Leadership theory

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In the movie We Were Soldiers Mel Gibson plays Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Hal Moore during the Vietnam War era. He takes command of the infamous General Custard Battalion 1-7 Cavalry and adopts some very innovative tactics to apply during battle. He exudes various leadership traits to motivate his men to go into battle. This paper will discuss some of the traits portrayed in the movie and how it carries over into the business environment.
First, Lt. Col Moore assesses his men through observation of their initial skills and makes a determination of what needs to be improved. As he does this he enlists the help of his top advisor Sergeant Major (SGM). They conduct the observation not as mere spectators but with the Soldiers doing the evaluation themselves. This participation shows each Soldier that every man has an equal part in the team and no one is above the team’s goals not even the Commander. To drive this point even further LTC Moore and the SGM continue to train on the ground with the men. As setbacks, corrections or different approaches are needed it is easily explained and seen by the Commander because he is on the ground with the men and not somewhere taking a meeting or in his office doing paperwork. This approach also builds a sharing point with his men and other leaders inside his unit and trust is earned.
Additionally, LTC Moore is an educated man that studies war and his enemies. Through his research he finds that the North Vietnamese Army is much like the Native Americans General Custard faced in battle centuries ago. His preparation and research is a leadership characteristic that makes him successful as he develops a situational theory of how the battle could unfold. He finds out in research what tactics were suc...

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... kill some of his men. His awareness and realistic expectancy allows him to feel this victory and continue to rally his men. This surely was a turning point for him and his men as they were at certain failure and death. Now, they begin to take the battle to the Vietnamese and defeat them charging into their headquarters.
Finally, LTC Moore’s bravery is one to marvel at in the movie but his leadership character is an excellent example of how a leader should conduct his/herself. This character can also be applied in the business world also. Assessment, preparation, and research should always be analyzed to see how a leader could better improve a firm. Honesty and flexibility allow for mistakes to easily identified and corrected. Company leaders could get some real situational value from implying LTC Moore’s example of leadership to their management of employees.

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