Myrmidons around the CEO

Before you think that Shashi Tharoor has been language-tutoring me, let me explain that a myrmidon is an unquestioning and subservient lackey of a powerful leader. Myrmidons are around everywhere and become the leader’s Achilles heel. Achilles’ body became invulnerable, excluding his foot, and hence the expression, Achilles heel to signify an inherent weakness. 

When you think of celebrities — CEOs, ministers, bureaucrats, actors and sportsmen — you note that they have a swarm of myrmidons around them, a bit like bees on a honeycomb, and provide an irrational boost to a preening leader’s ego. Even a blind person can spot