LEADERS

Leaders from the History

[Institution Name]Leaders from the History

Introduction

The paper revolves around the comparative leadership of two legendary leaders, Confucius and Kemal Mustafa Ataturk. These exemplary leaders have made great contributions to the society as well as hold influential personality traits. We will demonstrate the philosophies and practices of both leaders and identify differences in their leadership traits.

With military victory behind him, Mustafa Kemal rejected foreign adventures to concentrate on the reconstruction of Turkey, appearing in top hat and tails instead of a military uniform. In 1923 the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished and Turkey was declared a Republic by the National Assembly, with Mustafa Kemal named President for life. Comparatively, Confucius was in favor of Nationalism and supported the philosophies that were closely knitted with the cultural roots.

Confucius

Confucius (552-479 BCE) was the most important philosopher and teacher in early China and among the most influential people to have ever lived. Confucius's teachings, called Confucianism, remain embedded in Chinese and Asian cultures, and his genius is recognized around the world more than 2,500 years after his death (Freedman, 2002). He is known in Chinese as Kong Qiu (Zhongni); greatest Chinese teacher and philosopher. The name Confucius is the Latin rendering of Kong Fuzi ("Master Kong"). Confucius was born in the little feudal state of Lu, near modern Qufu (Shandong Province).

Confucius lived in an age of great political disorder. The Zhou royal house had lost its authority and the many feudal lords were competing for hegemony. He himself was concerned with the problems of restoring order and harmony to society and of keeping alive the ancient virtues of personal integrity and social justice. For him, a good ruler is one who governs by moral persuasion and who loves the people as a father loves his children. Confucius was especially learned in rites and music, finding in them both the inspiration and the means for the achievement of moral righteousness in society. He reflected deeply on the human situation about him in the light of the wisdom of the ancients. By about the age of thirty he felt himself "standing firm” on his insights and convictions (Confucius, 2007).

Like others of his time, Confucius viewed service in the government—the opportunity to exert moral suasion on the king—as the proper goal of a gentleman (junzi). At about thirty-five, he visited the large neighboring state of Qi. He stayed there for about one year and was so enthralled by the shao music (attributed to the sage-king Shun) that for three months, he claimed, he did not notice the taste of the meat he ate. Clearly, he hoped to be of use at the ducal court. The Analects reports his conversations with Duke Jing of Qi about government, and his emphatic belief that a ruler should be a good ruler, the minister a good minister, the father a good father, and the son a good son.

Kemal Mustafa Ataturk

Kemal Mustafa Ataturk was the founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president (1923-1938). Born an ethnic Macedonian ...