Alexander The Great Leadership Essay

Upon receiving this assignment I racked my brain on leaders I admired most throughout history. The list was extensive from Martin Luther King Jr. Who is believed to be a transformational leader based on the decisions and steps he took to see his visions through. To Alexander the Great, Alexander as a military leader always led by example and led from his army from the front. He was usually bold and reckless of his own life and safety. He inspired loyalty in his soldiers who only once ever refused to follow him. Alexander made ordinary soldiers feel he identified with them but also presented himself as a heroic and exceptional leader. He boasted morale after battles with rewards been given to those who had performed well and having funeral ceremonies

However, the one leader I chose to write about due to his impact on American life and admire his style the most is George Washington.

Though Washington demonstrated many leadership styles throughout his years as President and commander of the Continental Army, I believe the style that most fits him is the servant. Per Maxwell (2013) Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. I think this leadership style describes Washington because of the events and the state that America was in at the time I am describing which is during the American Revolution as he commands the Continental Army. While discussing this assignment with my brother before doing the required text we discuss a story he had read on Washington. I was able to locate this story per Joseph & Winston (2005). One rainy and nasty day during the American Revolutionary War, George Washington rode up to a group of soldiers trying to raise a wooded beam to a high position. The corporal in command was shouting encouragement which is an example of

This of course would change the leadership style of Washington completely. Of this direct instance I would have to say Washington was a servant leader to the men but not the corporal. When leaders engage in servant leadership, the expectation is that the followers will become servant leaders themselves Northouse (2013). Would the corporal have been more likely or less likely to become a servant leader had Washington been more concerned with his development? While we may never know exactly what happened in this circumstance, from what I can see, I do not believe that Washington did not behave like a servant