Assertion Journal Glasow Quote

Quote: “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.”

-- Arnold Glasow

Leadership is a vital component of every aspect of life. There are many different views of how a leader should act. There are even people who dedicate their lives to studying leadership. Glasow’s view, displayed here, is that a good leader is humble and responsible. I agree with Glasow that often the best leaders are unseen.

Charisma can often be mistaken for leadership. Adolf Hitler, for example, was very charismatic. Many Germans followed Hitler willingly, as he had a way with words. Though he was not a good leader. He never took responsibility for his losses, nor was he humble. Towards the end of the war, instead of facing the consequences of his actions, he took his own life. His pride and arrogance prevented him from being a good leader.

In ancient mythology, there are many tales of great heroes who fell short of their potential because of excessive pride. In The Odyssey, Odysseus' hubris and arrogance toward the gods causes his to land in one scrape after another on his 10-year journey home from Troy.

In the Greek myth about Narcissus, Narcissus is so prideful of his own beauty, that he sits staring at his reflection until he starves to death. In another Greek myth, Niobe, the queen of Thebes, brags about having fourteen children while one of the goddesses only has two. To put her in her place, the gods kill her children. Her husband commits suicide, and Niobe is turned into a stone.

Hercules thinks he is better than the gods, so the gods give him 12 labors to complete.

Achilles thinks he is invincible-excessive pride in his own immortality. However, Paris shoots him in the heel, and he dies from his wound.

Leadership is an important function of life. It is a skill that few people obtain naturally, and an ability that can be difficult to master. There are different ways to wield leadership, and the best leaders are often those not seen; they take less credit and more responsibility than they deserve.