Ethical leadership can be observed in some of history's most notable individuals, taking into account that their strategies made it possible for them to assist their subordinates in achieving success as a whole. People in ancient times were generally determined to take on authoritarian attitudes as leaders, as they were accustomed to simply giving orders while expressing little to no interest in the wellbeing of their followers. In contrast, Julius Caesar acknowledged that it was best for him to actually care for his subordinates and focused on making them feel that they played an important role within the community. Rome was prospering during Caesar's leadership and people felt happy with their leader as he practically presented them with a concept that was rarely met in the era: fairness.
Julius Caesar as an Ethical Leader
Ethical leadership can be observed in some of history's most notable individuals, taking into account that their strategies made it possible for them to assist their subordinates in achieving success as a whole. People in ancient times were generally determined to take on authoritarian attitudes as leaders, as they were accustomed to simply giving orders while expressing little to no interest in the well-being of their followers. In contrast, Julius Caesar acknowledged that it was best for him to actually care for his subordinates and focused on making them feel that they played an important role within the community. Rome was prospering during Caesar's leadership and people felt happy with their leader as he practically presented them with a concept that was rarely met in the era: fairness.
Literature review
Caesar did not wait until he became Rome's leader to demonstrate his ethical leadership abilities, as he focused on being caring toward his subordinates ever since he was provided with small roles in the Roman army. The moment when he rose to being an army leader, however, enabled his soldiers to understand what it was like to have a leader who actually cared for each and every one of them. Unlike other generals, Caesar did not enjoy staying behind his troops as they were fighting difficult battles. He joined his soldiers on foot and fought on the front lines as if he were a simple soldier, thus making it possible for his men to sympathize with him and get actively involved in supporting him as their leader.
Caesar also acknowledged the importance of fairness in a community that would appreciate him. As a consequence, he did not encourage situations where wealthy individuals abused underprivileged people and increased taxes for rich people while lowering taxes for poor individuals. This made it possible for Roman citizens to gain a more complex understanding concerning the strategies that need to be used with the purpose of assisting a society experience progress as a whole. It is very probable that fairness is actually one of the reasons for which he was assassinated, as it was particularly difficult for individuals who were accustomed to abusing others to live in a world controlled by Caesar. According to Mullane, "playing by the rules, not taking advantage of others, making informed judgments without favoritism or prejudice, and not blaming others" are some of the most important traits when considering ethic leadership. Caesar had most of these traits and proved that it was possible for a leader to be respected in spite of the fact that he did not employ dictatorial attitudes.
Ethical analysis
One can even say that Caesar was modest because he wanted people to appreciate his qualities as a result of his actions, not because of fearing him. Even with the fact that he emphasized his need for being a leader across his life, he did not ignore his subordinates because he knew that it was in his best interest to try and influence them to support him with every chance that they got. Caesar practically realized that one of the most important concepts in the life of a leader was ethics. Him being able to realize this was essential in assisting him experience rapid progress.
Caesar's leadership was effective particularly because he concentrated on having people understand that there was little to no difference between him and them. He was not arrogant and did not exploit his position with the purpose of persecuting others. His leadership as an army general practically made it possible for Rome to experience the rapid expansion it saw during Caesar's life.
Caesar provided people with the feeling that he shared their interests and he was very persistent in trying to make them feel as satisfied with their condition as they could possibly be. His people needed a leader and he wanted to present them with the picture of the ideal leader in an attempt to secure his position and to have the opportunity to actually perform acts that would reflect positively on Rome.
The world as a whole benefited as a result of Caesar's leadership because he was a transformational leader. His ethics played an essential role in assisting society experience rapid progress when regarding things from a point-of-view involving wiser values. Caesar was, in general, an ethical leader because he focused on the hopes and dreams of Romans and fulfilled most of his promises as a Roman leader.
Caesar was an ethical leader because he focused on reforming society in order for the world's well-being as a whole to be possible. "Leaders of this type question whether "business as usual" is what they want to keep doing, and likely advocate changes to the accepted system" (Grace 9). He wanted change to happen and he wanted it to happen during his leadership, as he observed how many of his predecessors and rivals were firstly interested in their personal well-being. His leadership generated much controversy as many people were unable to understand why it was beneficial for them to have an ethical leader. Society was accustomed to leaders who were ruthless and Caesar thus confused the masses with regard to the attitude that they needed to employ concerning their leader.
Trustworthiness was an essential trait in Caesar and this was reflected by the fact that he paid special attention to promises he made and went through great efforts in order to complete them. This man was determined to have people see that he truly wanted them to trust him and provided them with his true nature in an attempt to emphasize his selfless nature. Surely, it would be absurd to claim that he was not competitive and particularly concerned in being a leader. However, unlike other leaders throughout history, he actually wanted his simple people to share his success. Romans in general felt that they were a unique people because Caesar induced victorious feelings in them. He wanted them to know that Rome was not necessarily great because of its leader, as all of its citizens played important roles in securing its position in the world as one of the strongest powers that ever existed.
Law emerged as one of the most important concepts during Caesar's reign. He was actively engaged in devising laws that would provide Roman citizens with the chance to be happy while being involved in helping the community progress. He performed ethical acts on a constant basis and this influenced his subordinates to come to believe that it was in their best interest to support his actions.
The fact that the most powerful part of the community felt that it was provided with unfair treatment because underprivileged individuals were also provided with rights meant that Caesar gathered a lot of enemies during his leadership, as it was difficult for wealthy people to switch from having the power to having to accept that they were basically equal to poor individuals.
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