The Very First Systematic Book on
Leadership
Xenophon, a Greek commander and a friend of
Socrates, authored the first systematic book on
leadership, two thousand years ago, and it is still one of the best.
Xenophon's book
about the Persian Expedition
tells the story of
the fight to return to the Black Sea against overwhelming odds.
Xenophon, like
all Greek commanders, led from the front; he was seen in the thick of combat,
never flinching, always seeming to do the right thing.
His book is a story of
courage, improvisation, and discipline, self-sacrifice, and above all
leadership.
Xenophon practiced leadership in a different time and a different
place, but the lessons of his experiences, the principles or laws of leadership
by example,
integrity,
commitment, duty and the others have eternal value.