Leadership Qualities - Ike: Countdown to D-Day
The film Ike: Countdown to D-Day showed many different leadership qualities through the portrayal of leaders in the allied forces leading up to D-Day. Each of these leaders combined expressed each of the ten qualities of leadership. They accomplished this not only through their words but through the actions they took. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike), the main portrayal in the film, like the others combined has expressed most of the qualities of leadership.
The first quality of leadership expressed by Eisenhower was that of vision. Vision by definition is the foresight a leader has to understand and know what needs require action. These needs can be good or bad but still a necessity (Manning, and Curtis, 2012). Eisenhower expressed the quality of vision when he said “I remember my first trip to Europe as a young man, and I felt blessed to be here, to see it, to touch the origins of my own country that I love so dearly. I hoped one day all young Americans will have the same opportunity” (Brown & Harmon, 2004). In this statement he is showing that he has a vision of Europe being great after the war like it was back when he was young. Another example of Eisenhower's visions can found in his follow up statements when he said, “So if some must die, it is in a worthy cause”. In this he knows that what he did as a leader had to be done even though there were sacrifices.
The next quality of leadership, ability, was not exhibited by Eisenhower. Ability is the quality of a leader to understand what is required to do so in the position (Manning, and Curtis, 2012). Early on in the film we find Churchill and Eisenhower discussing the possibility of a Supreme commander. In this discussion the two mean ...
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...r for speaking about the upcoming invasion in public. A man with no integrity might have let his old roommate go without recourse but Eisenhower exhibited the true qualities of a leader and set friendship aside to protect the men he commanded (Brown & Harmon, 2004).
In closing I find my knowledge of what a leader is being enhanced through the analysis of this film. It seems to me that the qualities of a leader are not as specific as I had previous thought them to be. A leader does not have to have all of the qualities to be a good leader nor do they have to exhibit the quality at all time. It is more of how they handle the situations posed to them and their consistency in doing so. It takes more than just a few qualities of a leader to be a great leader. It takes the right balance of humanity versus the vision like was excited by Eisenhower throughout the film.
...spects of what makes up an effective leader, it is clear that there cannot be one clear- cut and dry definition of what a leader is. A leader is a make up of many different attributes and qualities. An effective Leader encompasses all of the attributes which go along with facilitating ideas and allowing an organization to grow and flourish, as well as inspiring and motivating those he or she oversees to do the same. A Leader has the ability and almost the reflex action to surface when it is time for a difficult task to be accomplished or a difficult decision to be made. Leadership may be a type of management but a manager is not always a leader. “Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”
As Warren Bennis, a scholar on the subject of leadership, once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This statement certainly holds true no matter what type of leader you look at. From cruel dictators such as Joseph Stalin, who fought and killed to stay in power, to peaceful leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, who used nonviolent tactics to emancipate India from the United Kingdom, to Jesus Christ, who started a religion and spread his message of love and forgiveness far across the globe, they all had a vision of how they wanted to change the world, for the better, or for the worse.
General Eisenhower was both a situational leader and conceptual thinker who understood his organizations and knew how to influence his leaders. Eisenhower shaped his organizations’ environment by improving the command communication and transforming the culture within his organization. A situational leader understands what they are influencing and a conceptual thinker is able to shift focus based on the situation. Eisenhower was masterful at getting others to do what he wanted to accomplish. Eisenhower was an inexperience commander, but knew how to
Throughout the history of the United States there has been extraordinary individuals both in business and government that have demonstrated their abilities to be affective leaders among the people in which they are in charge of. There are many definitions of what a leader is and what characteristics a leader should have. One man that demonstrates all aspects of a leader and that has been deemed on the list of one of the greatest presidents who has ever served respectfully belongs to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence” (Confucius) is what Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower had. He was able to use all of these to make a great life for himself. Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower is an intriguing figure because he went through a poor childhood and suffered many tragedies, and ended in a life of success and became very accomplished. He had to work as a child to earn a living for his family, and he suffered many tragedies, but he went on to be a president. His childhood was a poor one, but not to the extremely poor extent.
