Comprehensive Leadership Analysis Essay
Many things can make or break a leader. Whether it's your mom, dad, teacher, or coach, they all share similar qualities that make us classify them as leaders in the first place. Leaders, such as Odysseus, can be confident and brave, but having a brain poisoned with selfishness and taking advantage of your followers can alter people's opinions on them. Leadership is not controlling, but it is helping people achieve a goal as a whole.
Advantageous Qualities of a Leader
As a leader, the qualities you should possess are bravery and confidence. Without these, you will have nothing that distincts you as an influence to others, so there is no point for them to follow you. Throughout the book The Odyssey, Odysseus has shown these qualities in his actions and with his words.
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One of the first parts about leadership is bringing everybody together. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and some of his crew members go to explore an island inhabited by Cyclopes. He expresses confidence when they encounter a Cyclopes and he is speaking with it. He says, “We felt a pressure on our hearts, indread of that deep rumble and that mighty man. But all the same I spoke up in reply,” this quote shows that he believes in himself to convince the Cyclops their reason for being on the island. Though his crew members might have been frightened, Odysseus was able to maintain his cool is the eyes (or eye) of a being much stronger and far more powerful than
Leadership appears multiple times throughout the story and is a common theme throughout. One of the most important times leadership was shown was when they had been captured by the cyclops near the beginning when they wanted help getting home and Odysseus had lead his men with courage even though they were terrified. “Now by the gods, I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up:no quitting now.” (p# 904) This particular quote is quite important because the men needed to do this to escape, but if they were to fail they would most definitely die. They were scared and Odysseus is the one who decided to keep their courage up. In modern times we rely on leaders but sometimes they can act foolish. It is nice to know that the king of a country was able to take such a high amount of
Peter Drucker said, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” Homer proves this point in The Odyssey, which is an epic poem, and the main character is Odysseus. Odysseus is on his way back from the Trojan War and everyone returns back to Ithaca beside him, he is being held against his will, by Calypso, on Ogygia. He soon will be faced with problems that come about all because of himself. Some people like Odysseus are not fit to be a leader because he is arrogant, foolish, and a liar.
Odysseus Can be a good leader because he gets his crew out of some bad situations, To start off Odysseus got his crew out of the cyclops’s cave. “So, we seized our stake with its fiery tip and bored it round and round in the giant's eye” (9.435). This quote shows how Odysseus use a stick (more like a pole) and stuck it in the fire and when the cyclops fell asleep Odysseus took the stick and jabbed it into the giant's eye and escaped with most of his crew. Another way that Odysseus can be a good leader is that he got his crew out of Circe’s palace, even after she turned all of the crew into pigs. “Flinging open the pens, drove forth my men, who looked like full-grown swine” (10.429). This quote is showing that Circe is letting Odysseus’s crew out of the pen and releasing them, but in exchange Odysseus would have to sleep with Circe and stay
After reading about Odysseus in the first part of The Odyssey he may seem like a good leader. Nobody had thought that deeper in the epic Odysseus’ actions made him turn out to be a bad leader. Homer’s epic The Odyssey is about how Odysseus and his men are journeying back home to Ithaca from the Trojan War. He encountered many obstacles along his journey that cost him the lives of his men. Odysseus faced atrocious monsters, foxy nymphs, and gods out for revenge. The journey that he completed tested his skills not only as leader, but as a human too. Odysseus proves himself to be a bad leader due to him being deceitful, oppressive, and dramatic.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus is an amazing leader because, time after time, get his men out of difficult situations. For example, Odysseus gets his men out of a difficult situation on the island of cyclops. He does this by blinding the eye of the cyclops, then riding out on the sheep when they get let out, saving most of his men. He felt the urge to get his men out because they were getting eaten. He is a good leader because he cares for his men and gets them out of difficult situations. Odysseus also saves his men when they are with Circe. She turns half of them into pigs, so to keep the other half human, he slept with her. So she let them stay safe with her for a year because of Odysseus. He saves his men once again by doing this. Some
In the world so chaotic, everybody needs a strong leader to keep things smooth and going. There are different leaders needed in different situations, and the more complicated or dangerous the situation is, the stronger and smarter the leader should be. One of the great examples of a strong leadership that has been described in literature is the one of Odysseus. Odysseus is a hero in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Odysseus is portrayed as a smart, strong and charismatic leader.
