Alexander the great and his exemplary leadership.

Alexander the great and his exemplary leadership.

By: Dantes, Michelle M.

How do we define a good leadership? When can we say that he/she is a good leader?

Most of the time, we often heard that leaders are born. They usually came from rich and powerful families or some may call them “royalties”. They are well known individuals. But others believe that to become a leader, one should possess those special traits of a leader.  

There are lots of leaders known today. Most of the good leaders were part of the history. In which their greatness will be forever remembered. One of the famous and highly celebrated character known for his leadership was Alexander the great.  He became king at the age of 20 and engaged his self in an amazing 11 years of journey of conquest and fought over 70 battles without a single loss.  With a mere of 32 years life span, he was able to conquer half of the world (India to Egypt).

A good leader must have a vision which empowers his people. A visionary leader should be able to tap into the hopes and dreams of people and create a destination that not only inspires but also challenges them to be better person. It’s not how to accomplish the vision but instead to create environment in which people are free to explore, innovate and experiment. The basis of Alexander’s success as a leader was his ability to inspire his men to think great things and then accomplish them with passion, enthusiasm and commitment. His vision was called “the brotherhood of man” in which he believed would bring together the different cultures into one.

Another thing about leaders is that their focus is their people. They demonstrate fairness towards their followers. In Alexander’s conquest, often times he encountered hard ship, there was a time (after a battle against king Darius) that Alexander and his men were nearly dead from thirst. His men having the respect for Alexander’s authority offered him a bag of water, although his mouth was so dry, he gave back the helmet with his thanks.  He then explained that the water wasn’t enough for everyone and if he drinks, others will faint.  This will only show that a good leader doesn’t seek comfort for his self. A good leader must think for his people first.

Another ability of a good leader is to be a creative thinker or the ability to innovate things when the situation calls for it. One of the stories that made Alexander more popular was when he accepted the challenge of the Gordian knot.  The Gordian knot was tied together with the yoke of an ancient chariot and was believed that whoever could undo the knot would become the master of the world. Many people were believed also tried to undo the knot but only Alexander was able to do so. He just pulled out his sword and chopped through the knot instead of involving himself in its mysterious entanglements.

And lastly, a good leader must communicate well to his people. Alexander was able to convey the purpose of their journey. He was able to determine the strength and weaknesses of his people thus maintained the effectiveness of the group. He communicates to his fellowmen not as a king but as a leader. He seeks information and suggestion to his people.

There are still a lot of other things and abilities that a good leader must have. Those were just some of which I believed Alexander the great possessed.