Glory and Kleos in the workplace
“And some sailor belonging to a future generation, as he sails over the wine-dark sea in his many-benched ship, shall say, ‘ah, this burial mound belongs to a man who died long ago in his prime, whom at one time shining Hector slew’. So shall one of them speak. And my glory shall never die.”
Iliad 7.87-91
Ok just… hear me out, okay? Hector telling Ajax in Book 7 of the Iliad ‘so they shall speak, and my glory shall never die.’? That is exactly the same as some guy in the office telling me that if I pull off this major project, it’ll be a fantastic way to make a name for myself. It’s fundamentally a glory-driven mentality. But it’s sort of everywhere? Which is insane when you get into it.
If you’re still with me, 1) thanks 2) please stick around for a quick Greek lesson. There are three types of ‘honour’ or ‘glory’ in the Iliad: Kleos, Timẽ, and Kudos. Kleos is essentially the reputation build up from your glorious deeds, and actions. Timẽ is the physical manifestation of your glory – the prizes you win and possessions you gather from doing cool stuff. And Kudos is the honour / reputation you achieve from specific achievements.
“My mother, the goddess silver-footed Thetis spoke of the alternative fates which await me at the end of my death. If I stay here, fighting around the city of the Trojans, then my return will be lost, but there shall be undying glory. But if I go home to my dear country, then my esteemed glory will be gone, but I shall have a long life, and not meet with a quick end.”
Iliad 9.410-416
Kleos, Timẽ, and Kudos, the three types of honour/glory were essential to the Greek hero, especially in the Iliad. And it’s what forms the centre of Achilles’ dilemma in the first 16 books (chapters) of the poem of a glorious, early death, or a long, obscure life, as well as many other decisions made by characters. (If you’re a classicist, please, PLEASE just go with me on this oversimplification, and if you’re one of my professors, please know that I understand other dynamics are at play throughout the poem, like family roles & national social bonds)
Today, most people with their heads screwed on will choose the latter if they were in Achilles’ shoes, because such concepts of ‘glory’ are entirely unrelatable. And I’m not a psychopath, so I would also choose the long life. But are those concepts actually that foreign?
That guy who was like ‘you’ll make a name for yourself’ if I completed my project? So, if I commit some great deed, they’ll remember me, and they’ll talk about me and my achievements? Is this… kleos?
There’s this guy at work. When he comes onto a project, it doesn’t really matter whether he’s the lead, everyone turns to him. As a new guy, I asked what that was about, and then people started talking about how he’s revolutionised departments, and transformed projects, about how hard he’s worked. Now THAT’S kleos.
Maybe you still don’t really buy into Iliadic honour. But picture this: you’ve just spent months on a project. And then, you succeed far beyond what anyone else could have done. But after one or two ‘thanks’ and ‘congratulations’, no one ever mentions it ever again. Not only that, everyone still also doubts whether you’re up to your next task. Does that image bother you at all? I think that’s kleos.
Ok, maybe you don’t ascribe to that. Picture this, then: you’ve just absolutely smashed a project at work. Pleased with yourself, you then go to your boss. And you ask for a salary increase, or a bonus, or even just some time off as a nice little reward, just something to mark how well you’ve done. And your boss says, ‘sorry, I don’t think you’ve earned it’, right before giving that bonus to someone else who’s not really achieved anything recently. Tell me, with all your heart, that this wouldn’t bother you. And then tell me that you don’t ascribe to the concept of timẽ.
“These kings of ours who rule over Lycia, they certainly are not without glory. They have the fattest sheeps and the most excellent wine. But their courage is the greatest too, since they fight amongst the frontlines.”
Iliad 12.318-321
In a nutshell: the deal is that you get the good stuff, the rewards, and the respect because you prove time and time again that you deserve it. Another example is that Achilles stops listening to Agamemnon in part also because Agamemnon’s a bit of a loser, actually, so why should he listen to him?
I think a lot of us also do that: no one wants to work for someone who doesn’t work as hard as they do, or just isn’t that competent. But also, I think we would (/ should) feel the reverse: I get a lot of perks at work because of the programme I’m on, and I get a lot of exposure that no one else does. But in return, I feel there are higher expectations, so, I have to perform well at work.
There are some days I take that to an extreme level. Well, some early mornings, really. But I look around at a lot of my peers and friends, and I really believe that something here does resonate with you.
We sometimes act like the values displayed in the Iliad and stories from the past are about some remote place which has nothing to do with us. And sure, the stakes these days aren’t very high: no one’s going to die if you don’t move that PowerPoint shape. But I’ve got one question: if we mapped Achilles’ choice onto the modern day, how differently do you really think you’d act?