{"id":38385,"date":"2024-09-12T17:26:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T00:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38385"},"modified":"2024-09-12T17:26:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T00:26:52","slug":"agricola-leadership-lessons-from-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/agricola-leadership-lessons-from-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Agricola: Leadership Lessons From History?"},"content":{"rendered":"

History has long provided innumerable examples of leaders, some virtuous and others despotic. Whether upright or cruel, the recorded life stories of history\u2019s leaders offer insight into the past, wisdom for the present, and a cautionary voice for the future (as history often repeats itself). The biography\u00a0Agricola<\/em> was written in AD 98 by the Roman historian Tacitus as a tribute to the life of his father-in-law Agricola, whose \u201cclaim to fame was that he had completed the [Roman] conquest of Britain, four decades after it had begun.\u201d[1]<\/a> Concerning his tribute to Agricola, Tacitus laments, \u201cIn these times, I needed permission when I intended to relate the life of a dead man. I should not have had to request this if I had been planning an invective.\u201d [2]<\/a> This consent was required because, throughout the reign of the emperor Domitian, Tacitus and others were \u201cobliged to keep silence and not to write or publish anything.\u201d [3]<\/a> When reading Agricola<\/em>, there is a feeling of extreme state censorship. Tacitus writes concerning Domitian, \u201cWhat he dreaded most of all was for the name of a subject to be exalted above that of the emperor.\u201d [4]<\/a> As evident in Agricola<\/em>, Tacitus felt contempt for the emperor, and his writing regarding his father-in-law was both a tribute and a political statement. Tacitus desired to convey in his writings \u201cthat there can be great men even under bad emperors.\u201d[5]<\/a> Tacitus believed Agricola to be a great man.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a complete novice in studying the ancient Roman Empire, I\u00a0realize my limitations. Therefore, my purpose is neither to affirm the character and actions of Agricola nor to\u00a0justify Roman conquests. Specifically, in this case, Agricola\u2019s conquest of Britain. Bradley Potter writes, \u201cLeadership analysis, political critique, and counterinsurgency manual \u2013 these are just three themes found in the pages of the\u00a0Agricola<\/em>. Tacitus\u2019s wide-ranging first work leaves his readers with much to contemplate.\u201d[6]<\/a> However, in this post, I will only describe the leadership traits that Tacitus saw in his father-in-law, which differed from the indulgence and self-aggrandizement that epitomized ancient Roman culture. In addition, I will briefly look at Agricola\u2019s leadership traits in view of Friedman\u2019s more contemporary idea of the well-differentiated leader<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tacitus describes Agricola as a man with a \u201csense of proportion.\u201d [7]<\/a> Tacitus writes, \u201cHe [Agricola] never applied for a task as a chance for self-advertisement and never declined one through cowardice. He performed with both caution and alertness.\u201d [8]<\/a> Additionally, Tacitus emphasizes Agricola\u2019s decision to serve Rome despite the despotic emperor Domitian. He writes, \u201cHe [Agricola] avoided rivalry with colleagues and disputes with procurators, for he considered it no kind of glory to win and demeaning to be worsted.\u201d [9]<\/a> Contemporary readers will likely find the short description of Agricola\u2019s conduct commendable (at a surface level). Furthermore, one could argue the abovementioned description of Agricola resembles the most admired traits of modern-day leaders. In A Failure of Nerve, <\/em>Edwin Friedman writes<\/em>, \u201cThe type of leadership that was required for the Old World to go in new directions is the same kind of leadership that is necessary for reorienting any relationship system in any age.\u201d [10]<\/a> Friedman argues for the need for what he defines as a well-differentiated leader. He writes, \u201cI mean someone who can be separate while still remaining connected and, therefore, can maintain a modifying, non-anxious, and sometimes challenging presence. I mean someone who can manage his or her own reactivity in response to the automatic reactivity of others and, therefore, be able to take stands at the risk of displeasing.\u201d[11]<\/a> From Tacitus\u2019 writing concerning his father-in-law, readers recognize similarities to a well-differentiated leader. Tacticus heralds Agricola as one who made himself known to the army, learned from the experienced men, and was always hopeful in the face of difficulties. However, this brief analysis is not intended to determine whether Agricola was a well-differentiated leader\u00a0but to quickly explore Tacitus\u2019 description of ancient Agricola and Friedman\u2019s more current ideas surrounding the well-differentiated leader. Ultimately, I ask myself, \u201cDoes humanity throughout history seek and admire the same type of leader?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tacitus believed Agricola to be a great leader and described him as such in his tribute. He also expressed sorrow for his father-in-law, who served Rome and was mistreated under Domitian’s rule. Tacitus writes, \u201cSo many years have been stolen from the middle of our lives, years in which those of us who were youths have become old men and the old men have reached almost the end of their allotted span\u2014in silence.\u201d [12]<\/a> However, Tacitus believed Agricola\u2019s story would live on, and it did. Although this post was not written to affirm Agricola\u2019s character or actions, it highlights certain leadership traits Tacitus deemed essential to record. In addition, Agricola\u2019s leadership qualities were compared to the respected traits of modern-day leaders\u2014specifically, Friedman\u2019s well-differentiated leader. Regardless of the era, history provides examples of virtuous and despotic leaders. Whether upright or cruel, the recorded life stories of history\u2019s leaders offer insight into the past, wisdom for the present, and a cautionary voice for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition<\/span><\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition<\/span><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Bradley A. Potter, \u201cTacitus, Agricola (circa 98 AD) – Classics of Strategy and Diplomacy,\u201d March 4, 2016. https:\/\/classicsofstrategy.com\/2016\/03\/04\/tacitus-agricola-circa-98-ad\/.<\/span><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid, 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix<\/em>, (New York, New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2017), introduction. Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve<\/em>, (New York, New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2017), introduction. Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Tacitus, Agricola and Germany,<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2009).Kindle Edition.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History has long provided innumerable examples of leaders, some virtuous and others despotic. Whether upright or cruel, the recorded life stories of history\u2019s leaders offer insight into the past, wisdom for the present, and a cautionary voice for the future (as history often repeats itself). The biography\u00a0Agricola was written in AD 98 by the Roman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3271,2967],"class_list":["post-38385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-tacitus","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38386,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38385\/revisions\/38386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}