In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not an example of an effective leader as he does not make the best decisions and does not communicate well with his companions.
One of the many characteristics of a good leader is the ability to make good decisions and Odysseus does not perform this ability well. When Odysseus and his crew arrive at the Cyclops Island, his men decide to steal some food and run back to the ship but Odysseus, however, demands to see the cyclops Polyphemus, who lives on the island. “Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer-no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (Line 154-156). It would seem unwise to meet a man-eating giant, but Odysseus insists on bringing …show more content…
While sailing home, Odysseus and his crew go pass the Sirens and wanting to listen to the breathtaking singing, he orders his men to tie him up to the ship. “Therefore you are to tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, and if I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me’” (Line 531-535). Odysseus says these orders in a gruff tone, meaning that he is annoyed. If he is annoyed with his men, he would not like talking to them, making their communication with each other futile. Odysseus and his crew also land on Thrinacia and “Odysseus makes them swear not to touch the god’s cattle, for both Circe and Tiresias have warned him of disaster if the cattle are harmed” (pg 513). Odysseus did not tell his men the reason why they should not harm the cows, which only increases the curiosity of his crew. They do not know why they should not kill the cows, giving them more a reason to finally slaughter the cows later on. By communicating with his crew, his men could have known the dangers of killing the cows. Therefore, Odysseus is not a good leader as he does not have two main characteristics of a
One of the many characteristics of a good leader is the ability to make good decisions and Odysseus does not perform this ability well. When Odysseus and his crew arrive at the Cyclops Island, his men decide to steal some food and run back to the ship but Odysseus, however, demands to see the cyclops Polyphemus, who lives on the island. “Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer-no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (Line 154-156). It would seem unwise to meet a man-eating giant, but Odysseus insists on bringing …show more content…
While sailing home, Odysseus and his crew go pass the Sirens and wanting to listen to the breathtaking singing, he orders his men to tie him up to the ship. “Therefore you are to tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, and if I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me’” (Line 531-535). Odysseus says these orders in a gruff tone, meaning that he is annoyed. If he is annoyed with his men, he would not like talking to them, making their communication with each other futile. Odysseus and his crew also land on Thrinacia and “Odysseus makes them swear not to touch the god’s cattle, for both Circe and Tiresias have warned him of disaster if the cattle are harmed” (pg 513). Odysseus did not tell his men the reason why they should not harm the cows, which only increases the curiosity of his crew. They do not know why they should not kill the cows, giving them more a reason to finally slaughter the cows later on. By communicating with his crew, his men could have known the dangers of killing the cows. Therefore, Odysseus is not a good leader as he does not have two main characteristics of a