Journal Week 9
10/20:
This week in class we studied the leadership development of Cyrus the Great from Xenophon’s Education of Cyrus. Someone in my life that has exhibited the most and best leadership is my mom. She was raised in Section 8 housing in Austin, Texas partially by my great-grandma and grandma, before they gentrified all of the Black people out of the city. She grew up extremely impoverished, many times having to drink powdered milk or not knowing where her next meal would come from. She got herself into Northwestern University in Chicago with no help and, later, the University of Texas Austin School of Law. Growing up without her father in her life and with a single Black mother without a college degree, she prided herself in her ability to succeed both in her academic schooling and law profession. The leadership skills she installed in me were integrity, hard-work, responsibility, honesty, and courage. Her leadership is most effective in her job where she manages a team of attorneys at the SEC in San Francisco and at home where she is the backbone of our family.
10/21:
Plotting Leadership Development
A problem I’d like to have phronesis in solving is in uplifting the socioeconomic status of American descendants of slavery. My plan for cultivating phronesis is by committing myself to being more active and engaged in pro-reparation movements and organizations. For almost two years, I’ve been involved online and in-person at events related to this, but the pandemic delayed these meetings. My new plan is to continue promoting virtually and within my social and familial spaces. Also, financial support through donations is always vital in the support of grassroot social movements.
Part Two
One time that phthonos interfered with my ability to lead was in middle school when I suffered from anxiety but wanted to lead and instead was pushed to the outside of social groups I wanted to be a part of. I was to overcome this resentment of those who isolated me, but not until years later and with lots of reflection. Another time was on a trip to Texas with my family when my brother and I were fighting. I overcame these feelings by allowing my sister to help us reconcile in her role as a master-harmonizer. A third time that phthonos interferred with my ability to lead was on my varsity tennis team in high school. My conflict and resentment of my coach made it hard to be an effective leader. I overcame this by talking to the other captains who helped me get over it.
One situation where I may feel phthonos toward someone that interferes with my leadership may be at a local NorCal HU meeting this weekend. This is only the second meeting of the semester and I mainly helped set it up through GroupMe. To overcome these feelings if they arise I can talk to my friends, parents, or siblings about it if I have any issues. The group can be better at minimalizing these situations by doing activities that don’t cause too much tension or hostility between each other. Another situation where I may feel phthonos toward someone that interferes with my leadership may be within my Freshman Seminar final project group. To overcome these feelings if they arise I can relax and allow others to lead equally. The group can be better at minimalizing these situations by getting to know one another and allowing everyone to contribute and lead within the group an equal amount.
Xenophon Cyrus iii
Cyrus demonstrated partial ideal leadership because he minimized the hierarchal distinctions by making his elite soldiers camp among his lower-ranked soldiers. He also demonstrated leadership by learning from the failures of those before him, leading from the front and guiding his soldiers in battle rather than isolation, celebrating his followers greatest assets by noticing their accomplishment, rewarding his followers for their loyalty, and negotiating even in the situation of phthonos or mutual distrust.
