VENDILLO, Narcy Lyn T.

MS Accountancy

Epic movies are the best. All the intricacies of a battle scene, the adrenaline rush at the climax, the
sweet victory of the protagonists. I was engrossed in reading the journal because the first philosophical
foundation discussed was heroism which emerged from Homer’s poems like Iliad. The last time I’ve heard of
Homer’s Iliad was during my fourth year in high school. Our group portrayed (my classmates to be accurate
since I’m in the script team) the Trojan War in an inter-class competition. Homer’s heroes like Achilles in Iliad,
are epitomes of gallantry, strength, combat skills, and commitment to meet societal standards.

It is only now that I realize that we romanticized the beauty of Helen and the strength of Achilles. As
stated in Joullie’s article, Homer’s heroes have no sense of mind, soul, or personality but body and body only.
Men strive to achieve expectations placed upon them because of their roles or positions in the society. Heroes
follow orders blindly, obediently, in order to achieve what has been expected of them. I concur with Joullie that
modern heroism today is not the same as what Homer portrayed. Heroism now is defying expectations for the
common good. Take Jose Rizal for example, a Christian, a Filipino under the Spanish rule. During the Spanish
colonization and proliferation of Christianity in the Philippine islands, Filipinos were expected to follow what
the church preaches, to follow the Spanish rule, but Rizal went against the tide. He wrote articles and novels
about the blunders and immorality of the friars and rebelled against the Spanish colonizers sparking the
Filipino’s fight for sovereignty. His heroism is celebrated until this day. He was not like Homer’s heroes who
possess the strength and sword skills to war against the enemies, but instead he used the might of his pen and
intelligence.

Meanwhile in the context of management, in heroism as told by Homer, rulers only appreciate those
who deliver expected results. Those who fail in their responsibilities surrender their right to exist or will be
treated as lower-life by the society. Joullie underpinned Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives (MBO)
which upholds the conviction that managers, more than anything, must focus on what the job requires. Homer’s
heroes deliver results as per set objectives. Drucker likewise sustained that for the organization to operate, a
common language is required and this is achievable only through the enforcement of definite objectives. The
intersection of MBO and heroism can be summarized as follows: Drucker’s managers have to perform or be
fired while Homer’s heroes had to perform or be slain. What’s good in both heroism and MBO is the clarity of
goals set by management. It makes the people more aware of the organizational goals. With MBO, the
subordinates feel a sense of pride for being involved in the organizational goals. This improves their morale and
commitment to the achievement of the targets. Furthermore, promotion or rise in the organization is based on
how one effectively achieved the expectations placed upon him. Both MBO and heroism have emphasis on
rewards rather than punishment. In this case, personal growth and development of the people are emphasized,
rather than pessimism for failing to reach the objectives.

Heroism as a foundation of management thought fosters excellence. This drive to maintain excellence
will in the long run result to success in achieving expectations. At the end of the day, excellence when valued
ultimately by anyone, an individual, or an organization will bring him or them to greater heights.