In the epic The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus is the main character who must overcome many hardships and difficulties in his journey back home to Ithaca. He is full of pride and confidence, but is also an arrogant man and can take too much credit for things that he did not do by himself. However, he is a great example of a leader to readers, as he possesses many qualities that a good leader has. Odysseus demonstrates these qualities throughout the epic often. He saves his men, and also uses quick thinking to get himself and others out of a dangerous situation, and has many people looking up to him as an idol, including his men. He isn’t just a great leader; he is a great person to get advice from and to be with. Odysseus is a good leader because he creates a bond with people who look up to him, he is extremely confident in himself, and he is quick-thinking & can handle any type of situation.
Odysseus trusts every single one of his men to do the things that he tells them to. He knows that they will do exactly as they are told to do because he has created a bond between them made up of trust. In book 12, line 163, Odysseus says “Bind me, to keep me upright at the mast, wound round with rope. If I beseech you and command you to set me free, you must increase my bonds and chain me tighter.” (Homer, 306) The men listen to him, keeping their ears plugged and binding him tighter to the pole. This is just an example of what really is explained here. Odysseus has created a relationship so strong that he trusts them to do things, even if it may cost his life if they do not obey. Odysseus is such a good leader that he trusts his men to do things that might kill him. This is also why his men also trust Odysseus to do things that might cost them their life, because they know that he would do the same for them.
Confidence is essential when it comes to being a leader. If a leader is not confident, then their followers are not going to be any more confident than them. Odysseus is a very confident man and perhaps a little too confident. But this confidence creates an atmosphere of determination for his men. When Odysseus and his men are about to face off against Scylla, he gives them a motivational speech: “Dear friends! We are experienced in danger. This not worse than the time the Cyclops captured us, and forced us to remain inside his cave. We got away that time, thanks to my skill and brains and strategy. Remember that. Come one then, all of you, and trust my words.” (Homer, 308) The crew ends us losing six members but overall Odysseus had confidence that most of them would survive. This gave his members a courageous and fearless heart that made them determined by using a previous time that they ended up surviving
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