A Great Leader Of The Past

The first characteristic of a great leader is being loved by their people. By way of example Jane Simmons wrote “ an aggressive military leader, he was feared but also admired by people in other land.” Sulieman scared the people that he needed to scare but he was admired by the people he helped. Also in Amit carters queen Elizabeth I summary it says “she was thought of as a good and wise ruler who was truly thought of as a good ruler

What is leadership, and how do we attain the best and most effective leaders? These are questions that are as old as civilization itself. Bass (1974) wrote that, “from its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders” (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 50). Since the study of history in the West is commonly held to begin with Herodotus of ancient Athens, it is not surprising that we should examine the historical views of leadership through the eyes of two titans of Greek thought: Plato and Aristotle.

What truly makes a great leader? Someone with concern for others, leadership in the most direst of situations, determination in battle, and remarkable achievements. Alexander III had all of these traits to be classified as a great leader. The mark he made was one of determination that led him to expand his empire over 3,000 miles in only fifteen years. Alexander was great because of his remarkable achievements, extraordinary concern for others, and unmatchable determination.

There are a variety of ways to define both leader and leadership. There is not, however, a clear definition of how to become one. There is no set list of mandatory traits, either innate or learned, that a person must embody to be considered successful or proved a failure. What I feel it takes is the right mix of strengths and weaknesses in a given situation to demonstrate effectiveness. No one person has abilities without accompanying deficiencies. It’s all in the way they are balanced. The balance in the way one uses his or hers’ abilities will ultimately determine the type of leadership one has throughout time. To support these claims I will examine a well-known leader throughout the military, General James “Mad Dog” Mattis. This essay

Leonidas was a king of ancient Sparta, the seventeenth of the Agiad line. He succeeded to the throne

When you think leader, some think kings like William the Conqueror, others think of Prime Ministers such Winston Churchill, or even the leaders of the civil rights movement Martin Luther King Jr. They were all great men and had their time in the sun as great leaders, and they were some of the greatest leaders of their respective times and generations. There are many characteristics that go into a great leader. Things such as measurable things like education and votes in elections are easy to see and give a good impression. The greatest leader must have some of those measurable in his life time. Along with those easily visible things you need a multitude of other

Is Odysseus a Good Leader? The Odyssey is an ancient piece of literature that follows Odysseus and his crew on an impossible misshapen ten-year return from the Trojan War, as they sail from story to be told to story to be told. Throughout the Odyssey we see Odysseus in charge of as many as twelve ships at once and this begs the question, is Odysseus really a true leader? A leader is defined as “a person or thing that leads” so by definition Odysseus is a leader however more specifically we want to know is he a good leader?

A leader and a great leader have two very different meanings, but are seperated by one word. A leader is defined as someone who commands a group. A great leader is defined as an above average person who commands a group. Odysseus falls under the category of a great leader. He does everything he can to save his men, even if it hurts himself. He knows what information he can give to his men, and what he shouldn’t, because he wants to keep their hopes up. He also doesn’t give up even when times are rough.

What makes a good leader? A good leader is wise and brave. A good leader fights for the people they are protecting. That is why Odysseus is classified as a good leader. He always does what best for his men. Odysseus is a good leader because he saves his men on multiple occasions, he does not leave his men even though he has many opportunities to, and does everything he can to protect his men.

A Spartan poet Tyrtaeus once said "You should reach the limit of virtue, before you cross the border of death." Great leaders show unparalleled moral standards. They must also never give up in what they believe and fight till death takes them. Leonidas is a perfect example of these virtues. Leonidas wasn’t your average kind of person who grew up in Chelan, Washington and went to school; no he was a Spartan. He was raised in Sparta, Greece in the year 540 B.C. Leonidas became the warrior king of Sparta because of his superior military skills, after the death of his older brother who had been tortured to death (History.com Staff). He showed his superior military strategies at the battle of Thermopylae by saving his troops. Leonidas showed his

A good leader is someone with certain characteristics that make them good at leading. For example, “If you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise. And then the occasion slipped by so you had to grab at a

As Warren Bennis, Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California, once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This can be interpreted to mean that one can be classified as a leader if he or she can put a plan into action. A leader is often like a visionary, and forward thinkers are needed in society. A visionary has a vivid imagination who makes dreams come true. They provide a backbone in society, helping to plan what is to come in the future that would be most beneficial. Without a leader that has the qualities of a visionary, no civilization has a bright future. Julius Caesar, Roman general-turned-ruler, was a historical visionary who fit Warren Bennis’ description of a leader. Possibly one of the most well-known Roman figures, Caesar extensively pushed Rome to one of its best eras, despite Caesar himself having a bit of a dark side. Even though Caesar seized power in the Roman Empire and named himself “Dictator For Life,” Julius Caesar was a great leader. He helped to expand the empire into France, as well as glorifying Rome through architectural projects and reforms. Overall, ?

On the other hand, Leonidas showed a great affiliation to his nation’s traditions and customs during his life. He never gave up in his defense for freedom because he knew it was his responsibility to stay and fight bravely for his nation. As Demaratus told Xerxes, “there is no way they will ever accept any terms of slavery” (Herodotus 176) and Leonidas never did. Demaratus also said that Spartans would oppose Xerxes “in battle even if all the other Greeks come around to your way of thinking” (Herodotus 176) and, although this was not the case, Leonidas always acted as a man of values who would never give up. In fact, he never thought about the possibility of giving up. Leonidas was a fighter, a man who would fight until his last drop of blood was spilled, a Spartan. We see, therefore, a big difference between Xerxes and Leonidas. While Xerxes is a powerful king who does not care about his culture’s trait, Leonidas was a brave king who always follows his culture’s traditions. Consequently, according to Herodotus’ point of view, Leonidas’ is the truly heroic king because he follows his culture’s traits under any circumstances.

John Maxwell once said, “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” What is a leader? A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way. Qualities of a good leader require courage, charisma, strength, knowledge and wisdom, good morals and power. All of these qualities of leadership boil down to what is known as integrity. Integrity is doing what is morally correct; it requires honesty, making the “right” decisions for the community, taking the blame, and being selfless. A good leader should possess all these qualities in order to be capable of leading and gaining respect from others. Cassius was set at such a high place of being a leader, but Brutus proved he would’ve been a better fit for the title.

I believe that to be a good leader doesn’t necessarily define as someone who sets a goal and directs people to achieve it, but as someone who may have to adapt to change based off their surroundings and situations. A leader should be someone who is able to guide with not only direction but also logic, understanding, and an open mind. Oskar Schindler proved with continued leadership that even the most dismal situations may be able to change your values and based off those values change your actions and the direction in which you choose to lead and how you influence.