Beyond the Boundaries of Fantasia: An ancient imagining of the future of leadership

Synthesizing and applying the problems of leadership in Iliad One (00:30)

Exercise: Below is a list of the problems of leadership we identified in Iliad One. You may have identified additional problems of your own. Cut and paste these problems into a Word Document or something similar, and add any problems that you yourself identified. From these problems try to synthesize and describe three main and distinct problems of leadership. Explain your reasons using these three categories.

Exercise: For each problem try to identify a leadership situation in the modern world where the problem might apply, at least somewhat. Think for example of any leaders you have personally worked with (bosses, coaches, teachers, parents) or know about. Identify which problems you have faced, or imagine you would face, in your own leadership roles.

Estimated time: 00:30.
 
  1. Problem: Leaders may act foolishly if they are unable to regulate their emotional responses and behavior
  2. Problem: Leaders may be, or seem to be, overly indulgent in food or wine because of their prosperity; their authority might also make them intoxicated
  3. Problem: Leaders must trust others to provide them with actionable intelligence; seemingly, they cannot know all
  4. Problem: One of the followers/peers of the leader dissents from the leader's authority
  5. Problem: The leader dehumanizes someone
  6. Problem: The leader does not pull his/her weight on the mission
  7. Problem: The leader is challenged by another peer or follower who promises to be a "savior" to the community
  8. Problem: The leader is expected to care for the well-being of the community even if it deprives him/her of some personal attachment
  9. Problem: The leader is inattentive to, or unfeeling toward, the suffering of his/her followers
  10. Problem: The leader is publicly embarrassed and humiliated
  11. Problem: The leader may discourage followers from sharing valuable information or offering their help
  12. Problem: The leader may feel that his/her status is threatened by the honor-giving prize (geras) of another peer and potential rival
  13. Problem: The leader may feel the need to assert dominance but may in fact be alienating and dehumanizing one or more of his/her followers
  14. Problem: The leader may have personal interests at variance with the well-being of the group
  15. Problem: The leader may need to show followers that their service is valuable or risk losing their support
  16. Problem: The leader may not be able to have simultaneously the good will of his/her followers and the status that prizes confer
  17. Problem: The leader may overestimate or misunderstand the support he/she has from the gods
  18. Problem: The leader's emotions may cloud his/her ability to foresee the consequences of his/her actions
  19. Problem: The leader's greed, or love of gain, may frustrate his/her followers
  20. Problem: The leader's interests and intentions are at odds with those of his/her followers
  21. Problem: The leader's own desire for material gain may deprive his/her followers of their livelihood

Possible In-class activity

Have students divide into pairs and explain the three categories they have developed for thinking about problems of leadership. See if their partner catalogues each problem into the same category as the first student.

Create an online survey (using Survey Gizmo, for example) asking students to identify which leadership problem they find most interesting, most relevant, most important, or most difficult to overcome.

Ask a few students to volunteer to discuss their reactions to some of these problems of leadership on the weekly common session on "Students' Corner."

This page has paths:

Contents of this path: