Spirit of Leadership

THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP MYTHS ABOUT LEADERSHIP

Partly because our contemporary society has accepted a “survival of the fittest” mind-set, many of us have come to believe certain myths about leadership. These ideas have been fostered by our families, cultures, and nations. In addition, much of the theoretical foundations for our beliefs about leadership are derived from the thoughts of great Greek philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates.

O UR PHILOSOPHIES DETERMINE THE WAY WE THINK .

During the height of the golden age of the Hellenistic period, the art of human nature, social development, the control and management of the masses, and the study of governmental structures for national development were the subject of great debate and research. The art of leadership was among the principal subjects studied and discussed, and the conclusions were so potent that most of our present-day beliefs, philosophy, and concepts of leadership and govern ing can be traced back to the ideas of these philosophers. This issue is vitally important because our beliefs, con victions, and ideas form our personal philosophies and serve as the source of our perceptions of ourselves and others, as well as of life itself. In essence, our philosophies determine the way we think. In fact, we live our thoughts and mani fest them in our attitudes toward ourselves and others. We cannot live beyond our thoughts and convictions. It is my belief that many of our current theories of leadership have produced a number of myths that must

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