“The secret of leadership first deciphered by classical philologist Bae Cheol-hyeon!”
Humanity's long journey to discover its sublime self.
From Homo sapiens to Antigone,
12 Great Leader Mindsets Developed Through Wisdom and Reflection

"Bae Cheol-hyeon's Great Leader" is a book written for individuals seeking a "better self" and those who dream of becoming leaders of their communities.
It deals with the anxiety that inevitably arises in leaders who must choose a path no one has ever taken before, and the journey of searching for clues to reflection, persuasion, and enlightenment in human history.
It no longer matters who the sleeping dragon is.
Bae Cheol-hyeon looked to classics and historical figures for the origins of the mindset a leader should have.
He delved deeply into this point and began to search for the ideal leader in the classics.
By leveraging his expertise and strengths as a classical philologist and religious scholar, he discovered the secrets of leadership in ancient Greek, Latin, ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Sanskrit, and ancient Persian literature.
The prerequisites for a great leader I found there were charisma, compassion, vision, and principles.
These four major premises are further divided into three keywords, which in turn are divided into the following 12 virtues.
These include contemplative, maat, me, pathos, shalimtu, catharsis, yoga, pronoia, phronesis, nakva, arya, and hosia.
I recommend this book to presidents, politicians, businesspeople, religious leaders, educators, leaders of small groups, heads of households, and anyone who dreams of becoming a future leader.

A leader must always choose the better path for the community at a fork in the road.
I feel anxious because I have to choose a path that no one has ever taken before.
A leader imagines and ponders the unknown world that ordinary people cannot imagine, and finds the optimal method.
A leader reflects more deeply than anyone else in his own space and time.
It is always a mystery for leaders to discover the path they must take through this.
--- p.6

I am publishing a book called "Great Leader" for the Republic of Korea, which is living in a time of chaos and seeking a new leap forward.
I hope the twelve virtues in this book will plant seeds in the hearts of individuals seeking to become "better selves" and those who dream of becoming leaders in their communities.
One day, that seed will sprout and become a big tree.
A leader is someone who is a leader to himself.
I dedicate this book to those who aspire to be great leaders.
--- p.7

David, the red-faced boy
He stood before the Philistine giant Goliath.
Goliath, fully armed, is like a primeval mountain range.
David the shepherd drove away the wolves
He put five stones in his bag and slung the sling over his shoulder.
Goliath's voice echoes throughout the mountains and rivers.
“Do you think I am a dog? I will make you food for the wild beasts.”
David stares intently into Goliath's eyes.
The blood in my whole body pulsates and rushes to my right hand holding the stone.
It is as light as a new feather
It is as heavy as the Kaaba in Mecca.

This stone will be embedded in the center of Goliath's forehead.
And he will fall down helplessly like a rotten tree.
David quietly caresses the stone.
In this moment of certainty, he becomes the king of Israel.
David became a hero on the border of taboo where others dare not go.
He now has charisma, compassion, vision, and principles.
You will have this four hearts.
--- p.14~15

Charisma is the charm that a leader possesses.
What makes a leader extraordinary? Leaders acquire and strengthen their charisma through meditation, mission, training, storytelling, and self-affirmation.
First, create a separate space for yourself and dedicate time to the self you admire.
This distinct time and space is loneliness.
Solitude transforms him.
Ordinary people are reborn as extraordinary people through solitude.
He listens to the inner voice that flows from within his abyss and senses his own unique mission within it.
And he tells that mission in an inspiring way to the public, finding the best for the community.
A leader is a person who naturally emerges after acquiring charisma through long-term self-training.
--- p.18~19

If I had to sum up the leader's charisma in one word, it would be compassion.
Charisma is the mother of mercy.
Only those who have acquired charisma through training can bestow mercy, which is the ability to put oneself in another's shoes.
(…) Compassion is not the haste to pour out my unprepared love on the other person, but the effort to imagine the other person’s situation and create an environment where he or she can be happy.
(…) Compassion is the greatest virtue that makes humans human.
Just as a mother does not hesitate to sacrifice her life to protect her child, humans have a heart that cherishes and loves all living things.
Leaders not only inspire loyalty from members of their communities through the active practice of compassion.
He is the one who stimulates their compassion.
--- p.120~121

A leader is one with vision.
Discernment is not the desire to see what everyone else envies.
Discernment is the power to see things that others overlook, in a different way.
Discernment is not the ability to see what is revealed, but the ability to discover and gaze upon what is hidden and unseen.
(…) Discernment is the ability to find the most beautiful and sacred things in the trivialities and simplicity of life.
Those who do not practice for a long time to gain insight blame their environment and fate.
You are the only one who brought about your own misfortune.
A person with discernment sees and sees again.
Through that repeated gaze, he is the one who clearly sees the path the community should take, a path that the public cannot see.
He is a man who listens and listens again.
Through repeated self-listening, one listens to the 'voice of confidence' that flows subtly from within.

