What does it take to make a good leader? Someone who is wise and experienced, and well-versed in battle strategies? Or someone who is caring and compassionate, and willing to risk his own life to save others?
The fate of a team often rests on the person guiding them through their perils. In The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, the person who guides each respective adventuring group is very different — and not always for the best. There are a number of reasons why Thorin, leader of the dwarves isn’t as good a leader as the Fellowship's leader, Aragorn.
Priorities
Simply put, the two are on their separate quests for very different reasons. For Thorin, it is arguably as much about the gold and the wealth involved as it is about ridding the mountain of the dragon and getting closure for his kin who died. On the other hand, Aragorn believes in fighting for the good in the world, and because he wants to ensure that the evil that threatens them all is destroyed for good. Aragorn’s intentions are far more noble, whereas Thorins priorities lie half in justice and half in greed.
Warrior vs. Ranger
Thorin has lived through some harrowing experiences in his relatively short lifespan. He has fought in many battles, defeated many goblins, and has watched his grandfather die right in front of him. He witnessed many of his people be burned alive in the city of Dale, when Smaug the dragon first came. All of this experience has culminated into making him a strong warrior, with a stubborn and resilient streak that protects him and those around him in times of war. He has lots of experience in deadly fights.
But what he lacks is one of Aragorn’s greatest strengths: the ability to refrain, to stand back and quietly observe, to assess before charging in full steam ahead. As a ranger with the Dunedain, Aragorn had to learn the patience that counter-acts and balances the necessary fire and force needed in war. Aragorn knows when to bide his time and when to strike effectively, which helps the fellowship of the ring many times in their journey.
Alliances
Thorin is a fairly abrasive character, mostly because he has suffered some awful things which have led him to believe that no one will help him and his kin, and that they have to do it on their own. But a good leader, a strong king, knows how to make alliances, how to foster strong relationships and trades, how to give and take equally when times are hard. This is definitely a skill that Thorin doesn’t possess. He spits on the offer of help from Thranduil the king of Mirkwood, and turns hs back on the men of Lake Town when they need him the most, even though they helped his people when their roles were reversed.
Aragorn, on the other hand, is able to help unite a dwarf and an elf, whose races are deadly enemies, and turn them into friends. He builds strong bonds with Eomer of Rohan, and with the rulers of several other surrounding lands, and brings about an unprecedented era of peace and harmony to the lands by being an ally to all. He creates the reunited kingdom, and under his rule, everyone prospers.
Sanctity of Life
Despite all the loss and devastation that Thorin has seen, he doesn’t seem to value life as much as he should. Beyond his band of dwarves, many of whom are family, he doesn’t seem to care if people live or die — for example, the men of Lake Town, or on many occasions, Bilbo himself. Thorin seems to see life as much more expendable than Aragorn does, especially if it aids his mission and his purpose to take back his homeland.
Aragorn, meanwhile, values life above all else, and genuinely cares for every being he passes, even if he has never met them before. He would gladly give his life in place of those he loves, and would stop at nothing to protect them. Aragorn fights not because he enjoys battle, not because he wants the valor or the glory, but because he wants to prevent Middle Earth from being poisoned and tainted, and because he cares for all of the people whose lives would be lost if the War of the Ring was won by Sauron.
Humility
Possibly the biggest reason that Thorin isn’t as good a leader as Aragorn, and the reason that ultimately leads to his downfall, is his pride and his hubris. Thorin believes that it is his birthright to take back the mountain of his fore-fathers, he feels that he is owed by the world because of the crimes committed against his people. But this terrible pride and arrogance leaves him and all of his line susceptible to not only dragon-sickness, but to loneliness and isolation.
Aragorn takes back the throne of Gondor not because it is in his blood, or because he thinks he has some god-given right to claim it, but because he wants to care for the people of the kingdom. Aragorn spends years of his life learning, traveling, fighting and healing, to make sure that he is worthy of the throne he takes, and to make sure that he is the best king that he can be for its people.