Aragorn: King of Men!

Aragorn, a character from J.R.R Tolkien's epic trilogy The Lord of The Rings, is a true leader. As a member of the Fellowship of The Ring, Aragorn helped to defeat Sauron and destroy the "Ring". Aragorn was much more than a simple warrior though, it was because of Aragorn that the kingdoms of mankind were once again re-united. He was able to mend the bad blood between the different kingdoms of man and bring them together when they needed each other most.

Although, a fictional character, Aragorn demonstrate's a certain leadership style that I think people in real life could learn from. For starters, Aragorn is an extremely modest leader, some might even argue too modest. There are many occasions where Aragorn finds himself doubting his ability to be the one to "unite all of man", but, heck, who wouldn't? Although, a lack of confidence is usually considered a weakness in a leader, I happen to think otherwise. I believe that while having a certain degree of self-confidence is of importance, too much confidence can lead to big headed and self involved leaders who forget about the people they are leading! Aragon, to me demonstrates the perfect balance of self-confidence and modesty.

Another, leadership quality that Aragorn demonstrate's is his ability to inspire his people. There are multiple occasions in the book and movie where we see Aragorn demonstrate this. It is important for a leader to be able to speak to his/her people, communication is always key between a leader and their followers. In on of the most famous scenes in the Return of The King, Aragorn gives a speech to the humble gathering of warriors before the gates of Mordor. The army of men was outnumbered and fighting against a force that was "ten times, and ten times more" the size of theirs. And yet, Aragorn invoked a unrelenting passion within in them, right before the battle with a simple speech. He convinced his men, that everything they were about to fight and die for was the most important thing that they would ever do in their lives.

My favorite characteristic that Aragorn possess is bravery. Bravery is a quality that I think most individuals do not possess, because it is so hard to do something when the chances of success or disappointed are so high. Bravery does not necessarily have to be demonstrated in life or death situations, but, there are many instances where Aragorn puts himself in these situations just to protect others. I suppose that his bravery and self-sacrificial ways are a bit of a negative characteristic as well. Sacrifice, is very noble and brave, but it seems he never takes into account that if he did die in battle there would be no king for his people. Often, times it seems that he is thinking more with his heart and not with his brain!

Aragorn is a king and therefore by nature an authoritarian leader. However, I do believe that if he was a leader today he would defiantly be a democratic leader. Therefore, his leadership style is a mixture of authoritarian and democratic. I say this because while he does issue orders on his own merit, he cares about his people. I believe that he wants to hear what his people have to say, so that he might hope to fulfill their wants and needs.

Sources:

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.

Tolkien, J.R.R The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.

Tolkien, J.R.R The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Print