One of the most essential aspects of any culture’s identity are their stories. European and American students almost always are assigned the Iliad at some point in life. Chinese culture has several novels they honor as highly as we do the Iliad, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Through the lens of the great Western epic and the renowned Chinese historical novel, I’ll isolate a quality that both seem to view as essential to good leadership. This quality is piety.
The opening sequence of the Iliad is Agamemnon offending a priest of Apollo by refusing a generous ransom for his daughter, going so far as to threaten the priest. This is quickly punished by Apollo, and Agamemnon is forced to rely on Odysseus’ holocaust to appease the gods.
When Cao Cao became convinced his home was haunted by vengeful spirits in the wake of Guan Yu’s death, he sought to rebuild. However, he lacked suitable timber for his new home’s main beam. Being told of a mighty pear tree next to a temple, he sent men to claim it. When the men were unable to pierce the tree, he personally led hundreds of men to the temple. Cao Cao was warned by elders that the tree was sacred to a powerful spirit, Cao Cao grew angry that a spirit would defy his will and struck the tree with his sword. Struck by Cao’s sword, the tree spilled blood all over Cao Cao, who quickly grew ill, and after a short time, died.
Wiser leaders in both tales, Priam and Liu Bei, are conspicuously pious and humble, always regarding the gods, their nations, and families as more important than themselves. Authors Homer and Luo Guanzong portrayed piety as an essential part of character, and it seems, one of the main reasons people followed Priam and Liu Bei loyally. In the end, the impious leader surrounds himself with panderers because they can thrive under his rule.
In the Iliad, many of Agamemnon’s important allies were ready to leave him. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao failed to attract competent scholars. Highly skilled men apparently didn’t see themselves thriving under these leaders. In both cultures, an impious man may be both unpredictable and dishonest. He may not reward his people in proportion to their service or loyalty. In contrast, a pious man rewards, not because of personal sentiment, but on the assessment of contributions. There’s an honesty and trustworthiness here that are critical to leadership.
At its core, Piety reveals itself as a willingness to put your people, your obligations, above yourself,which keeps your people safe and keeps you honest. As a leader, one of the most important things for others is to have clear and consistent standards. A pious leader often provides both consistency and clarity to his followers. While an impious man values his mood over his standards.