A leader is an artist who sees what cannot be seen, hears what cannot be heard, and imagines a world that cannot be felt.
--- p.226~227

A leader is someone who possesses simple yet unshakable principles.
A life that cherishes and upholds such principles will resolutely overcome any storm of adversity or temptation.
The principle is invisible to the eye.
It is as simple as Einstein's 'E=mc2', which explains the operation of the universe.
(…) Principle is the ability to realize one's own unique mission hidden within one's heart and to harmoniously arrange it within one's life.
(…) Principle is the process of considering various priorities in one’s life and choosing the most important one among them.
Principles are the mathematical formulas of life that make your life sublime and excellent.
--- p.306~307

There is a person who defines a community.
He is a leader.
You can tell the level of a community by looking at its leaders.
Because the leader is the best chosen by the community.
Who do we choose as leaders? What are the virtues of a leader who leads a community? Who deserves the title of leader? How do we identify leaders among the crowd?
A leader is someone who is a leader to himself.
A person who is a leader to himself when he is alone is also a leader when he is with others.
The mark of a leader is 'aura'.
Aura appears in a person who has noble aspirations, strives to achieve them, and is humble.
God gives 'charisma' to such people.
A leader is someone who does not take everyday life lightly.
He is a person who lives each day as if it were the first day of his life or as if it were his last day.
--- p.417~418

A leader is someone who practices seizing the moment and turning it into an art.
A leader is someone who constantly destroys the old, outdated 'past self' that tries to control him/her without even realizing it.
(…) I ask myself.

“Am I a leader to myself?”
“Am I in control of my daily life?”
“Do I treat a moment like eternity and eternity like a moment?”
A leader is someone who is complete and perfect to himself in his daily life.
A leader is someone who is worthy of respect.
--- p.419

Everyday life is bound to be a dilemma.
This road looks good, that road looks good too.
People each claim that the path that benefits them is the right path.
This is the difference between a leader and the masses.
People are quick to express their opinions, but leaders listen to everyone's different needs.
And I feel sorry.
So the leader is compassionate.
I hesitate because I feel pity.
He/she 'stands for a long time' with the challenges of everyday life.
The act of ‘standing and looking for a long time’ is different from ‘looking roughly’.
'Seeing roughly' is the act of seeing something in a way that is familiar to oneself, through the knowledge gained through one's own experience.
They even mistakenly believe that other people's opinions are wrong and that their own are right, and even force their ideas onto others as the only alternative.
'Watching for a long time' is an ability that only those who have trained in solitude and silence for a long time can achieve.
--- p.421

A leader is a misunderstood person.
He is more of an object of antipathy and misunderstanding than of sympathy.
The strategy is not good for some interest group, but for everyone.
Not immediately, but permanently.
People have rejected and eliminated such leaders.
What these leaders have in common is that they were objects of hatred and envy from their contemporaries, and they themselves suffered from loneliness and pain.
--- p.422

Leaders are great because they hesitate more than others and are not afraid of being misunderstood.
Leaders practice 'greatness' every day, a life that inspires them.
The practice gives him the charisma of truth and goodness.
A leader instills this virtue in himself and demonstrates it in his thoughts, words, and actions.
'Truthfulness' is a humble attitude of trying to protect and demonstrate the precious values ​​given to oneself.
He/she does not meddle in other people's business.
Completely immersed in oneself, one always practices silence and does not seek praise or recognition from anyone.
That's why we can hardly find a true person.

He/she is like a huge mountain.
Hikers admire the trees planted within and the flowing streams, but they cannot see the entire mountain.
A great leader is like a mountain, its outlines only revealed when seen from afar.
People chase after people who brag about themselves.
To them, Homer, the poet who pioneered Western literature, is nothing more than a blind beggar singing on the street, and Jesus is nothing more than a wandering carpenter's son born into a poor family and never receiving higher education.
Homer is not someone who studies and theorizes about literature.
He is the one who, looking into the eyes of his despairing comrades sitting before him, laughed and shed tears while singing the joys and sorrows of the heroes with his body, voice, and eyes.
Jesus clearly proclaimed the gospel that all humans have divine DNA, and that the value that stimulates and perfects that DNA is not religious doctrine, but love.
Their genius became a truth that spread across time and space to all of humanity.
A leader cannot help but be good.
Good actions and words come from good thoughts.
(…) ‘Line’ is not intentional but natural.
Goodness is the fragrance that naturally permeates a person's body when he or she has been cultivating his or her thoughts, words, and actions for a long time and pursues a simple life.
Because he himself always pursues good.

--- p.422~423