Leadership in The Odyssey Being a leader means to look past all distractions and focus on the main goal. Odysseus must return to his home, Ithaca, with the help of his crew. As they face evil and cruel forces, Odysseus’s strength, leadership, and dedication is tested. Despite Odysseus instructing his crew to return to their ship in order to avoid the Cicones, Odysseus forcefully ties his crew to the ship and reminds the crew about their past encounters to motivate them, supporting Homer’s changes in leadership.
Homer continuously portrays Odysseus as being a strong, witty leader although his crew does not always obey him. Odysseus is instructing his men to return to their ship after causing turmoil, but the crew refuses, leading to major consequences. Odysseus's direct language, such as telling the crew to get “back [to the ship] and quickly” (155) demonstrates his dominion over his followers.
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When Odysseus and his crew face Scylla, the leader must remind his crew of their past accomplishments, so the followers and be brave and get closer to their goal of returning home. The strong leader recalling “more fearsome” (774) events, signifies his desire to help his followers reach their goals, rather than being a selfish chief. Followers feel appreciated and more motivated to strive for their goals when they have a leader who cares about them as well. Odysseus must not tell his crew members of Circe’s prophecy because it would stress them out and cause them to no longer be confident. The commander “told them nothing” (791), highlighting Odysseus’s feelings for his followers. He does not inform them of the prophecy because it would make the crew aware of the issues that would arise if they were to make a mistake. Odysseus successfully motivates his followers into being confident in their abilities, allowing for their long term goal to be