Professional Documents
Culture Documents
One of the most enduring icons of leadership and power through the ages has been
Alexander the Great. His exploits were not only legendary, but also exemplary, as his
deeds are hard to match even in this day and age.
As Alexander journeyed through Persia and Central Asia, he had one vision in mind—
to unite as many cultures as he found in his relentless campaign to conquer the world.
This was the driving force that led to Alexander’s greatness, the same force he used to
motivate and lead his army.
As visionary as he was strategic, this lesson is one that every manager needs to learn.
A manager by virtue of his responsibilities must necessarily learn to be strategic. He
must be able to clearly define his goals and aim to achieve it. All his actions must be in
line with the strategy.
Situational awareness
Situational awareness
Alexander’s ability to scan the situation and deal with it appropriately is yet another
skill that a manager should learn. Alexander illustrated such ability before he invaded
India. He felt the necessity to reorganize the army that he had led through Persia, and
to adapt to the different climate and terrain. With such thinking, he was able to
properly prepare his men and identify the leverage that he needed to win the battle.
Essentially, a manager should also learn to scan whatever environment his business
organization is immersed in. He must know the implications and nuances of being in
such an environment and prepare both himself and his team accordingly.
Cultural awareness
Cultural awareness
Despite the diversity of Alexander’s men, he was able to command them to battle.
Because he understood the importance of cross-cultural competence, he was able to
break down cultural barriers and lead his men to victory. Alexander’s appreciation of
other cultures was manifest during his time in Egypt, where he placated Egyptian
priests and encouraged their religion, thereby according them the acceptance and
respect needed to further his goals.
Correspondingly, a manager must be able to recognize cultural differences within an
organization. He must be able to accept these differences, learn how to accommodate
and harness them to his advantage when needed.
Foresight
Foresight
Alexander was truly a man of strategy as he propagated the Hellenic culture. He
understood that the only way he could truly conquer the world was if he infused it
with his own Greek culture.
In fact, in strategic leadership, three kinds of skills are necessary for success: good
management, working effectively with people and creating the future. Alexander
showed that he was indeed a good chieftain by building an empire that defied
imagination, creating and fostering strong work relationships with his men as
evidenced by their loyalty, and uniting many cultures and propagating the influence of
Hellenic culture.
Thorough preparation
Thorough preparation
Alexander’s conquests took him and his army thousands of miles away from home. As
such, logistics needed to be managed; that is, keeping the army fed and supplied. To
solve this, Alexander came up with two courses of action: First, he sharply limited the
number of camp followers travelling (and eating) with the army; and second,
Alexander established an intelligence and diplomatic service to scout the route that
the army would take, and make arrangements to purchase food from the locals.
Managers should therefore learn to always be prepared. At all times, the manager
must be able to identify possible outcomes of a decision or course of action and
appropriately prepare for such contingencies.
Hire the best
Empowered delegation
Alexander clearly exhibited how he empowered his generals, thus gaining their loyalty
and trust. Alexander’s generals exhibited high morale and commitment. Furthermore,
keeping in line with his vision of uniting many cultures, Alexander even empowered
some of his conquered opponents.
Similarly, in a management setting, a manager must be able to exercise empowered
delegation so as to achieve the desired outcomes of productivity, psychological and
physical health, proactivity and innovativeness, persistence in work, trustworthiness,
interpersonal effectiveness, intrinsic motivation, and high morale and commitment.
Physical, psychological courage