Page 86 - English v1.indd
P. 86
Leaders are constantly confronted with "unsolvable" problems-those big, hairy, READING comprehension
audacious problems that are intractable, even when you are throwing resources
at them. The greatest leaders in history - military, political, and economic - do not Task: Which are the four leadership processes applied by Alexander the
attempt to solve such "impossible" problems when confronted with them. Rather, they Great? Find them in the text below and explain them.
find or create a different problem so that when they solve this new difficulty, the old History is densely populated with powerful leaders whose ability to inspire their charges led to
unsolvable, or impossible problem becomes either trivial to deal with or irrelevant. substantial successes and some measure of greatness.
He set about besieging the city by land. Yes-by land. He But no person has ever lived whose leadership was so absolute as to equal Alexander, King of
commanded his engineers and soldiers to build a mole over Macedonia. As a military commander, he defeated forces that dwarfed his own. As a statesman,
half a mile long (estimates range from five - to seven -tenths he brought entire nations to his side through a mix of diplomacy and intimidation. And as an icon,
of a mile-call it a kilometer) and 100 to 200 yards wide. This he would become known the world over as, simply, Alexander the Great.
causeway was simply a spit of land. Alexander's men all took up Alexander further built his reputation and legacy by directing symbols. In almost every city he
shovels and baskets used some of the walls of old Tyre, found conquered, he ingratiated himself by taking part in local religious customs. He is said also to
loose earth near the coast, loaded the baskets, and like have solved the mystery of the famed Gordian Knot, forever linking him to local legend.
The Wisdom of Alexander the Great shows how this almost impossibly young leader
an army of ants dumped their loads into the ocean. combined ruthless efficiency on the battlefield with an uncanny understanding of human
Gradually, they filled in the gap of water between the mainland nature to build an empire that at its height included some 90 percent of the known world. The
and the city. This process took about seven months. The book identifies the unique leadership qualities of Alexander, and provides a framework for
Tyrians, of course, tried to stop this engineering marvel. Their fleet tried to developing, adapting, and applying these same qualities to 21st-century business.
destroy the work, and it almost succeeded, but Alexander's engineers built Readers facing seemingly intractable situations will learn how Alexander made a habit of
specialized towers and mobile battlements that protected the workers while they refraining problems: Knowing he could not defeat the Persian navy in conventional sea battle;
proceeded. He also borrowed small fleets to help guard the workers. When the he stayed on land and cut off their supply of fresh drinking water.
causeway was complete, he was able to lay siege to the fortified island as though it Alexander also stands out as an expert at building alliances: After the battle at Hvdaspes,
were a city on land. It fell quickly - in about two weeks. The Tyrians were mostly Alexander not only spared the life of the defeated King Porus, he also restored and enlarged
Porus's kingdom, thus securing the loyalty of his family for generations.
slaughtered for their ill treatment of Alexander and their resistance. The Persian He was also a master at establishing identity. After defeating King Darius at Issvs, he befriended
fleet was rendered ineffective. Alexander marched triumphantly on to Egypt. members of the royal family, and later married into the family, establishing his identity as the
new Persian king.
Leading Lesson
As a leader, you are in the problem-reframing business. It is your job to create the
About Lance Kurke, the writer of the book entitled: The Wisdom of Alexander the Great
reality to which the organization will devote its resources. You create this reality by
LANCE B. KURKE, PH.D., is the president of Kurke and Associates, Inc., a consulting practice pro-
identifying or creating other problems that are not unsolvable, so as to avoid viding strategic planning, leadership development, and executive coaching. He is also chairman of
deploying resources on problems that have no solution. the Leadership and Change Management division and an associate professor of management at the
To recognize it, you need to know your strengths and use them, to know your John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business at Duquesne University, and an adjunct professor
weknesses and avoid them, and to find your enemy’s weaknesses and attack
at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University.
them.
Alexander the Great sometimes refraimed problems by creating another "Lance Kurke deftly captures how the strategies and tactics of one of history's most fascinating
problem. When he solved this new, “created” problem, the original “unsovable” leaders can be applied today. This book is for any person who aspires to greatness:"
problem was either irrelevant, trivial to solve, or moot. This process is called Jim Rohr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The PNC Financial Services Group
problem displacement, and it is arguably the most important leadership secret.
Alexander the Great did not accept perceptions of his environment as limitations "Reconfirms the adage that power is 20 percent granted and 80 percent grasped."
to be accommodated. Perceived problems were reframed into alternative Charles J. Queenan, Jr., former Chairman of the Management Committee, Kirkpatrick &
problems, which were then solved. Lockhart LLP
"Lance Kurke really gets you to think about leadership by using a creative process approach filled
I. Task: Find defining, non-defining sentences in the text above. with awesome history of one of the greatest leadership artists of all time."
Ken Burk, Chief Executive Officer, Union Switch & Signal
86
87
