Can Odysseus truly be considered a leader, specifically, an effective one?
While his cunning thinking saved him and his men several times, he still is
held responsible for leading his men into these disastrous situations. It makes
me question whether or not he was an effective leader, or if he was simply
driven by his desire to return to Ithaca, willing to sacrifice whatever it took
to get him back. We have to stop and question his motivations: were they
selfish, or was he trying to be a good leader to his crew? Why do his soldiers
remain so loyal even though they continue to watch each other die? (I suppose
they may have had no other choice than to stick together and try to return to
their homeland.) Part of me believes that Odysseus really could be a good leader
because of his ability to command his crew and his ability to escape danger.
However, I am conflicted to fully commit to saying he is a good leader because
he causes his crew to get into those situations, further angering the gods and
killing his men.
I commented on Darby and Brax’s posts!
I see where you're coming from. However does being an effective leader mean that you lead your followers to do good things or lead them to better lives? Or to be an effective leader, does it just mean that people follow you, regardless of where you're taking them. I would argue that an effective leader has the ability to lead their people to whatever the leader wants. If the followers only follow when they agree... Aren't they being their own leader?
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