task, consistently facing problems openly and directly reduces the tendency in others to engage in divisive behaviors.

Demonstrating courage also shows one’s principled example. Speaking up for a colleague being treated unfairly is an act that will inspire similar behavior in others.

Ideas bubble up as much as they trickle down.

A leader can create, and teams need, transparent environments where all stakeholders and team members feel safe and empowered to share ideas and communicate openly. At a minimum, Stoic thinking and behavior enable us to create a place where people aren’t punished for taking calculated risks and trying new things. Transparency breeds trust, accountability and cooperation. It motivates team members to become more involved and take ownership.

It heals people to help others. And it heals groups to witness courage and empathetic displays among leaders and peers – it shows them the way.

Virtue 4 | Temperance: Encouraging Self-Control and Harmony

Temperance is the Stoic virtue of self-discipline. It calls for moderating your desires and emotions and resisting excess—such as with anger, ambition, or indulgence—and acting with restraint.

Imagine a high-stakes meeting where one of the leaders says something unnecessarily provocative to a colleague. That colleague decides, instead of taking the bait, to reduce the tension for all and give a measured response that de-escalates the potential conflict so all can move forward and handle the balance of the meeting. Often the calmest voice in the room, not the loudest, is the most effective.

From showing composure under stress to patience with difficult colleagues to restraint in heated discussions, temperance and self-control directly improve behavior in group settings by fostering consistency and empathy (a significant Stoic theme as demonstrated above). Companies can heal their people and help them get through tough situations by modeling Stoic leadership and providing stress management resources, helping employees stay steady, considerate, and productive.

Letting Our Stoic Virtues Heal Our Workplaces – and Ourselves

Over time, a workplace that reduces negative interactions and decreases volatility, while incentivizing empathy, restraint, and a sense of communal good becomes a truly thriving and dynamic workplace.

The Stoic virtues offer a robust framework for making this kind of workplace a reality.

Wisdom ensures decisions are rational and mature, justice promotes fairness, collaboration, and kindness, courage builds resilience and accountability, and temperance maintains harmony through self-control.

Jennifer S. Bankston heads strategic marketing and communications agency Bankston Marketing.