What is a leader? A leader is someone who takes command and leads an organization or group to success. Anyone can be a leader but in order to become a great leader you have to have to possess certain characteristics. I will be using Odysseus from the Odyssey isas an example of a leader who has suitable characteristics. You also have to know what harmful characteristics a leader may possess to determine if they are good leaders or not.
It is imperative that a leader should obtain knowledge. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has demonstrated his knowledge or wisdom whenever he figures out a solution for a tough situation. “I drew all my wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man will for dear life, until a trick came-- and it pleased
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People look up to men who have courage because they can rely on them to stay strong and brave in spite of danger or difficulty. “We felt pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man, but all the same I spoke up in reply.” Odysseus in the Odyssey expresses courage by answering to the enormous, frightening cyclops even when he and his men knew that they were caught up in a dangerous situation.
Leaders should also possess confidence or faith, in themselves and in others. Odysseus is a great example of a confident leader because he never gives up on himself or his men. “More fearsome is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in a cave?...Did i not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?” Odysseus inspires and gives his men a boost of confidence in themselves whenever they lost their oars at sea.
Empathy is the last characteristic a leader should have that is listed. A leader should definitely be able to understand and share feelings with their men. “ deathly pity ran me through at that sight-- far the worst I ever suffered.” This quote from the Odyssey shows that Odysseus deeply cares about his men, so when Scylla ate six of his best men he felt great despair hence the words “the worst I ever suffered.” No one wants a leader who does not care if anything happens to them, they want someone who will listen and protect
...at he has to say. Honestly I think that Odysseus was is a great leader because, he tried his best to keep his crew safe, he never gave up on them; even if they were in a bad situation.
Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the reader or viewer has the opportunity to see the story’s main protagonist make leadership decisions, and take actions, that range from critical to minor in terms of importance. But the fact is that Odysseus is a leader. And that is the key thing to keep in mind no matter how you experience the poem.
To start, Odysseus was not even close to being a strong leader because he put himself and his crew in danger when they were fighting the Cyclops. He had his crew tied under rams all night to attack. Then, after defeating the Cyclops he became too cocky and said his name in front of the Cyclops; not only did this put Odysseus in danger but also his crew now that the Cyclops knows his identity. For example when the text says "Cyclops, if ever mortal man can inquire how you were put to shame and blinded tell him Odysseus, raider of the cities, took your eye: Laertes' son, whose home's on Ithaca!" Giving away the location and identity of himself was not a smart or smart decision to make for his crew.
His journey starts east from Troy to Ísmaros. Odysseus and the Akhaian forces battle with Kikonês. Odysseus, knowing of the Kikonês’ skill, intelligently order back out to sea. They refuse and, in return, many are killed. Here, Odysseus’ intelligence would have saved the men, if they would have listened. Though they failed to obey, Odysseus exhibited patience as he did not hold them at fault.
It is no wonder why many scholars refer to Odysseus as a powerful mythic hero. " Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses his reason and gift to evaluate things. This patience is one of his most important additional attributes"(library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/odysseus.html). It saved him and his men many times.
First things first myself and odysseys share this trait called leadership the first reason I say that we both have leadership. Well you see odysseus and his crew went threw this cave and faced scylla which is a 6 headed monster he said to his crew nothing because they could do nothing.Just like at one time me and my team had a deadline for a project and nobody was motivated to do it. The deadline was in a couple days and we finished and got a okay grade. Still not convinced that we share this trait? Fine then what about when Odysseus showed leadership when they were trapped in a cave with a man eating cyclops and Odysseus could have killed him for killing his men but he held back. Because he knew that they would die if they killed him because
Some of Odysseus’ most recognizable traits are his bravery and leadership. One thing that shows his bravery was his escape from Polyphemus. He was courageous to stab out Polyphemus’s eyes using a burning pole. Odysseus states: "I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead." This example involving the Cyclops shows that one of Odysseus’ great traits is his leadership. He is not the type of leader that sits on safe land while he sends his men in to fight, but a leader who engages in battle with his men. There are also times when many men are afraid, but Odysseus shows he's in not letting anything get in his way and speaks up when nobody will: "We all felt pressure in our hearts, but I spoke up in reply." He was fearless enough to take risks. Odysseus said: "Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, then when we faced Cyclops?" This quote shows that in time of danger, Odysseus is willing to put his life in jeopardy and not give up. Odysseus had the heart of a fighter, he would battle whenever necessary, no matter who his opponent was, in this case the Cyclops. Most epic heroes are aided and guarded by gods wh...
