Odysseus As A Good Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

Being a good leader can take time and effort and although mistakes are involved one must keep going. Odysseus went through the struggle of becoming a good leader throughout his journey but he showed his good leadership through his thought out plans, quick decision making, and compassion towards his crew. The first way Odysseus showed his good leadership was with his well thought out plans. In book IX, line 377-393 Odysseus decided to get the cyclops drunk. He decides that if the cyclops is drunk and not in the right state of mind it will help with the rest of his plan. He wants the cyclops to be weak so when he stabs him, he will have a lessening reaction. Also in book IX, lines 397-398 Odysseus lies about his name. This may seem silly but when Odysseus and his men stab him in the eye he screams out to the other cyclops.

Well known actor Christopher Reeve mentioned, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher explained that heroes can be just normal people that do extraordinary things. Odysseus did some superior deeds, but he wasn’t consistent with his deeds. He made plenty of poor decisions that cost not just himself but his crewmen. These are the reasons why Odysseus was a poor leader because of his arrogant and forgetful actions.

Although, Odysseus has positive traits that contribute to his status as a god hero, he often times display bad traits, but that does not mean he is a bad leader. Odysseus lacked to be a good leader when him and his men were on the way to Ithaca. He failed to tell them what was going on when they arrived and failed to tell them how long they were staying. His men relied on him to prepare them on what was going to happen during their journey. His men expected Odysseus to make decisions for his crew because he was their leader. Odysseus is arrogant and thinks he outsmarts everybody he knows. When Odysseus gets advice from Circe about Scylla, telling Odysseus not to fight with Scylla, Odysseus does not listen. Scylla was inmortal and could not

Everyone is capable of being affectionate, positive, kind, and caring. But with those qualities comes pride, envy, greed, and wrath. The Odyssey is a myth formed about the absurd journey of the human, Odysseus. As a hero from the Trojan War, his mission was to bring his men back home after ten years of hardship. Little did he know, only half of his expedition was over. Odysseus faced off against the burly Laestrygonians, the atrocious Scylla, and the desperate Calypso. He had many peaks and valleys throughout his journey, solely caused by his positive and negative qualities as a leader. In the story of the “Odyssey,” the hero Odysseus embodies an ineffective and effective leader. Odysseus is strategic in navigating the obstacles he faces, however, he is selfish in his desires, and his ego prompts failure, which demonstrates to the reader the Greek

Leadership. It is a trait that is valued in almost any form of society. Whether it be leadership in the workplace or leadership on the battlefield, leadership is a prized capability for people. But, according to Colin Powell, this valued leadership trait can be lost at the hands of the followers of that leader. If these followers no longer trust their leader with their problems, then that person is no longer their leader. And, this statement does have some validity. While the raw talents of a leader are valuable to a group, ultimately, the success of the leader is contingent on whether or not the leader acknowledges and includes his followers. Therefore, Powell’s point is agreeable to a large extent, as it is imperative that the followers not only

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.

In Homer's The Odyssey Odysseus can be seen as a terrible leader. This point can be very easily seen from the many fails of his pirating career. One may also see him as a very strong and good leader, but what are the major points for this belief? For example, one episode that his good leadership is shown is when Odysseus saves his men from complete destruction on the Cyclopes island. He helped his men escape from the cannibal ways of Polyphemus by tying them to the underside of goats, "and with that threat he let my ram go free outside." (9.515). Odysseus even gets his men out to their ship safely, ". . . and a welcome sight we were to loyal comrades- we who'd escaped our deaths." (9.520-521). Another episodic example is when Odysseus helped

Leadership Odysseus in Homer’s book, “The Odyssey,”, tends to fail at four major parts which contributes to making him a terrible leader. As we go along through the book, we learn that Odysseus has major personality flaws that would have remained if he had been able to go home instantaneously (versus a 10 year journey). Instead, Athena the goddess of wisdom, helps him learn that in order to get home, he must learn how to avoid violence and temptation, stop being egoistic, and have better leadership skills. We accept responsibility when we choose to be a leader.

A leader is a person who leads or commands his group, organization, or country. Odysseus is such a person in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Odysseus shows strength, bravery and cleverness in a variety of struggles to prove he is a great leader.

In the novel, The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus is portrayed as a leader who must overcome a multitude of challenges. He is similar to Oprah Winfrey because of the struggles she had to overcome to get where she is today. Odysseus and Oprah share similar qualities as leaders, heroes and renown role models because of their strong desire to never give up. They are different because of their way of thinking and dealing with situations. Although people think Oprah is a more significant hero than Odysseus because of his flawed nature, Odysseus and Oprah are both brazen leaders because of their ability to use words and actions to empower the people around them.

Odysseus is not a good leader because he is foolish. Whenever Odysseus is sent on a new journey, he ends up causing problematic situations with his crew. He doesn't think before he acts when it comes to exploring new places. “ We climbed, then briskly, to the cave. But Cyclops had gone afield, to pasture his fat sheep, so we looked around at everything inside.

“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” -Chris Hadfield Being a leader consists of honesty, integrity and respect, yet Odysseus struggles to show these skills. There are many examples to prove that Odysseus is not an effective leader. Even though Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he showed poor leadership skills on his journey. Odysseus is not an strong leader because he is secretive with his men, he is very careless, and he is very gullible.

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.

Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus has shown various qualities of a weak leader. For one, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus unnecessarily. This leads him and his men being “cursed” to never return home or to kill all of Odysseus’s men. This shows Odysseus is a bad leader because he is excessively prideful and egotistical. He often lets those traits make decisions for him, and this causes poor fortune for him and his men. Another example of Odysseus being a bad leader is when he accepts the fate of his men instead of trying to find a loophole that would save them. Along with his crew’s fate, his decision to listen to the sirens was also a foolish decision. There could have been a lot of time saved if his men were not preoccupied with keeping Odysseus

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.