According to the mostly spread opinion, Attila the Hun was a savage barbarian obsessed with the necessity to destroy and pillage civilized settlements just because of his personal desires. However, in reality, he was a thoughtful leader able to motivate his nationals. This paper aims to discuss leadership qualities of Attila as described in the extract from Roberts’ Leadership Secrets of Attila the Han.
Attila started to learn ruling strategies when was captured by Romans. He secretly studied Roman policies and learned their diplomatic approaches and military structure. Thus, when Attila returned to the Hun, he started his way to power from the establishment of good relations with tribal chieftains. Roberts highlights that Attila got on their right side combining emotional appeal and fear, as he could understand their warrior instincts and desires for glory and executed those of them who refused to join him (Roberts 5). Moreover, he realized the importance of unification and continued it after becoming the king. At the same time, Attila never made a parade of his power; he appreciated his nationals, treated them with dignity, wore the same clothes and ate from the same dishes, and ruled with considerate justice. He dreamed about ruling the world but was patient, had political insights, and could wait for the right moment of actions. Furthermore, he was able to learn from his mistakes; when Romans defeated the Huns in A.D. 451 on the Catalaunian Plains near Chalons, Attila could rebuild his army, increase the martial spirit of his warriors, and return with the successful victory. War was not his only strategy; with age, Attila became prone to diplomacy and the establishment of negotiations.
Thus, as one could notice, Attila had a set leadership qualities. He treated his nationals with dignity and equality, never was too prideful, was able to succeed both in military and diplomacy, was respected and persuasive, and could reflect on personal mistakes and study on them. Despite the common view, Attila was a great warrior and even the greater leader, whose reign marked the prosperity of Hun.
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