The Leadership Dialogue: Modern Leaders and the Timeless Values of Greece
This initiative, curated by Vicky Evangeliou, Founder of VSN HUB, highlights the connection between ancient Greek philosophy and modern leadership, exploring how timeless values such as virtue, responsibility, and innovation can inspire leaders in an era of global uncertainty. Through interviews with distinguished leaders and interactive dialogues, the series showcases Greece’s potential as a source of guidance for the global business landscape, demonstrating that its culture and values remain both relevant and impactful.
Τheodore Liakopoulos: The Leader’s Strength Lies in Being Present for His People
The dialogue begins with Mr Theodore Liakopoulos. one of the most influential leaders in the healthcare sector in Greece, with extensive experience in management and business strategy.
With his passion for human-centric leadership and the development of sustainable strategies, Mr. Liakopoulos has excelled in combining efficiency with human values. His leadership is grounded in principles reminiscent of the philosophy of the great ancient Greeks, emphasizing transparency, collaboration, and responsibility.
In his interview, he shares his personal views on the connection between Greek philosophy and modern leadership.
Leadership is a blend of vision, ethical values, and a well-structured action plan. A leader must not only guide based on high ideals and inspire their team but also implement practical solutions that promote growth and innovation. Vision must be closely connected to ethical principles that foster transparency, collaboration, and responsibility.
How do you align your vision as a leader with the daily operations of the company? Plato emphasized the importance of the ideal—a higher vision that guides our actions. How do you believe a leader should inspire their team toward a shared vision?
Successful management
is built on creating
an atmosphere of trust within the team.
From my personal experience, I would say that a leader must be authentic and approachable, consistently present for their team, proactive in taking action, and ready to step up during challenging times for the company.
Successful management is built on creating an atmosphere of trust within the team. Open and transparent communication at all levels of the organization fosters trust and leads to success.
My belief is that a leader should communicate a clear message to the team, provide continuous training and investment, take risks alongside the team, and ultimately celebrate successes as a team while taking responsibility for failures, turning them into lessons learned!
Aristotle emphasized the “golden mean.” How do you balance innovation and stability?
Indeed, the concept of the “golden mean” has its roots in ancient Greece. Striking the perfect balance in any situation is truly magical.
“either we change,
innovate, and move forward,
or we remain stagnant and watch
others surpass us.”
Especially in recent years, we find ourselves in an environment where we all must adapt quickly, integrating innovative technologies and new business techniques and models into our daily lives. There is no magic formula here, but only one path: either we change, innovate, and move forward, or we remain stagnant and watch others surpass us.
The solution, then, is to train our people in embracing change and innovation. Let me share an example from the healthcare sector, an area where I have been actively involved for years. Fortunately, in recent years, healthcare has become closely linked to new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, which naturally requires larger budgets. There is significant debate in our country about how to introduce this technology into the healthcare system.
The “golden mean” here is that we need to invest in order to move forward.
As the saying goes: “Artificial intelligence will never replace doctors, but doctors who use artificial intelligence will replace those who don’t understand it.”
How do you believe Greece, with its rich philosophical and cultural heritage, can serve as a source of timeless principles for the international business community? Which values do you consider most relevant and important for leadership today?
It is evident that the timeless values that emerged from ancient Greek thought are fully applicable to modern business strategies, especially in our time, where we face constant changes, economic crises, and uncertainty.
“the timeless values
that emerged from ancient Greek
thought are fully applicable
to modern business strategies.”
Virtue, responsibility, communication, balance, and innovation can guide modern leadership toward assured success.
The challenge lies in how we can leverage this cultural heritage to inspire businesses at both local and global levels.
An organized effort is needed by local institutions, cultural organizations, universities, and Greek scientists of the diaspora to design a roadmap with specific goals and actions.
In this endeavor, large businesses and corporate executives will stand alongside this initiative, supporting its vision.
Curriculum Vitae
Mr. Theodoros Liakopoulos is one of the most influential leaders in the healthcare sector in Greece, with extensive experience in management and business strategy. With a career that includes leadership roles in top multinational companies, including serving as CEO at Johnson & Johnson Medical, he successfully guided the company’s growth and innovation during challenging and transformative periods.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Management, as well as an MSc in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri, USA. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
Throughout his career, he has served as Chairman of the Medical Devices & Diagnostic Companies Committee of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Board of Directors at AmCham, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Association of Medical Devices and Diagnostics Companies, and a member of the Board of Directors at ACEO (Association of Chief Executive Officers). Additionally, he was a member of the Board of Directors at IPE (Hellenic Sales Institute) and a member of the Board of Directors at SEIV (Greek MedTech Association).
He is a member of the VSN HUB Ancient Greek Culture in Business and Tourism Advisory Panel.
