Odysseus: An Arrogant Commander

Odysseus: An Arrogant Commander

One always knows a good leader when they see one; they have a confident yet caring charisma that is inspiring to others. In Homer's The Odyssey, a Greek hero is flung into disasters and challenges as he must try and navigate himself and his crew to their homeland of Ithaka. Odysseus fails to demonstrate the characteristics of a good leader, through his actions and thoughts he is a commander unworthy of being considered anything more than egotistical. Odysseus is the leader of his men and although he is credited with a long list of heroic accomplishments, his arrogant actions and mistrust of others holds him back from being considered a good leader. A good leader is someone with the dynamic ability to achieve a task and possess a charismatic aura that prompts others to match the level of integrity displayed by their leader. Through his actions and motive Odysseus proves that he cares more about personal fame and glory

Odysseus cannot be considered a good leader due to the fact that he is overcome with arrogance and has a selfishly high perception of himself. Odysseus jumps at any chance he gets to be graced with more glory than he already has. On the island of the Kyklopes after pulling off a cunning escape Odysseus yells back to Polysphemus, "Kyklops, if ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, the raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes son, whose home's on Ithaka" (160). Odysseus cannot just sail away and relish in the success of their escape from such a terror. Instead he must claim all the glory of the trickery for himself, resulting in his entire crew being punished by the sea god Poseidon. If Odysseus had been a good leader the fact that his men had escaped safely would have been enough of a reward for him, but due to his selfish manner he was more concerned with gaining recognition than the well being of his crew. Odysseus