Thucydides: On Leadership (Brasidas) 6/29/17

Brasidas: Creative thinker, powerful speaker, brave warrior, brilliant tactician.* The seminal study on war, politics and strategy is the book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war of 431-404 BCE. In addition to teaching important lessons on the civil military nexus, joint and combined operations and many other valuable concepts Thucydides teaches about leadership. He does this using a case history approach highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of numerous individuals throughout his history of the war. One of the key leaders highlighted in the Peloponnesian War is Brasidas the Spartan General (greek: strategos) who was not only a brave leader in battle but a diplomat and orator. Brasidas raised his own army and challenged his fellow Spartans to fund it. He cobbled together a rag-tag group of misfits and outcasts who then succeeded beyond everyone's expectations. In fact, Brasidas was often able to succeed without fighting, (such as with the Acanthians) through his persuasive speeches, and was also able to rally his troops to great feats of courage (as his speech to his troops at the Thracian Gates). Despite fighting with inferior numbers Brasidas often won the day with speed, audacity and cunning. The fact that Brasidas was one of only six Spartans killed in the pivotal battle of Amphipolis clearly indicates that he was a model of personal courage. Brasidas’ actions changed the strategic balance of the war which helped lead the Spartans to their ultimate victory.** Army Leadership Doctrine: Personal courage is one of the Army values that Brasidas modeled. Brasidas also teaches many other values including initiative and motivation (ADRP 6-22, 11-13). *This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., or The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan or The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. ** Charismatic leadership from a religious perspective can be either a power for good or ill. Consider both Saul and David (1 Samuel 15-1 Kings 2:12). For a spiritual view, belief net has an article titled The Pros and Dangers of a Charismatic Religious Leader