Odysseus shows us the true meaning of leadership throughout the Odyssey.In the Odyssey, Odysseus decides to step up and take charge in many aspects of their journey. For example, ”The rest of you loyal friends stay here, while I and my crew take ship and try and find out who these men are,”( Odyssey Book IX 152-192). This shows his leadership because he is ordering the other people to stay by the boat so they can stay safe. Another piece of evidence is,”I ordered the men to cast lots as to which of them should dare to help me raise the stake and twist it into the Cyclops’ eye when sweet sleep took him,”(Odyssey Book IX 307-359). Through Odysseus words, we can tell he is taking charge so they all can return to safety because he cares about them.
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.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus is supposed to be a leader, as that is what epic heroes are supposed to be. However, Odysseus’ examples of leadership show that he is severely lacking in this category. His first example in
In the book “The Odyssey” there were many situations where Odysseus might not have been the strongest leader. I think that he was a strong leader overall in many different circumstances. Towards the beginning of the book when he gets to the first island where they stopped for food and supplies. I think he was a good leader cause he went with them but when they had troubles with the others it wasn't his fault that he lost some of his men. He could not control what happened at that island. Towards the middle of the book when he goes to the underworld to find Teiresias. He goes by himself with none of his men all alone. I think that when he did this it made himself look very tough and strong. Towards the end where he goes by Charybdis and scylla
Odysseus is successful in this task as he punishes only those who deserve it (the suitors and the disloyal). Homer depicts Odysseus as a leader throughout The Odyssey, but this last predicament Odysseus faces is his most iconic one in regards to exhibiting superior leadership. It demonstrates traits of the most ideal leader: consistency, persistence, and good decision-making. With these traits, Odysseus is able to bring balance back to his household after overcoming many other obstacles along the
It takes a very strong set of characteristics to be a strong leader. When I was younger, I was a leader of a small group of people for boy scouts and it took all of my strongest characteristics to become such a good leader. Odysseus for the epic poem entitled The Odyssey is a strong leader as well. He leads an army of men in the battle of troy and they soon become victorious against all odds. It is because of Odysseus’ strong set of characteristics that he is such an accomplished leader.
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has obtained many heroic traits that make him a good leader. Being focused, caring, and thoughtful, are all traits of good leaders. Through his journey to different islands, facing many different obstacles, Odysseus has gained these. Today we can learn from Odysseus’s good leadership traits. We can also learn that the obstacles we face make us better people.
Notably ,“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others,” said Douglas MacArthur. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows these traits and many more during his journey home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. Odysseus must brave monsters, Cyclopes, giants and more, but he is devoted to returning home to his wife and son. Though only Odysseus makes it home in the end, he is able to give hope to his crew that they will all return to Ithaca. Many key choices are made during the trip, and Odysseus proves he can make the right ones. Odysseus is truly committed towards making it home to Ithaca, and does whatever he must do to make it home. These characteristics prove Odysseus is a great leader.
A great leader is one who has the traits to make that him and his men safe throughout the good and bad throughout their journey. One of these traits they need is to be clever, to be able to think quickly and get him and his men out of danger as efficiently and quickly as possible. Another trait needed is to be physically strong to be able to fight in battles and win. Lastly, a leader needs to be intelligent to make plans and know how to execute them in the best way possible. In The Odyssey written by Homer the main character Odysseus displays great cleverness, strength, and intelligence throughout his long journey home to Ithaca.