Odyssey Leadership Essay
Odysseus’ Leadership Qualities
Leadership is a trait or characteristic that one does not have, but adapts to. A leader is someone who is in charge, and guides and instructs a crew to reach their destination. Leadership is something that you develop overtime from observations and experience. One of the greatest leaders in The Odyssey is Odysseus, because of his ability to make sacrifices, his trust in his men, and his role model-like qualities.
Firstly. Odysseus is a good leader because of his ability to make sacrifices. A leader has to be able to give up some things in order to receive more aid or advantages on their journey. While Odysseus plans to leave Aiaia with his crew, Kirke tells him that he will either have to go by Skylla and lose six of his men, or go by Kharbydis and be at a huge risk to lose his whole crew. Kirke says, “… hug the cliff of Skylla, take your ship/through on a racing stroke. Better to morn/six men then lose them all, and the ship, too.” (XII.128-30). Odysseus understands that he has to get by these monsters so that they can get back to Ithaka and he knows that he has to sacrifice six me than the whole crew. Another thing that Odysseus has to sacrifice for his men and his journey is his loyalty. On the island of Aiaia, once all of his men had turned into pigs, Odysseus received advice from Hermes, the messenger god. He had told Odysseus, “she will cower and yield her bed-/a pleasure you must not decline,/so may her lost and fear bestead you and your friends…” (X.333-6). Odysseus has to sleep with Kirke to save himself and his men from her powers. He has to sacrifice his loyalty for Penelope to help him complete his journey home. Sacrificing loyalty and some of your dearly beloved crew members are ways that Odysseus exhibits sacrifices for the benefit of his crew while he is leading them back home.
A good leader also has trust in his men, something Odysseus expresses throughout the epic. He has faith in them and guides them through
Leadership is a trait or characteristic that one does not have, but adapts to. A leader is someone who is in charge, and guides and instructs a crew to reach their destination. Leadership is something that you develop overtime from observations and experience. One of the greatest leaders in The Odyssey is Odysseus, because of his ability to make sacrifices, his trust in his men, and his role model-like qualities.
Firstly. Odysseus is a good leader because of his ability to make sacrifices. A leader has to be able to give up some things in order to receive more aid or advantages on their journey. While Odysseus plans to leave Aiaia with his crew, Kirke tells him that he will either have to go by Skylla and lose six of his men, or go by Kharbydis and be at a huge risk to lose his whole crew. Kirke says, “… hug the cliff of Skylla, take your ship/through on a racing stroke. Better to morn/six men then lose them all, and the ship, too.” (XII.128-30). Odysseus understands that he has to get by these monsters so that they can get back to Ithaka and he knows that he has to sacrifice six me than the whole crew. Another thing that Odysseus has to sacrifice for his men and his journey is his loyalty. On the island of Aiaia, once all of his men had turned into pigs, Odysseus received advice from Hermes, the messenger god. He had told Odysseus, “she will cower and yield her bed-/a pleasure you must not decline,/so may her lost and fear bestead you and your friends…” (X.333-6). Odysseus has to sleep with Kirke to save himself and his men from her powers. He has to sacrifice his loyalty for Penelope to help him complete his journey home. Sacrificing loyalty and some of your dearly beloved crew members are ways that Odysseus exhibits sacrifices for the benefit of his crew while he is leading them back home.
A good leader also has trust in his men, something Odysseus expresses throughout the epic. He has faith in them and guides them through