alexander

Leadership Process One: Reframing Problems 19
3: Suppressing the Revolt at Thebes
There are many ways to deal with disloyalty, revolt, or sedition.
Each way may have exceedingly different effects on the people
involved. In this situation, Alexander reframed a revolt: Instead
of conquering a country, he won it through trust, and even
friendship.
Very shortly after he became king of Macedonia, Alexander
began campaigning in the northern part of modern-day
Greece and adjacent regions, trying to secure his borders so
that he could invade Persia without concern for his home
base.
While he was campaigning in the north, the city of
Thebes rebelled. It had been garrisoned by Macedonian
troops (since the battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C.), but disaffected
exiles returned, killed the commanders, and led a
full-scale revolt. Alexander recognized this as a central
threat to the stability of all Greece and his future invasion
of Persia. He dealt with it severely and marched quickly
to Boeotia, the region in central Greece where Thebes is
located.
The march was so speedy that the inhabitants of Thebes
were unaware of Alexander’s army until it was in their
midst. Rapidity of movement was one of Alexander’s hallmarks.
The army encamped, besieged, and conquered the
citadel. So far, this was a straightforward suppression of the
revolt.
The aftermath is noteworthy and as important as the
chalice at the altar. Alexander acted as the Hegemon of the