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A Leader

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Submitted By DamonDagger
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Pages 4
Alexander the Great is one of the most extraordinary and inscrutable warriors of all time. By the age of 30 he was ruler of one of the largest empires ever known. From Greece to ancient India, Alexander single-handedly joined East and West together and forever changed the ancient world. Alexander the warrior is only one part of his legacy. He was a celebrated leader with a unique early life that drove his passion, admirable traits that set him apart from other rulers, and an unquestionable mark on history that continues to be praised today.
Education and good mentoring are both vital for the pedigree of a good leader. Alexander had both. Being the son of a king, from an early age Alexander was given access to and was educated by the well-known Greek philosopher, Aristotle. It was his proximity to this great thinker during Alexander’s developmental years that inspired a deep love for rhetoric and literature, which led to interests in science, medicine, and philosophy. Education set Alexander apart from his peers; it also established him as one with the ability to transfer something of worth to another, namely Hellenism.
Adding to education, Aristotle introduced Alexander to the legend of the Greek god, Achilles, through Homer’s, The Iliad. To Alexander, Achilles became a sort of distant mentor and idol to emulate. Alexander studied how Achilles fought, lived, loved, and died; desiring the same for his own life Alexander would vicariously model it as such. A good leader will have a solid base of knowledge and an example to emulate. Consequently, the fundamentals of a good education and mentoring became vital to Alexander later in life when he established his kingdom and was recognized as a leader.
A good education and mentoring were solid foundations for Alexander in establishing him as a leader. What set him apart were unique traits he displayed at key points during his time as king and conqueror. A good leader stays on mission, and Alexander did the same. King Darius III was one of Alexander’s reoccurring foes during his early conquests. After a major defeat, Darius III surrendered and offered Alexander the gift of some of his kingdom. Alexander refused and continued to fight for it all, achieving his goal. Alexander did not settle for what little was offered to him because his mission was to conquer the entire world.
In addition to staying on mission, a large part of Alexander’s success as a military leader was his ability to adapt to the challenges he faced, a quality any good leader must possess in business and life. While he eventually led an army of 30,000 warriors strong, Alexander spent most of his conquests through the Middle East facing larger enemies, at times at a ratio of three to one. Facing such challenges drove Alexander to creatively find ways to defeat his larger opponents. One such challenge led him to create what is today known as the hammer and anvil maneuver where two infantry forces of different strengths engage in a frontal assault against the enemy. While the infantry lines are fixed in the battle, a cavalry force maneuvers around the enemy and attacks from behind, pressing the enemy into the infantry. This type of military adaptability allowed for the greatest impact against the most powerful armies of the day, even while being outnumbered.
A good leader leaves a legacy where the philosophies and beliefs he or she once held continue on for generations. Alexander left an extraordinary legacy. His conquering spirit, unquenchable thirst for more, ability to garner loyal followers is qualities generations of would-be leaders have attempted to follow. In his own time as a result of his eight year military conquests spanning 17,000 miles, Alexander successfully brought east and west together, and glued the two worlds by forging trade routes, art, music, culture, education, religion, and philosophy. Additionally, his battle strategies were emulated from Napoleon Bonaparte to George Washington to General George Patton.
Alexander the Great was a celebrated leader with a unique early life with education and mentoring that drove his passion. Staying on mission and being adaptable against insurmountable obstacles were admirable leadership traits that set him apart from other rulers. Also, he was driven to leave a legacy, an unquestionable mark on history that continues to be praised today. Above all, Alexander the Great is hailed as one of the most exceptional military leaders to have ever lived and has become the symbol of unbridled ambition and colossal achievement.

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