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Leadership Process Four: Directing Symbols 135 33: Ablutions, Celebrations, and Other Correct Behavior The leadership literature is addressing celebrations more and more. The significance of attending symbolically to whatever accomplishments or matters warrant attention is underappreciated by many leaders. During his campaigns, Alexander traveled through an impossibly diverse geographical, religious, and cultural landscape. Upon entering Babylon, he was greeted as a liberator. He immediately ordered the restoration of temples that had been destroyed by the Persians after Babylon rebelled more than a hundred years before. The jubilant Chaldeans (priests) were indebted to Alexander, and through them, the people welcomed Alexander as one of their own. Everywhere Alexander traveled, he held sacrifices, games, and festivals to placate the gods at the local temples. The effect, of course, was to ingratiate him with the locals. He sought to find parallels between his gods, sacrifices, and divinations and the local gods so as to portray himself as a pantheist who was accepting of the local ‘‘heresy.’’ This was a pattern that was repeated throughout his life—he always performed the correct ablutions, sacrifices, festivals, games, or whatever was locally correct. Inferences and Allegations Alexander recognized the symbolism of local-minded people. Never assuming his sacrifices and ablutions to be ‘‘cor-
136 THE WISDOM OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT rect’’ and never doubting his own beliefs, he played the perfect pantheist—religiously placating everyone everywhere he went. Leading Lessons Confusion about gender, religious, and cultural differences requires acceptance, understanding, sensitivity, and broad knowledge. Sometimes leading requires the finesse of a pantheistic ‘‘priest.’’ Mergers and acquisitions warrant careful regard for local gods, customs, and celebrations. For example, when Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream company, it was extremely careful to pay close attention to all the things that made Ben & Jerry’s unique. Unilever continued the practice of environmental awareness—to an obsessive degree. It continued the extraordinary orientation toward the employees. It changed few human resource policies, even though they were considered anathema in most of the rest of the capitalist world. Furthermore, Unilever made good public relations out of its fidelity to the original culture at Ben & Jerry’s. This attention to detail helped convey the important reality that Ben & Jerry’s is unlike any other organization in the world.
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THE WISDOM OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
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THE WISDOM OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT E
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CONTENTS Foreword .................
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CONTENTS vii 33: Ablutions, Celebra
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FOREWORD Alexander the Great as a l
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PREFACE Leadership cannot be taught
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PREFACE xiii Sources: How Do We Kno
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PREFACE xv Alexander’s exploits a
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Books are not the w
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xix Dickerson, Andy
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RÉSUMÉ Alexander the Great SIGNIF
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Page 183 and 184: 156 APPENDIX 326 Battle at River Hy
Page 185 and 186: 158 BIBLIOGRAPHY Fildes, Alan, and
Page 191 and 192: 164 INDEX Alexander the Great (cont
Page 193 and 194: 166 INDEX integration of cultures,
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