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Evaluating Historical Views of Leadership

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Evaluating Historical Views of Leadership
Evaluating Historical Views of Leadership
March 9, 2014
University of Phoenix

Evaluating Historical Views of Leadership This paper evaluates the leadership views of Plato, Aristotle, Lao-Tzu, and Machiavelli from the point of view of the modern military leader. The process of evaluation includes an examination of the commonalities and disparities between these views of leadership. The paper explores a definition of modern military leadership. The paper includes an assessment of the suitability of each of the aforementioned leadership views to be models for modern military leadership.
Modern Military Leadership The stereotype of the drill sergeant in basic training is not the leadership described in this section. Military leadership is more comprehensive in scope as seen in the movies. The surprise is the value of morality in military leadership. Holding the moral high ground is the most important weapon in breaking the will of the enemy (Stallard, 2013). Sun Tzu (1994) in his work, The Art of War, began his discussion with the value of the moral law (as cited in Stallard, 2013). George Washington (1796) stated in his farewell address as President that religion and morality are indispensable in supporting patriotism (as cited in Stallard, 2013). The guiding principle of military leadership is the respect for human dignity (Mann, 2000). Military leadership involves many other traits. Military leadership involves the rigorous application of a system of orders and obedience resulting in a hierarchy (Mann, 2000). Within this system of orders and hierarchy, the military leader recognizes the value of the method of delivery of orders (Mann, 2000). This certainly stems from the respect for human dignity. The quality of performance is better when providing orders in a good atmosphere (Mann, 2000). A military leader must develop trust between him and the troops; the leader must possess an adequate degree of self-confidence (Mann, 2000). The


References: Aristotle (2013). A treatise on government. In J. T. Wren (Ed.), Companion: insights on leadership through the ages [Kindle Edition], New York: The Free Press. Heider, J. (2013). The tao of leadership. In J. T. Wren (Ed.), Companion: insights on leadership through the ages [Kindle Edition], New York: The Free Press. Machiavelli, N. (2013). The prince. In J. T. Wren (Ed.), Companion: insights on leadership through the ages [Kindle Edition], New York: The Free Press. Mann, H. J. (2000). Leadership. Naval Forces, 21(5), 28-30. Plato (2013). The republic of Plato: an ideal commonwealth. In J. T. Wren (Ed.), Companion: insights on leadership through the ages [Kindle Edition], New York: The Free Press. Stallard, W. D. C. H. C. U. S. N. (2013). Strategic Military Leadership. Marine Corps Gazette, 97(1), 20-24. Tzu, S. (2013). The art of war. In W. D. Stallard, Strategic Military Leadership. Marine Corps Gazette, 97(1), 20-24. Washington, G. (2013). Washington’s farewell address to the people of the united states [farewell address]. In W. D. Stallard, Strategic Military Leadership. Marine Corps Gazette, 97(1), 20-24.
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