It's particularly striking how much skin in the game generals like Alexander had, fighting on the front lines. From Thucydides and Xenophon gives the impression that the casualties for pitched hoplite battles weren't particularly large as a proportion of the army, but it's surprising how often the general was killed in action. Alexander himself was hit in the head strong enough to be dismounted at Granicus, suffered a projectile would to the shoulder at the siege of Gaza, and nearly lost his life when he was shot in the chest by an arrow at the Mallian stronghold. Of course recounting those wounds and showing off the scars formed a part of his speech when he later tried and failed to persuade his army to advance further.