A True Leader

What is the difference between a good leader and a bad leader? What does it take to be a leader? Have we surrounded ourselves with the best leaders possible?

The idea I want to discuss challenges the notion that you have to be in a high-ranking position to be considered a “leader” in war. Put simply, I think the answer is no. We mentioned in class that leaders should possess “experience, wisdom, hindsight, honesty, trustworthiness, and etc.” I don’t disagree with these qualities in a leader, but I think not all of these must be considered. There is more to a true leader than just these qualities, and rank is much less part of that. Further in class, we questioned the ways a warrior should act. Merging the idealized presentation of a leader and a warrior together, we can talk about Homeric characters in The Iliad, and the flaws in Homer’s thinking, and also a leader and a warrior in modern terms.

We must understand whom we surround ourselves with when going to battle. Which would you rather have, men (I am being politically incorrect) who fight alongside you or men who fight with you from behind a desk in Washington? Speaking for myself, I would like to fight with men who fight alongside me. In strictly a Homeric sense, warriors are men (in the most general sense) who fight valiantly with skill and foresight. Typically, I see these warriors depicted as leaders in The Iliad, and there seems to be no mistaking that thought. Homer leaves out of the story’s core what I believe to be true warriors or leaders or both – the actual common, “disposable” men fighting amongst characters like Achilles and Hector. In this manner, I think we falsely perceive leaders and warriors in our modern culture to be greater than they actually are, or we give them too much credit. Especially now, who are the actual leaders and warriors of our country?

I do not mean to downplay the significance of past or future leaders with rank, like the President. I can find exception to my argument by talking about Alexander the Great who fought among his soldiers across Europe and Asia. But, even if there is a modern day case of this, we must question who we surround ourselves with in battle. The very leader and warrior one needs may be himself, or his best friend shooting the M16 right next to him.

It is important to realize that not every so-called “leader” is the best or has what it takes. The superficial leaders may be easy to pick out. True leaders may not have all the experience or wisdom desired to win a battle, but that doesn’t mean they cannot win one, and with more integrity and valor than that of a leader who pretends to fight. Further, we must recognize that Homer twists true leadership in The Iliad, with characters like Achilles and Agamemnon. In my eyes, neither of them are great leaders. Patroclus acts more like a leader and warrior than anyone else. Homer idealizes what seems to me to be the wrong persona to adopt when trying to be seen as a leader. Honor through action and glory don’t have to be the underlying motives in a fighter. A person just wanting to stay alive is motive enough for me to win a battle. If we do not assume the idealized sense of a leader and a warrior, I think we could see much more progress in future wars, or in avoiding wars. Thus, I think you have to question who you surround yourself with in battle, and if that person is a leader to you --barring conventional wisdom -- and if not, where you can find a true leader.