Homer's Odysseus: Great Hero, Great Leader

Odysseus: Great Hero, Great Leader Not all people can be leaders. Being a leader requires the ability to guide a group of people in a given activity. In a military sense, a leader engages in battle by commanding soldiers. A leader does not need to aid his followers; leaders are only obliged to lead. Being a proficient leader demands more than just asking people to do various tasks. To be a great leader, you must be able to command your followers and they do not hesitate; a leader’s decisions should keep his followers alive; a leader must plan ahead. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is able to lead his men effectively and makes wise decisions; reassuring ourselves of Odysseus’s prowess as a leader allows us to more confidently claim that he is a true hero. Odysseus’s men follow his instructions as commanded. In the following passage it is shown they will put their lives at risk at his command.
My men came pressing round me, pleading:
‘Why not/ Take

In the next passage, it is shown how he understands the risk of leading many to save a few; this is what he says to his men as he sets of to meet Circe. “If I do not return by sunrise, leave this place” (The Odyssey) Odysseus realizes the danger of leading all of his crew to Circe, so he chooses to set off alone as a strategic move. He tells them to leave without him as an additional precaution, as staying too long could be dangerous. He also saves his men from the Cyclops by using a clever plan that guarantees their escape.“So with our brand we bored that great eye socket while blood ran out around the red hot bar. Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball hissed broiling, and the roots popped” (Hom. Od. 9.282-299). Instead of killing Polyphemus and trapping himself and his best men, Odysseus resourcefully intoxicates the giant to stab his eye; this allows for him to save his men from being eaten or imprisonment. A poor leader would not use such a masterful