In our first session of the 2026 Tech Leaders Salon, we discussed my book, Philosophy for Business Leaders. It was an engaging and insightful conversation, and it was the first time that I actually had the chance to discuss my book in this format. It was a good opportunity to see what resonated with other readers.
What stuck with me from the discussion is the following (at least in the professional context):
- Philosophy is useless, but it’s a mindset, a process that can add value because it helps us become more self-aware, ask better questions, navigate uncertainty, and understand better any subject matter we’re interested in.
- But ask too many questions and you can easily become persona non grata, so context is also important.
- It can get lonely at the top, and communication channels between leaders, managers, and directors could easily break or fail. This is why it’s important to examine oneself, ask questions, shift perspectives, and listen attentively to others.
- Communication is a two-way street, but the onus is on managers and leaders to ensure that a space is created to share ideas, concerns, and explore new paths.
- Asking questions is vital to identify underlying problems and issues, and to figure out whether what we’re trying to solve is actually a “problem or a symptom of a deeper problem.”
- There’s a difference between building a solution (which could be to a non-existent problem: e.g., “we need to implement AI now!”) vs. figuring out a solution to the actual problem or potential problem.
- Context matters across different layers: if you’re in a stable corporate environment, the philosophical mindset approach would differ from a startup context. The types of uncertainty each face, the problem-solving each deals with, and the questions each asks may differ depending on a variety of factors.
- Understanding the goal or vision might be even more helpful in getting everyone onboard: you can either tell someone that you’re building a wall, or let them understand that you’re attempting to build a castle.
- Well, if you decide to build a castle or a wall to consolidate your security when the attacks are executed by rockets, then someone might need to give you a Socratic reality check.
Conclusion
Philosophy is useless, and that’s why we read Heidegger in February.
PS: It seems that all job descriptions include the requirement that people are comfortable working in “fast-paced environments,” but the reality is often far from an F1 dynamic. Not to mention that “mission-critical” seems to clearly not be as mission-critical after all.