Julius Caesar: Effective Leader

Many businessmen, historians, military personal, etc all have created lists of who they believe to be great leaders. One man appears on more than one of those list: Julius Caesar. He was truly an effective leader. An effective leader must be a communicator, a planner, confident, yet humble, knowledgeable, and much more. Caesar planned to get to the top of the political system in Rome. To do that, he would have to climb many steps to get there. In 80 B. C. E. , he joined the staff of the governor Asia. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to Nicomedes IV of Bithynia to raise a fleet. It was rumored that he had a love affair with Nicomedes, however that could have just been a rumor started by Caesar’s enemies. Years later, in 74 B. C. E. , Mithradates of Pontus attacked the Roman province of Asia and Caesar, wanting military glory, raised an army and went to Asia, which was illegal because you needed a commission from the Senate to lead an operation. He then defended several towns, allowing the Roman commander time to attack Pontus. Funding his quest on the political ladder, Caesar went bankrupt. The richest man in Rome, Crassus, paid Caesar’s debts. Crassus’s wealth would become the major fund behind Caesar’s extravagant lifestyle and the necessities to advance the political totem pole. When Caesar’s aunt Julia died, he decided to hold a large funeral for her. At the funeral , he made a long speech about Marius, who was married to Julia, and claimed descent from the fourth king of Rome and Venus. Soon after, he left for Spain where he began to quell an uprising among the local Spanish tribes. He proceeded to attack towns and the silver mine of Gallaecia. This Spanish War was where Caesar found he had a knack for military command. This war also taught him that war can be very profitable. It was here in Spain where he had a famous encounter with a statue of Alexander the Great. He proceeded to lament how he failed to perform some memorable act whereas Alexander ,at the age of 33, the same age Caesar was at this moment, conquered the whole known world. Caesar began forming an alliance with the Roman general Pompey the Great. Pompey fought wars in the east and the Senate was late in passing laws to organize the east. Caesar supported Pompey and would go on to form the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus. The triumvirate was described by Livy as, “a conspiracy against the state by its three leading citizens”. Together they would rule Rome and all decisions would help all three members. In 58 B. C. E. , he became the governor of Cisalpine Gaul, Transalpine Gaul, and Illyricum. He originally wanted to conquer modern Romania, which was rich in metals, but saw the opportunity for conquest on glory in Gaul. He proceeded to conquer and subjugate the Gallic tribes. The conquest of Gaul meant that the Gauls could no longer attack Rome since in 387 B. C. E. , they ended up capturing the city of Rome and the Romans began a lifelong hatred of Gauls. When Caesar had power he had to organize Rome to ensure it’s stability. Caesar organized an army and defended Asia from an attack by Pontus. This gave the commander of the Roman army time to raise an army and attack Pontus. After crushing rebellions in Spain and Gaul, Caesar organized the provinces to make them stable. Caesar was so successful in organizing Gaul, that the Gauls would consider themselves Roman and was considered the most Roman province outside of Italy. In order to advance up the political ladder, Caesar organized a coalition between himself, Crassus, and Pompey called the First Triumvirate. All three men agreed that every decision made would have to benefit all three members. After being elected consul, Caesar organized a law that would give Pompey’s soldiers and the poor land in Italy. This appeased the mob and alleviated unemployment. Next he passed bills that prevented corruption by provincial governors. After the civil war he became dictator and organized Rome. He held triumphs which appeased the people of Rome. He encouraged education by granting doctors and teachers citizenship. He reformed the tax policy and reformed the calendar. Another of his reforms was to drains the marshes to create more land and granted full voting rights to those south of the Alps. Caesar often recruited effective workers and executives because to become the most powerful man in Rome, he had to create alliances with powerful men.

Cite this page