Leadership Tips From Gilgamesh
The story of Gilgamesh, the Akkadian king who lived 5,000 years ago, has survived to this day, written in cuneiform on clay tablets. When I read the book in which the tablets were translated one to one (Maden) and a book in which the missing parts were edited from various sources (Braem), I realized that the characteristics of leaders have not changed much for thousands of years. I wanted to note these characteristics with examples from the epic.
The first of these leader traits is having a vision, setting common goals and leading. Gilgamesh also had a vision to make his country the most powerful country of his time. To this end, he set the goals of making his country a safe place by surrounding it with a high wall to protect it against enemies, and of enriching it by increasing agriculture through waterways. For this reason, he gathered stonemasons and artisans to his country. This vision and the strong and large walls that emerged as a result of the people sharing this vision and supporting him made Uruk one of the strongest cities of the period and made him the most respected king of the period.
Another characteristic of a leader is bravery. In order to become a leader known for his courage, Gilgamesh captured and defeated the snake that even the strongest soldiers feared, destroyed Humbaba, the protector of the cedar forest, and set out on a difficult journey with his friend Enkidu to bring the cedar trees to his country. He succeeded and brought the trees to his country over the Euphrates river. Again with Enkidu, he fought and killed the Sky Bull sent by the gods.
Another characteristic that comes to the fore when we think about who is a leader is common sense. According to the tablets that date back thousands of years, Gilgamesh met regularly with the priestesses of Ishtar and the priests of Anu, the two different religious communities of his time, and consulted them on various issues. He took decisions based on their prophecies, predictions and warnings.
Persuasiveness is also among the traits that draw attention when we talk about leadership. Gilgamesh is a leader with high persuasiveness. When Akka, the king of Kish, showed up at the gates of Uruk with his soldiers to take the city, he eliminated this threat by using a win-win strategy. He pointed out that looting his city would cause many dead and wounded for both peoples. Instead of a temporary gain, he said, he could send stonemasons to Kish to train the stonemasons who built the waterways and walls of his city and ensure their permanent prosperity. By saying that they could share their wealth and trade together would improve both countries, the king of Kish helped Akka to end the occupation.
Perception management, a popular concept today, was an important quality to be a successful leader thousands of years ago. Gilgamesh demonstrated his good perception management during his struggle with the king of Kish. He met his enemy Akka at the gates of the city with a huge army and his own soldiers inside, poisoned by the priestess Iluna and half unconscious. Inside, he managed his opponent’s perception by telling him that his powerful army was capable of defeating the enemy.
Being a good leader requires being open to continuous improvement. Gilgamesh has the profile of a leader who is never satisfied with what he has and always strives for more. His story ends with a long journey to find immortality. At the end of the difficult journey, he learns from Ziusudra, who survived the great flood, which is also found in the holy books, that he will find immortality in a plant at the bottom of the sea, and he manages to get the plant. However, he later loses this plant to a snake when he falls asleep. Although he is not immortal, this journey adds wisdom to his wisdom.
Today, the above titles have an important place in the resources and trainings on leadership in modern life. Perhaps today, in a VUCA (Variable, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, leadership may be on the agenda more, but life is no less complex in the conditions of that day. Even if everything seemed normal, it was not certain that there would be no floods the next day, that an enemy would not appear at the door, that there would be no rebellion in the country, or that there would not be disasters such as drought. These risks meant that an effective and good leader was needed. What do you think?
Sources:
Gilgamesh Epic, Sait Maden.
Gilgamesh, The Lion of Uruk, Harald Braem.
