is it possible for The Hanged Man to be a good leader?

Hello all. I just had a spread tried out in which the querent was asking about his success in the coming year. He was asking primarily because he is taking on executive positions in his groups, and wanted to know what kind of leader he would be. However, his question to me was about his overall success.

Baaically everything in the spread was understandable except for one card: in describing the querent's personality, he got The Hanged Man.

My automatic interpretation was that this meant he would be a stagnant leader, but I worry that I might be seeing the Hanged Man in too negative a light.

So, first question: Is it possible for the Hanged Man to be a good leader? Do you know any Hanged Man who is a leader of others?
Second question: What kind of leader is it suggested a Hanged Man would be (since that wasn't answered by the rest of the cards)?

The quality I see for the Hanged Man to be a good leader would be putting things in perspective, seeing things from different angles therefore seing and accepting everyone's points of view.

I am perplex because It's not an essential quality for a good leader but It can bring about respect and esteem from his followers.

when you connect the Hanged Man with Odin, he for sure will become a leader

The Hanged Man is not a free man, he is dangling in midair tied to something which keeps him from falling down. The main statement of this card is sacrifice, he sacrifices himself by proxy for the cause, he depends on guidelines. A man with an ankle shackle is limited in his movements, there is little scope left.

The Hanged Man is not a "Leader" Card....

ThusSpokeZarathustra said:

So, first question: Is it possible for the Hanged Man to be a good leader? Do you know any Hanged Man who is a leader of others?
Second question: What kind of leader is it suggested a Hanged Man would be (since that wasn't answered by the rest of the cards)?

Click to expand...

zhadee said:

when you connect the Hanged Man with Odin, he for sure will become a leader

Click to expand...

I think this is the best answer. The Hanged Man is all about what this person is at the moment--and that's not a Leader. He might have been a good leader (past), and he might be a good leader (future), but his ability to lead is currently impaired because he's going through a personal sacrifice in order to see the world anew.

In other words, he's a little bit busy right now with is own personal perspective. You can't lead others until you understand yourself. And once you do understand yourself, you may understand that you don't want to lead others.

Being able to change one's perspective is a good quality in a leader, but then, it's a good quality in non-leaders, too. So, if "leadership" is the question you're asking about, the Hanged Man is pretty much saying--"I'm not going to be a useful leader at the moment." He's kinda caught up in a cocoon, hanging upside down, developing, changing becoming.

But you could always lay down another card, a "what comes after this time" card and see if his new perspective transforms him into a good leader.

Thank you for your observations thus far, they're very helpful.

Thirteen said:

I think this is the best answer. The Hanged Man is all about what this person is at the moment--and that's not a Leader. He might have been a good leader (past), and he might be a good leader (future), but his ability to lead is currently impaired because he's going through a personal sacrifice in order to see the world anew.

In other words, he's a little bit busy right now with is own personal perspective. You can't lead others until you understand yourself. And once you do understand yourself, you may understand that you don't want to lead others.

Being able to change one's perspective is a good quality in a leader, but then, it's a good quality in non-leaders, too. So, if "leadership" is the question you're asking about, the Hanged Man is pretty much saying--"I'm not going to be a useful leader at the moment." He's kinda caught up in a cocoon, hanging upside down, developing, changing becoming.

But you could always lay down another card, a "what comes after this time" card and see if his new perspective transforms him into a good leader.

Click to expand...

I see. That was sort of the sense I was getting--the Hanged Man implies that he's not moving forward, and thus isn't going to be good at leading others forward.

What if you shift the perspective to the Hanged Man describing who he is as a person, rather than his situation? If the Hanged Man is describing his personality characteristics, but he seems himself as a natural leader (after all, his ambition is to lead others)... would that mean he's simply a bad (stuck) leader? Would the Hanged Man be able to lead others? Or is that more the Hierophant's territory (if we're maintaining the "spiritual" theme)?

ThusSpokeZarathustra said:

Thank you for your observations thus far, they're very helpful.


