Running Head: ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Alexander the Great Ryder Lund Cottonwood High School

ALEXANDER THE GREAT Everyone saw it; even his proud, somewhat jealous father King Philip, admitted it.

Alexander was something special (Wepman, 1986). Alexander the Great was the most powerful man in his time. Everyone who resisted him fell to his might. He was to overthrow the great empire of Persia and create another realm, greater by far, stretching from the Balkans to India (Wepman, 1986). His leadership skills encouraged his men to do the impossible, such as climb a mountain to claim a fortress with 37 men, conquer the great city of Babylon, and defeat an army that outnumbered them 5 to 1. He was fearless and never for a moment doubted his ability to lead and his ability to rule a kingdom. It was his first taste of real power, and he took to it as if he had been ruling all his life (Wepman, 1986). Alexander the Great is one of the best leaders in history because he sets an example for modern day leaders through his brilliant strategies and tactics, loyalty and discipline, his power and ability to rule lands, and his vision to accomplish great things. Alexander could teach present day generals a thing or two about strategies and formidable tactics. As a general he was brilliant, and his men followed him with the loyalty and devotion that soldiers accord to none but the greatest commanders (Wepman, 1986). His performance on the battlefield proved to the world that he had what it takes to conquer an empire such as Persia. He used a battle formation that lasted his entire lifetime that never failed him, the Macedonian Phalanx. He perfected all the old Greek battle formations and even adopted other cultures technique as his own and is considered by some historians to have been the first modern military leader (Wepman, 1986). Another lesson Alexander could teach us is how to be someone that others could look up to. Begin seeing yourself as a role model (Tracey, 2012). Well thats exactly what Alexander did up until his death. The person who grabs hold of the problem and wont let go has leadership potential (Smith, 1996). He would set his sights on his

ALEXANDER THE GREAT next objective and wouldnt stop until he accomplished it with a plan that would bring the best results with fewer casualties. Alexander wasnt one to just march right into battle. He always had key info on his enemies and the environment in which his battles would most likely take

place. Leaders have the ability to stand back and see the big picture (Tracey, 2012). The sheer power that can come from being a great commander is limitless when it comes down to Alexanders commanding force. Alexander did things that modern day generals wouldnt think of trying and he did it with victory in his eyes. Once again, Dariuss army had fallen victim to Alexanders superior generalship (Wepman, 1986). Alexander was a commander who all military officers could learn from. Being the general that he is, the young commanders best trait was his ability to create complex strategies and effective tactics for battle and even during battle. But the Macedonian King was always able to devise a military strategy appropriate for any given situation (Wepman, 1986). Alexander could observe the enemy lines and immediately come up with a plan with the limited resources that he had. Nothing could prevent him from breaking through enemy lines and nothing could stop his advancements in battle. He once defeated an army that outnumbered his 5:1 with nothing more but great tactics supporting his main strategy. To anyone but Alexander such an army might have seemed invincible (Wepman, 1986). Alexander got most of his joy solving problems and defeating any challenges that opposed him, including puzzles. Nothing excited the Macedonian more than a puzzle, especially when it had something to do with conquering a fortress on a mountain side. A person who doesnt feel the thrill of challenge is not a potential leader (Smith, 1996). He had 300 of his men climb the mountain at night to get above the fortress and ambush them in the morning, but only less than 40 survived the journey up and still managed to take the fortress anyways. Again Alexander had tried the

ALEXANDER THE GREAT impossible and succeeded (Wepman, 1986). After this triumph, Alexander would go on to secure his prize as the Great King of the Persian Empire. The King of Macedon gave very inspiring speeches when he united the Greek cities to combine their forces to take out the Persians. Charisma is an important tool for uniting a group

and raising expectations (Young, 2012). Alexander the Great was always inspiring his men and himself before, during, and after battle. It was Alexanders charismatic bravery on the frontlines that helped his men push through Babylons massive walls. If not for him believing in his men and his men believing in him, he would not have defeated Persia. His confidence was encouraging his men (Wepman, 1986). Alexander will continue to influence his men up until his death. He wanted a Persian Macedonian mixed royal army and many of his fellow Greeks hated this idea, but Alexander defended his ideas and stood by them and got the Greeks to support his wishes of a royal army. Even though he won over the hearts of the Greeks to build this army, Alexander would never live to see this royal army. The Great King was always sure to have his army well fit for service. Alexander held the only disciplined army of his time, not even the Persian army was as nearly disciplined as Alexanders was. This key training was what made the Macedonians one of the most feared combatants. Leaders should train their staff (Powell, 2012). It was this discipline that allowed his men to believe in their commanders orders with the idea of victory in mind. Macedonians werent even able to have their way with the cities they invaded or even the women they captured. Alexander was always gallant in his treatment of women and strictly forbade his soldiers to violate those they captured (Wepman, 1986). Once a land had been conquered and Alexander had been named King of that land he would then begin to make the people of this land his own. Offering to take up some of their culture and even allowing his defeated foes join his

