Scipio the Learner

Scipio was a courageous young Roman General who defeated Hannibal at Zama in the last battle of the Second Punic War. He earned recognition as a great leader and commander for his bravery and his tactical strategies. In the chapter “Scipio Africanus” in the book, “The Centurion Principles” by retired Colonel Jeff O”Leary, the military life and leadership qualities of Scipio are examined. Additionally, O’Leary shows how Scipio’s skills can be applied the business world. As a student at Houston Christian, these leadership principles can also be applied to my life today.
Scipio’s life was severely affected by war and it helped him to become the leader he was. He survived a horrible massacre at Cannae by the Carthaginian commander, Hannibal. When he was only 17 years old, he saved the life of his father in an act of extreme bravery and selflessness. Later, his father and uncle would each die in battles against the Carthaginians, in part due to limited Roman forces sent by an uncommitted Roman senate. Instead of being bitter and turning away from responsibility from fear, Scipio learned everything he could about Hannibal’s war tactics. Eventually, in an act of obligation for his fallen patriarchs and from a desire to test his strength and skill, Scipio volunteered as Commander of Legions in Spain when no one else would. Following his appointment, he spent time to get to know his allies and to commend those he was leading in order to build their confidence and their support for his leadership. Despite an initial battle loss against the Carthaginians, Scipio didn’t give up, and he ultimately defeated Hannibal by knowing his enemy’s strengths and weakness and by implementing his own creative battle strategies. There are many leadership lessons to be taken from Scipio’s life. He took responsibility as a leader to take his fathers place when no one else wanted to even though he didn’t have the experience that others had. This showed a great deal of moral character and bravery. He took the time to completely understand his enemy by studying his traits, actions and character and war skills. Scipio was willing to change his tactics to fit the enemy at hand and to continue to learn and think creatively after he was in a position of power. He learned and changed the way he did things following his initial failed battle and he did not use failure as excuse to quit, but as an opportunity to become a better leader.
I can use these lessons during my time at high school. I know that learning doesn’t stop outside of the classroom, nor does it stop after high school or college, but it is necessary for my entire life. I must be responsible for my own learning and step up to leadership roles even though I may not always feel the most prepared to do so. Through the experience I can become a better leader. Scipio has shown me that I can learn from my own failures and the failures of others in life to help me grow. Once I have made a mistake the first thing I should do is understand what I tried to accomplish and how I went about it, then look at what when wrong. I won’t repeat mistakes if I seek to evaluate my performance and ask for a critical evaluation from others that I trust. I can become a better person and leader by watching and studying the failures of others, too, so I don’t experience the same consequences. Everyday, there are examples all around me from people in business and professional sports to my own peers who make mistakes and suffer the consequences of their actions that I can learn from. I’ve learned that a person is likely to fail before he is to succeed, so I must learn not to quit even when the circumstances are difficult or even painful. In football, I’ve found that when I make a mistake, I am less likely to make that same mistake the next time. If I quit after making a mistake, I’ll never learn and grow. I must be responsible for my own learning. Scipio knew that life is about making mistakes and learning from them, not about being perfect and I can do the same.

O’Leary, Jeff, Colonel USAF (Ret.), “The Centurion Principles” , Chapter 2 “Scipio Africanus-General of Rome, Conquer of Hannibal’, pp 26-48, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 2004.