Throughout our country’s great history, we have seen a number of great, effective leaders. With that said, it is no easy task to narrow down to a few, the qualities that made and make these men and women so incredibly talented. Great leadership is essential to the well being of any populace, and, undoubtedly, the United States has seen some of the greatest leaders of any country. The qualities that our greatest leaders demonstrate are those such as courage, whether in the face of danger or in the turmoil of the political arena; humility, the essential humbleness that encourages the trust of the people and assures you are a leader of sound judgment and respect; and, of course, passion, the driving force behind innovation, the ambition to
A single human being is so incomprehensibly complex that it is nearly impossible for two to be alike. Despite being so vastly different, certain qualities are shared among successful leaders. They share many characteristics that allow them to continue when others cannot, and there are quintessential qualities that help the most in making efficient individuals.
Leadership is defined as the ability to accomplish a set goal(s) due to the act of inspiring and motivating a group of your peers. Former United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower made famous a quote that stated, “Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” (Notable-quotes.com). One of the most important aspects of the work area is leadership. Without leadership, there will be no guidance to for teamwork and the percentage of successful goal will be slim to none. Becoming a great leader is no easy feat however. An exceptional leader must lock in on specific attributes such as intellect, moral character, and human understanding. It doesn’t seem like much, but for a majority of people it can be almost impossible. These qualities alone listed above are some of many important qualities that will allow a leader to inspire and guide a group of people towards goals successfully.
Every Leader is defined by his or her qualities and characteristics. These can determine how effective a leader has become. This statement has been true throughout the history of mankind. However, there are only a handful of specific qualities that can truly determine if someone is an effective leader.
I think that supreme quality for leadership is integrity. It shows how deeply the person is committed to do right things for good purposes and reasons despite all the circumstances which come along. Dwight D. Eisenhower was exactly the person who I can call a great leader. Not only the sense of integrity was present in his vision, but there also were courage, creativity, fairness, trust, humility and understanding. He led the masses and gained the appreciation
Everyone looks up to a leader, especially a good one. The qualities of a leader need to show what the leader can do to help out the community. The best three qualities that a leader should have is determination, organization, and problem solving/decision making. Some good examples of people who portray these qualities are, the 26th president Teddy Roosevelt , the owner and creator of Google, Larry Page, and the scientist that invented pasteurization Louie Pasteur. Each one shows a quality of leadership in their own way.
In my view, people employ certain traits that differentiate us from our neighbor next door, and leadership is no different. The test produced by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom (University of Kent, n.d.) has developed a process that I feel accurately defines what sort of leader you are based on 50 simple questions. I was not surprised by the results and found them to be quite accurate and expected. In this essay, I will explore why I feel the test is an accurate way to determine your leadership style due to my personal experience with
Linden, R. M. (2006, November/December). Dwight Eisenhower: Portrait of a Collaborative Leader. Virginia Review, 6. Retrieved December 3, 2013
Leadership has been described as a “complex process having multiple dimensions” (Northouse, 2013). Over the past 60 years, scholars and practitioners have introduced a vast amount of leadership models and theories to explain this complex field and examine its many perspectives. Numerous leadership theories and models have attempted to define what makes a leader effective. From the early 1900s, the trait paradigm dominated leadership literature, focusing on inherited traits of leaders and suggesting that “leaders are born, not made”. However, during the 1950s, the trait approach lost enthusiasm as focus shifted to the behavior of leaders. Similar to the trait theory, the behavioral paradigm was based on general effective leadership behaviors
In order to be a good leader, one must have self-confidence, communication skills, charisma and integrity. These are the fundamental skills that make a good leader. Self-confidence is the attitude that one possesses in which one is not afraid to make decisions based on their ideas. Communication skills allow a leader to convey his or her ideas or thoughts carefully. Charisma is what makes a leader appealing to the public, and integrity is what allows the public to trust and have faith in the leader. Without these skills, a leader would just be mediocre, and not great.