Leadership in Homer's, The Odyssey

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Recommended: Ancient perspectives on leadership

"'Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership,'" (Colin Powell). In the article "23 Traits of a Good Leader" the author, Rachel Farrell speaks about different types of leaders, how every leader is different, and reveals the twenty-three traits of a good leader. In the article "Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader", the author, Barbara White informs the reader on the seven qualities of a good leader and explains each characteristic in detail. In Homer's, The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus displays many leadership traits, one of these traits being courage when he encounters the alluring Sirens in the book of "The Sirens". The second characteristic of a leader that Odysseus exhibits in The Odyssey is fearlessness, when he confronts the Cyclops who is a lot more preponderant than himself. The third and final leadership quality that Odysseus presents in The Odyssey is staying calm in times of crisis, because he remains calm when the crew confront Scylla and Charybdis when the rest of his crew is frightened and panicking. In the epic The Odyssey, Odysseus displays the qualities of a good leader.
"In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role," (Barbara White, author of "Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader"). In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus shows confidence, which according to Barbara White is an essential characteristic of a good leader. In The Odyssey, Odysseus shows confidence in many ways, shapes, and forms. One of the most prominent forms of ...

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...hrough the tough situation and remains focused on the main purpose... to get himself and his men out of the strait alive and unharmed.
In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus displays courage when he faces the evil Sirens in the tale of "The Sirens". Odysseus also reveals the characteristic of fearlessness when he confronts the ginormous Cyclops in the tale of "The Cyclops". Lastly, Odysseus displays the feature of remaining calm when him and his crew confronted the man eating monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus displays qualities that are crucial to being a great leader. Therefore, in Homer's epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus displays the qualities of a good leader.

Works Cited
Farrell, Rachel. "23 Traits of Good Leaders." CNN 3 Aug. 2011: 1-5. Print.

White, Barbara. "Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader." Ezine Articles. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

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