I see. That was sort of the sense I was getting--the Hanged Man implies that he's not moving forward, and thus isn't going to be good at leading others forward.

What if you shift the perspective to the Hanged Man describing who he is as a person, rather than his situation? If the Hanged Man is describing his personality characteristics, but he seems himself as a natural leader (after all, his ambition is to lead others)... would that mean he's simply a bad (stuck) leader? Would the Hanged Man be able to lead others? Or is that more the Hierophant's territory (if we're maintaining the "spiritual" theme)?

Click to expand...

Adding to your question you might also keep in mind that the Hanged Man is about sacrifice, not leadership.

ThusSpokeZarathustra said:

So, first question: Is it possible for the Hanged Man to be a good leader? Do you know any Hanged Man who is a leader of others?

Click to expand...

I would say that Solomon was a Hanged Man leader as he could look at a situation from a different perspective to make the right decisions.

zhadee said:

Adding to your question you might also keep in mind that the Hanged Man is about sacrifice, not leadership.

Click to expand...

There are 78 cards in the deck. So when asking about a particular thing (leadership in this case), any of those 78 cards can come up as the answer. The tarot isn't just going to choose between the cards that outwardly deal with leadership (Emperor, Empress, Kings, Queens, etc.).

Depends on the Leader...could enhance or hinder

ThusSpokeZarathustra said:

What if you shift the perspective to the Hanged Man describing who he is as a person, rather than his situation? If the Hanged Man is describing his personality characteristics, but he seems himself as a natural leader (after all, his ambition is to lead others)... would that mean he's simply a bad (stuck) leader? Would the Hanged Man be able to lead others? Or is that more the Hierophant's territory (if we're maintaining the "spiritual" theme)?

Click to expand...

You're making the assumption that the Hanged Man indicates leadership qualities (bad or good). It doesn't. It indicates certain qualities that might aid a leader in leadership or hinder him. Take Rodney's excellent point about Solomon. Being able to see both sides didn't make him a leader everyone wanted to follow. But it aided him in leading his particular people. But what if he'd been Alexander the Great? Alexander had a similar dilemma with the gordian knot. He didn't pretend he was going to slice it in two hoping someone would stop him and show him how to unknot it. He just sliced it in two, because his aim was to keep moving forward, to win and conquer. If he'd been Solomon, the Hanged Man's qualities would have hindered his leadership abilities because his people needed a young, ambitious and impatient leader. Not one willing to sit there and gaze at that knot till he figured out how to untie it.

There are many types of leaders. And they all have different qualities given who they need to lead, when and where and to what goal. For example, Gandhi was a great leader, and his best qualities were being peaceful and kind and flexible. That worked for him, but it wouldn't have worked for General Patton, who was fierce and bold and charismatic. Nor would either of these have worked for those leaders dealing with the Apollo 13 emergency, who had to be cool, rational, calm and focused.

If you believe this person to be a good leader, then all the Hanged Man indicates is some aspect of his personality that, given his position, enhances that leadership. Or undermines it. So. The question isn't whether his Hanged-Man personality quirk of seeing both sides makes him a great leader. But whether YOU think his natural leadership abilities are enhanced by it or hindered. Is he Solomon or Alexander the Great?

Just to add: Leadership qualities imply two things. First, that the person can see the path everyone needs to take to get where they all want to go. Second, that people want to follow him. He has qualities that make people believe he will get them where they want to go, that make them want to listen, obey and fight for him.

The Hanged Man may have some of the first quality. He may well see, from his new perspective, how to get somewhere. A path that others can't yet see. But it might only be a path that he, himself, needs to travel. Not a one that a lot of people need/want to achieve a grand goal. And the card doesn't include the second quality of making him someone others want to follow.

So, in both cases, the Hanged Man's personality traits can't really be counted as leadership qualities. They are only, as I said before, personality traits that can enhance or hinder any natural leadership abilities he already owns.

I see... Hanged Man would likely suggest an unusual perspective for the person in question. Thank you for your perspective.