ALEXANDER THE GREAT military ranks. He was always careful and protective of the people who he ruled over as if they were Macedonians themselves. Alexanders ability to rule others came naturally to him. This trait allowed him to

acquire many names in many lands. The King of Macedon wasnt just the King of Macedon, but of many other lands and of many other titles. He made himself the emperor of Egypt and western Asia by the age of 26 (Wepman, 1986). He held great power once he united the Greek cities and their military forces. He started out young and immediately wanted to march through Persia and united more Greek territories taken from Greece centuries ago. At the age of 18, he was now ready for the responsibility of high command (Wepman, 1986). He started with Babylon and would end in India on his return trip back home. Near the end of his conquest of Persia he proclaimed to own the title of The Great King of the Persian Empire even though Darius was still alive and on the run. He went on to make clear that he now considered himself to be the Great King of Persia (Wepman, 1986). Some of the cities he claimed werent by force but by fear and with most of them welcoming Alexander. Many cities just opened their doors and welcomed their new leader and in Egypt, as their Pharaoh. As the incarnation of a God, Alexander held unlimited power in Egypt (Wepman, 1986). Other cities welcomed him as their savior who would free them from Persian rule. These cities gave him another title instead of King, Emperor, or God. The towns of the coast did open their gates to welcome Alexander as a Liberator (Wepman, 1986). The thing that made Alexanders march through western Asia so impressive was his vision behind it. He would go beyond his fathers dream and surpass his triumphs. He would conquer the world (Wepman, 1986). Alexander wasnt afraid to say that he would conquer everything, knowing that he would make many enemies in the process. Every city and fortress

ALEXANDER THE GREAT that fell to his might gave him more confidence to proclaim such things in enemy territory. Leaders who are willing to express a vision of the future can trigger our subconscious (Wepman, 1986). At a very young age Alexander wanted to conquer and expand the Macedonian Kingdom. Every city that his Father conquered just made young Alexander mad because he thought he wouldnt have anything left to conquer once he took the throne. This

shows how serious he was when it came to ruling other lands. The Capacity to create or catch a vision (Wepman, 1986). Alexanders vision kept his men encouraged throughout his marches. They would soon want to return home but Alexander reminded them about their earlier triumphs and they would continue on until they conquered all of Asia. The Quality of vision separates leaders from followers (Wepman, 1986). Alexander pushing his men to continue forward would later lead to one of his downfalls as a leader. The one thing that Alexander failed to do was address the concern of his home, Macedon. He would constantly ask for more supplies and would never truly return to his home until his death. Alexander could not take up his duties as King of Macedon while conquering Asia and with that he would start losing his peoples trust. Take charge of his post and all governed property in view (Powell, 2012). Alexander was always on the hunt for Darius and didnt have time or the desire to return home until he conquered all of Asia. He did, however, try to keep in contact with Macedon as much as possible, requesting news of rebellions or anything threatening his post as King or his resources. He ordered his countrys best generals to stay back and defend his home until he returned. We can all gang up on the problem from our different perspectives and not lose time (Powell, 2012). This quote helps defend Alexanders reasoning behind leaving his general behind. While he marches through Persia to avenge fallen Greek territories, they can stay back and defend his country from invasion. Alexander at some points wanted to

ALEXANDER THE GREAT return home to ensure the Greek alliances that he was still alive and well and to check up on his mother, but he knew that all he had acquired would be lost if he went back now. His generals offered to watch over his lands and push back any rebellions and barbarian attacks while he is gone. He entrusted his home to his men who would have died for him and so Alexander wouldnt fail his conquest or else he too would die for them.

Alexander the Great is renowned as historys greatest commander. He came, he saw, and he conquered. Nothing could stop him from getting revenge against Persia from taking their Greek states centuries ago. And once he had conquered Persia, he would then conquer India and so on. He would never lose a single battle and never give in to bribes for surrender. He created a kingdom worthy of the Greeks and it would have seemed back then to have expanded towards the ends of the world. He made the one of the best conquest in the history of mankind at the young age of 31. And it is as one of the supreme moving forces of human progress and thought that Alexander retains his title The Great (Wepman, 1986).

ALEXANDER THE GREAT References Powell, C. (2012, May 21). The generals orders. Newsweek, p 40-44. Smith, F. (1996, Fall). Leadership qualities. Leadership Journal, p 30. Tracey, B. (n.d.). Leading and motivating. Retrieved from http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/Leadermet.html Wepman, D. (1986). World leaders past & present: Alexander. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers Young, E. (2012, June 23). The X factor. New Scientist, p 38-41.