Leadership Principles (continued)
Maintain a sense of humor—Cyrus the Great used his sense of humor to win over his followers and allies. Repeatedly, he lets his captains know that laughter is an important ingredient in sustaining the morale of their followers.
Each evening, Cyrus invites different people to dine with him in his tent. Taking advantage of having them in a relaxed environment, he leads discussions of a wide range of subjects and ensures there is considerable laughter among the participants.[i]
Many leaders who met with the leadership class, when asked to identify their leadership strengths, mentioned their sense of humor and the role it played in dealing with what would otherwise be tense situations and in creating a relaxed atmosphere with their teams.
President Truman understood well the importance of having a sense of humor. He said, “Any man who has had the job I’ve had and didn’t have a sense of humor wouldn’t still be here.”[ii] Mark Twain notes, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”[iii]
Over the years, my sense of humor served me well. Hardly a day passes when I and those I am with don’t laugh multiple times. I was fortunate to be raised in a family in which laughter was a daily staple. The same is true for my children and grandchildren. When we are together, we laugh a lot.
One of the strongest testaments I’ve received regarding my sense of humor was provided by a fellow Eastman Chemical Company director. He said he enjoyed attending audit committee meetings I chaired because they were such fun. Many people believe associating fun with audit committee meetings is an oxymoron.
Set expectations—As Tyson Foods’ Adriana Lopez Graham told my students, “High expectations produce high performance.” In The Expedition of Cyrus, Xenophon doesn’t sugar coat the situation they face. He sets expectations honestly and candidly—he says they will face strong opposition, there will be casualties, and the journey will demand courage and persistence, but they will achieve their goal of returning home.
Likewise, in The Education of Cyrus, Cyrus sets optimistic expectations and prepares his men to achieve them. He isn’t an armchair leader. Cyrus leads when they go into battle: “Forgetting the walking pace, Cyrus himself led the run and at the same time cried out, ‘Who will follow? Who will be good? Who will be first to strike a man down?’ On hearing him, they cried out these same things, and these words traveled through all the ranks in just the way Cyrus had urged, ‘Who will follow? Who will be good?’”[iv]
Cyrus’s words remind me of Henry V’s famous words, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,”[v] as well as his words before going into battle with the French at Agincourt, “… from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered,—we few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”[vi] As I noted in discussing the V-word, when the battle ends and the French surrender, Henry V is shocked to learn the number of casualties: 10,000 French versus fewer than 30 English.
Focus on strengths—Cyrus questions his uncle to learn everything he can about the strengths of the Assyrians. Because the Persians don’t have cavalry to match the Assyrians, he develops a battle plan based on the strengths of the Persians, hand-to-hand, close-contact fighting. Cyrus understands strengths and weaknesses of his and his enemy’s armies and plays to his strengths.
When the Hyrcanians join forces with the Persians, they bring their expertise of fighting with cavalry. Later, Cyrus converts his foot soldiers to cavalrymen using horses taken from defeated enemies. Using tactics similar to ones advised by Sun Tzu, Cyrus defeats a larger, stronger Assyrian army.
After capturing Babylon, Cyrus frees the Hebrews taken from Israel, permits them to return to Jerusalem, and provides resources to rebuild their temple (2 Chronicles 36:22). As a result, Cyrus is referred to in Isaiah as the “Shepherd of the Lord” (Isaiah 44:28) and the “Anointed of the Lord” (Isaiah 45:1).[vii]
Next: Leadership ABCs—X (Part 8)
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[i] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2085/2085-h/2085-h.htm. Gutenberg’s Cyropaedia: The Education of Cyrus, Book II, Chapter 2.
[ii] https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/harry-s-truman-quotes. July 28, 2020.
[iii] The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain, Chartwell Books, New York, NY, 2016, p. 30.
[iv] Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War, edited by Larry Hedrick, Truman Talley Books, New York, NY, 2006, p. 110.
[v] William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fifth, Act 3, Scene 3, Line 1.
[vi] Ibid, Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 79-82.
[vii] Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great, pp. xiii, xx, 253-254 and Joan Comay and Ronald Brownrigg, Who’s Who in the Bible: Two Volumes in One, Random House, New York, NY, 1980, p. 78.