Odysseus is a weak and inadequate leader because he fails to earn the respect of his men time in and time out. Odysseus’ men attempt to steal from him and unknowingly unleash the bag of winds that was given to Odysseus by Aiolos (166, 49-550). A great leader has the respect of his men. Odysseus’ men disrespect him in this excerpt by attempting to rob Odysseus. Therefore, Odysseus is not an adequate leader since his men disrespect him by stealing from him. Also, at a later page in the book, one of his men refuse to follow Odysseus into danger and tells Odysseus, “You cannot return, I know it” (173, 293). A skillful leader has the
Wisdom is the key to survival and life. In the The Odyssey Homer writes, “I had touched the spot when sudden fear stayed me: If I killed him we perish there as well, for we could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside”(Hom. Od. 9.205). This explains how Odysseus first wanted to kill Polyphemus, but with his wisdom, Odysseus discovered that if he killed Polyphemus his crew would be trapped and eventually wither away. Additionally, in the film The Odyssey, Polyphemus asks Odysseus what his name is, to which Odysseus’ response is “My name is Nohbdy”(The Odyssey). Here Odysseus’ wisdom leads to the survival of his crew. Thus Polyphemus moves the slab to open the cave and when he attempts to call out for help, no one responds due to the name Nohbdy which is basically hinting that nobody is hurting him. Odysseus saves his crew many times with his wisdom, essentially making him a first-rate
In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus fails as a leader by prioritizing his reputation over his crew’s safety after defeating the cyclops Polyphemus. In the story, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, travels to Troy to fight against the Trojans. On his journey back to Ithaca, a string of damaging incidents lead him to a mysterious island, which he later discovers is inhabited by the murderous cyclops Polyphemus. His crew manages to escape the cyclops, but not before Polyphemus kills several of Odysseus’s crew. Odysseus escapes and could have sailed away peacefully, but he calls out to Polyphemus to suggest that “if anyone, any mortal man, asks you how you got your eye put out, tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it,” (IX, 500-502). This prompts Polyphemus to lob a rock, nearly destroying Odysseus's ship. It is odd that this was
In The Odyssey, Homer (translated by Robert Fitzgerald) uses repetition of both Odysseus’s positive actions and mistakes in guiding the Ithacan men during situations of conflict to show that in the face of adversity a good leader uses skill and logic to be successful in overcoming obstacles in a courageous and noble fashion. Odysseus strengthens as a leader during his duration of travel with the Ithacan men, using his logic and problem solving skills showing signs of an effective leader. Odysseus manages to save the majority of his men’s lives by sailing closer to Scylla instead of Charybdis, “No, hug the the cliff of Scylla, take your ship/ through on a racing stroke. Better to mourn/ six men than lose them all, and the ship, too” (Homer
A leader is described as a person who guides others and has authority and influence over others. They work to influence others into meeting certain goals. There is no right or wrong definition of a leader and there is no recipe that ensures effective leadership. Successful leaders have a good balance of vision, influence, and power. Leaders gain their authority from their ability to influence others to get the work done; because of this, anyone has the potential to be a leader. (Finkelman. 2012, p15)
Odysseus has shown the qualities of a hero in The Odyssey. Odysseus can be described in many words, and among those is confident. Odysseus was able to overcome the wildest of challenges that the army faced and overcame adversity through perseverance and a strong will to keep fighting along with the gift of strength and intelligence in war. Odysseus was able to fight of creatures such as the Cyclopes and spend long days and nights out on sea for months and maybe years at a time while Poseidon was angry with Odysseus and sent the dangerous of waters to Odysseus. And when Odysseus finally returns home he unleashes his fury on the suitors that tried to replace the throne of Ithaca with one of their own and take all of the belongings which Odysseus had owned. Odysseus the strategist is what Odysseus is called and so he absolutely is a mastermind at strategy. After all, he did come up with the idea of the Trojan Horse, perhaps one of the greatest war stories ever told.
Is a leader as defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, merely one who leads - synonymous with a boss? Or something more? I believe that a leader is much more than that and can be defined in any number of ways. In attempting to define a leader personally, I will use both myself and others as examples.
What is leadership? Leadership is defined as a process by which a individual will influence others to obtain goals. Leaders will guide, direct motivate, or inspire others. Leadership is defined by not only traits but actions as well. Leaders are inspirational, trustworthy and charismatic. Many people may think a manger is leader. Although leadership and management go hand in hand, they are not the same. Everyone has their own beliefs about what characteristics an effective leader should have. To me, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and having a vision are few characteristics of becoming an effective leader. A leader is not only born, but made. Some are born as leaders or some are made to be leaders.