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Leadership Lessons from
By Joe Tye, CEO of Values Coach Inc.
Ancient wisdom for modern leaders
“Instead of being concerned
that you have no office, be
concerned to think how you
may fit yourself for office.” - Confucius
3
Surveys around the world
show The Lord of the Rings
to be the book of the
century, and even of the
millennium.
4
And this was certainly the
movie event of the decade,
perhaps even of the
century.
“Critics say Tolkien’s fantasy
is escapist, unrealistic, and
irrelevant to modern social
problems! The problem is
exactly the opposite: it is far
too relevant for the critic’s
comfort.”
Peter J. Kreeft: The Philosophy of Tolkien:
The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings
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“J.R.R. Tolkien had an
intuitive understanding
of the theories and
practice of leadership
that was well ahead of its
time…”
Joe Tye: Leadership Lessons: What You
Can Learn from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Classic
Works
7
“Tolkien’s characters
represent archetypes of
virtually every major
leadership style that has
been practiced over the
past fifty years.”
Joe Tye: Leadership Lessons: What You Can
Learn from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Classic Works
8
“Fictional characters
can be more real
than real people.”
Christopher Tolkien
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Let’s start
with
definitions…
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An archetype is an original
model of a person, ideal
example, or a prototype
upon which others are
copied, patterned, or
emulated.
Wikipedia
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In other words,
an archetype is
a master style.
12
Many of the characters
in The Lord of the Rings
represent archetypes of
leadership.
13
Before looking at the
archetypes, let’s consider
the difference between
management &
leadership…
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Management is a job
description.
Leadership
is a life decision.
15
Management is
what you do.
Leadership is
who you are.
16
Management is
transactional.
Leadership is
transformational.James MacGregor Burns: Leadership
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Leadership is not just about power!
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“You can’t fight the
Enemy with his own
Ring without turning
into an Enemy
[yourself].”J.R.R. Tolkien (letters)
19
A leader is someone
who has followers
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A leader is a person
who takes you to a
place you didn’t know
you wanted to go
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What leaders do
Leaders create community
by inspiring emotion and
by influencing action
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Fellowship
of the Ring
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Let’s look at lessons
in leadership style
from the archetypal
leaders The Lord of
the Rings
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Sauron’s Lesson
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You can achieve short-term goals –
even come close to world
domination – using intimidation and
fear to “motivate” people, but the
people you terrorize will eventually
turn on you (as the Ring itself
turned on Sauron).
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Saruman’s Lesson
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One of the most important
decisions that any leader makes
is the choice of people with
whom to associate, because
over time people take on the
attributes of others in what
sociologists call their reference
group.
29
The most profound duty of the
leader is to inspire hope during
the darkest of times – and that
responsibility begins with the
leader constantly rekindling
their own hope.
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Gollum’s Lesson
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We all must choose whether to
follow our own inner angels or
our inner demons – and how we
make that choice will
substantially determine what
we achieve and who we
become.
32
Boromir’s Lesson
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Wise leaders know that you can
never use evil means to achieve
worthy ends, no matter how
noble your intentions might be.
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Aragorn’s Lesson
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Great leaders are guided by
authenticity rather than being
driven by ambition, and in the
process they create a sense of
destiny that inspires followers
to greatness.
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Galadriel’s Lesson
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The greatest gift a leader can
give is the light of hope and
courage when people are
traversing the valley of shadow
and despair.
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Gandalf’s Lesson
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The most important
contribution any leader can
make is not in the act of
leading, but rather in the
cultivating of other leaders.
41
No circumstance is so dark and
dire that a change of heart
coupled with forceful action
cannot turn the tide.
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Eowyn’s Lesson
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No one can prevent a
determined leader from
performing the great deeds
that it is her destiny to
perform.
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Faramir’s Lesson
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One of the most courageous
of leadership acts is giving up
the illusion of being in control
and trusting that others can
fulfill duties upon which your
future will depend.
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Eomer’s Lesson
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Real leaders put duty (to king
and country) ahead of their
own personal desires,
comforts, and even safety.
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Frodo’s Lesson
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When your own hope and
strength fail, you must fall back
on your faith in the hope and
strength of others – seen and
unseen.
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Sam Gamgee’s
Lesson
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The best leaders are those
who never cease seeing
themselves as followers and
as servants, even after they
themselves are viewed by
others as leaders.
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Those who grow in stature and
status are the ones who begin
by volunteering for the difficult
and dangerous jobs, with no
hope of personal gain from the
endeavor.
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Legolas & Gimli’s Lesson
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The most courageous
leadership act of all is that of
replacing ancient hatreds with
a new spirit of fellowship.
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Elrond’s Lesson
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A small band of volunteers who
are committed heart and soul
to the mission will almost
always outperform an army of
draftees.
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The most effective
organizations have
leadership in every
corner, not just in the
corner office.
60
Another great
leadership lesson from
another great work of
fiction...
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“A king does not abide within his tent while his men
bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine
while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at
watch upon the wall. A king does not command his
men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold;
he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and
the pains he endures for their sake. That which
comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and
sets down last. A king does not require service of
those he leads but provides it to them. He serves
them, not they him… A king does not expend his
substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and
example makes them free.”
Steven Pressfield: Gates of Fire
