Scipio was neither active nor successful as a politician, although elected to prestigious roles after Zama. He celebrated his triumph over Hannibal (201). This peculiarly Roman religious ritual is explained and its conventions listed: there had been few in the war, so this was a great occasion. Scipio was not opposed to the war against Philip which Flamininus won at Cynoscephalae (197), nor did they differ over ‘philhellenism’. In 199, Scipio was elected (1) censor and (2) leading senator, princeps senatus. (2) was a one-man post for life; its main privilege was to speak first. As for (1), two censors held office for a limited period; eligibility and duties are explained. Close study of Livy suggests Scipio spoke rarely in the senate during the 190s; his censorship was certainly uneventful and non-controversial. He was consul again in 194. He visited the east (193); his conversation with Hannibal at Ephesus is defended.

One of your biggest challenges as a leader is having difficult conversations with members of your group. These conversations may be necessary for a variety of reasons: (1) they might be underperforming or out of compliance with documentation or billing; (2) they might have conduct that is detrimental to the team; or (3) they seem to be struggling with the team concept and the overall goals of the group. Your success as a leader will be determined primarily by how well you conduct one-on-one meetings, working with “problematic” group members to help them be successful or to find a different path for them, sometime even “managing them out.” This chapter discusses how to have these difficult conversations, using case examples to illustrate different techniques. It goes into how to set up the meeting in advance, setting clear expectations and the right mindsets. It discusses how to plan in advance for how you’d like the meeting to go, as well as having a plan B and plan C for when things don’t go as intended. It discusses how to conduct the meeting, including who should be in the room when it happens. It also describes necessary documentation and follow-up from these meetings, as well as setting expectations and next steps. It concludes with the particularly difficult situation of removing someone from a leadership position.

Most meetings are not run efficiently or effectively, and very few leaders put the time and energy into running a meeting well, not only wasting the time of their audience but their own as well. Without question, some meetings, or at least portions of meetings, are necessarily informative and perfunctory, such as updates on the financial situation of a department or the medical center or school. But not all meetings have to be like that, and nor do all portions of a given meeting. This chapter gives some tips for running an effective meeting, getting the most out of your group in the process, and having the group feel not only updated but engaged, respected, and perhaps even inspired. We talk about how to get people engaged from the get-go and the importance of setting the tone and expectations for meetings at the very start. We discuss the importance of setting the agenda and giving people prework so that they come prepared and ready for discussion. We get into the importance of establishing trust in meetings, so that people can speak freely and without fear of recrimination or attack. We talk about how to foster a constructive dialogue, allowing people to spread their wings and explore their creative sides, but also how to deal with a negative team member who makes others uncomfortable. And we talk about how to wrap up a meeting, discuss next steps, and have the group leave excited for the next meeting. We conclude with how to conduct a retreat for your group.