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Action-Packed Leadership - Caroline Tucker

 There are so many good lines, thoughts, and ideas in both of the selections from History of Rome and On the Republic. I really enjoyed On the Republic. I am not sure if it is because of the fact that it is written in dialogue form or if it because it mentions thoughts that are similar to Socrates’s thoughts in The Republic. Anyway, there were several lines in On the Republic that stuck out to me.

One line that stuck out to me was when Scipio is talking about forms of government and the leadership that comes from the positions the government provides. Scipio said, “when he himself exhibits all the merit to which he incites and educates the citizens” (Cicero, 3). One of the first things that is learned when learning about leadership is leading by example. Leadership is not all about telling people what to do and how to do it. Leadership is more than that. Good leadership is more being bossy. Good leadership leads by both actions and words to help a community or team reach a goal or vision.  

As he continues, Scipio mentions that,“ a man imposes no law on the people which he himself does not observe, but he presents his life as a living law to his fellow — countrymen” (3). A good leader will do as he says and shows the ones being lead the belief the leader has in his own words. A great example of this is when a CEO of a company goes down to the first floor and does the dirty or boring work to help or when the leader of an organization will not just lead but participate in a project or even let other lead. These actions show a humility that only good leaders will possess. 

We have all heard the saying “actions speak louder than words”. Which is true and I propose a slight change for those in leadership. I would say actions lead better than words. 


P.s. I commented on Jamie’s and Ian’s posts.

Comments

  1. Jamie PetersNovember 2, 2020 at 4:04 PM

    I think that Scipio's idea of good leadership says a lot, not only about the Roman form of government, but the type of leadership soon to be portrayed in Christ. The first words Jesus says to most of his disciples is "Follow me". He is the embodiment of true leadership.

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  2. Abigale BellNovember 2, 2020 at 10:56 PM

    Hi Caroline! Your post was very eyeopening. I agree with the idea that a good leader is one who leads by example. I think the comparison you made to a CEO doing menial labor is a perfect representation of Scipio's words. The idea that good leaders show humility is one that seems foreign in our world today. However, we, as Christians, can be the example to others.

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  3. IsabelleNovember 3, 2020 at 7:47 AM

    I love your post! I've been to a few leadership camps, and they always told us in order to lead, we first had to follow. I think this goes hand in hand with leading by example, as you mentioned. I second your proposal for the change in leadership. Instead of giving speeches, let's do some work. Great post!

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