Essay Sample on The Leadership of Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang was the first king to unify the state of China by defeating all the seven warring and diverging states. He started as a king for a state that was called Qin, and used his power and influence to defeat the other states. Notably, Qin Shi Huang is popular in Chinese history because of building one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Great Wall of China. He was able to standardize Chinese customs for the first time, something that had not been achieved by previous leaders. To make such kind of an achievement, he changed teachings, political parties, and dealt ruthlessly with opposition, who included scholars that opposed his idea of centralization. The essay will demonstrate that the greatest leadership qualities that he possessed were having focus and confidence to accomplish anything that he planned.

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I think the reason that made Qin Shi Huang a great leader was that when he focused on doing something, he never let anything to stray him. In other words, he was a conqueror of challenges in the sense that he would remove any obstacles that tried to bar him from achieving his goals. For example, Katz reveals that he would use his power and influence when elite politicians tried to oppose his idea of centralization (n.p). Another quality is that he was authoritative, which means that when he gave out orders, he expected others to obey them. Most probably, this could be the reason he was able to complete building The Great Wall of China during a time when China was divided by politics. He convinced the seven warring states to unify and deploy soldiers and build The Great Wall, protecting China from Mongols of the north.

The first lessons I learned from him is the importance of staying on focus. A good leader with a focus is able to think rationally by viewing the whole situation as a course, which he must follow until he develops a solution to a problem. Qin Shi Huang was focused on defeating all opposing states with the aim of forming a unified China (Katz n.p). He believed that a centralized regime was the best solution to the political problem that was facing China. The second lesson I have learned is the value of confidence in leadership. Confidence is the leader's ability to make others follow his command. If a leader is not sure of his decisions and qualities, others will refuse to follow. Qin Shi Huang was confident because he showed assertiveness so that he could gain the respect of his subordinates, which were the opposition states (Katz n.p). Another important lesson of his was commitment, which means that when others looked up to him as a leader, they were willing for fight for his course. Qin Shi Huang emerged as a king that was able to defeat other states. In each state that he defeated, soldiers would agree to join his forces because they were confident in his leadership in battles.

Qin has greatly influenced me because of his religious beliefs; I learned that the greatest character that he possessed was being a man of faith. For this reason, I have found myself believing that all his achievement were possible because he never abandoned his belief that he was destined for victory and an everlasting life. For example, Qin believed that he received a mandate from heaven to win all the battles and unify China (Katz n.p). He even became obsessed with finding an elixir of immortality so that he would become immortal; he ordered some young men to search for portions and secrets that would grant him immortality. This story has made me to understand the power of faith or a belief. Now, I have trust in my faith I believe this is what makes a person to achieve most of the things in life.

The Kouzes and Posner Five Leadership Model suggests that all great leaders have similar behaviors that make them best at what they do. The first behavior is Modeling the Way, which is demonstrated by the ability by leaders to provide clear and guiding principles, as well as standing up for their beliefs (Katz n.p). Qin modeled the way for China by supporting centralization and stood up for his ideas even against states that opposed him. The second practice is Inspiring a Shared Vision, which refers to a person having absolute and total personal faith in his dreams. Qin believed that the only way to create a strong government was by having a centralized command. The third practice is Challenging the Process, which is overcoming adversity and embracing opportunities to grow and improve (Katz n.p). Qin's challenges included battling against states that opposed him and influencing them to join his course, which led to the formation of a strong army. The fourth practice is Enabling Others to Act, which entails building trust among other leaders and making them to follow a specific course in life. Qin managed to make the seven states to join his force and build the Great Wall of China. The fifth practice is Encouraging the Heart, which implies encouraging those who are almost giving up (Katz n.p). Qin encouraged his army by evangelizing that he was mandated by heaven to gain victory.

The greatest lesson I have learned from Qin is never to lose faith in what I am fighting for. Because of his strong belief as a conqueror, he was able to defeat the seven states. I also learned about the importance of commitment, as this can help me to stay on track until I achieve my life goals. There is also the lesson about not giving up, since this is what made him defeat all opposing states. I learned that when a leader possesses all power and influence, he becomes afraid of losing it and start looking for ways to stay in power. This is the reason Qin sought immortality so that he would rule forever.

Works Cited

Katz, Brigit. "2,000-Year-Old Texts Reveal the First Emperor of China's Quest for Eternal Life." Smithsonian, 29 Dec 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-texts-reveal-first-emperor-chinas-quest-eternal-life-180967671/. Accessed 18 Jan 2019.