Soooo Close to the End

This week of class soooooo close to the much needed Thanksgiving break began with the class taking our weekly grade drop, I mean quiz. After the completion of that tragic even the class moved in a more positive direction as we discussed the end of Cyrus and took a look at some of the problems that Cyrus faced as a leader. We broke into groups and found exact examples of the types of challenges he faced. We found that being too gentle, taking advantage of opportunities for revenge, finding how to deal with his personal loyalties, finding ways to keep his followers motivated, using different methods to develop a strategy, and recongnizing and dealing with disloyalty and traitors are some of the biggest challenges that Cyrus and many other leaders are forced to face. Out of all of these challenges, I believe that the greatest challenge a leader must face is finding the perfect amount of gentleness with which to handle situations. If a leader is too gentle he is seen as weak and unable to lead, if a leader is too hard his followers will lose moral.

After class, instead of the normal assignment, we were assigned to finish the Education of Cyrus and to begin to think about the key factors of the end of the story.

The next day in class we discussed in depth he philanthropia of Cyrus and why it helped and worked so well for him. Welooked at how Cyrus built strong personal bonds with his followers when he wasnt excessively wealthy and able to give lavish gifts. These personal bonds were built by simply completing acts of kindness for his followers, such as visiting the sick. These acts acted as a sort of investment. If Cyrus were to call on his followers for monetary assistance it was proven that he would be able to call on an unforeseen fortune. This wouldn’t work for everyone but Cyrus’s innate ability to read people allows him to know who to and who not to help. This system can be seen as not only a kind act but also as slightly manipulative as Cyrus can push people to act exactly as he wishes. This skill is one of the many reasons that no one was able to fill the shoes of Cyrus after the passed on the reigns of the empire. Another large part of Cyrus’s shoes not being filled was his unique personality and genuine care of others.