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Key elements of leadership with examples
Personality theories on decision
Key elements of leadership with examples
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LEADERSHIP STUDIES ON
GENERAL GEORGE SMITH PATTON JR
“We shall attack and attack until we’re exhausted….. and then we shall attack again”- General George Smith Patton Jr
Introduction
1. The two great wars in the past century was featured by a number of military leaders revered for their qualities and contributions. If we ever make an attempt to rank these leaders, the name of General George Smith Patton Junior would surely find its way within the top few. Military historians of contemporary times consider General Patton a leader who can be studied for drawing important lessons on leadership attributes. His contributions in both the World Wars place him in an undisputed position of honour.
2. General Patton was a soldier in its truest sense. Born in a military family, he had a conducive environment to culture soldiering. He followed his father and grandfather in the same military institution for acquiring lessons on the military profession. Patton was a lover of military history. He had such an affinity towards the warfare of the past that he believed in his reincarnation throughout the ages as great military leaders.
3. Although an average student in the military academy, General Patton was a champion cavalryman, a gallant swordsman, a precise shooter, a renowned athlete, a sword designer, a God-believer, a famed poet and a loving father and husband. He always maintained an immaculate attire and enforced the same in his subordinates. Patton always respected his rivals both from his friends and foes. All these attributes made him an aggressive leader with a deep affection for the men he led. The other side of Patton portrays him as a short-tempered, too outspoken and often ruthless executor with disregard to details. Profanity in expression was a darker side of Patton but it also made him extremely popular specially when he used it in describing the enemy.
4. Patton had a clear vision of leadership. His maxims matching with the actions in the battlefield proved him as a master of leadership art.
Introduction. Common Attributes of military leaders are just that, common. The accomplished Generals, Colonels and Majors that contributed to the most successful wars of our country have been molded a certain way. They are molded through vigorous training both in scholastic training and in the field along with rigorous mentorship. Colonel Lewis McBride was a rare exception to the rule. As a renowned Chemical museum curator so distinctively puts it, he was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and industrious officers in the history of the US Army Chemical Corps.
General Patton as born in Virginia in the late 1860s and was raised by both his parents with his sister. He had a good relationship with his family, not many fights or arguments. He was brought up in the South and was taught to be a real gentlemen. This is why he is considered not only one of the United States greatest generals, but also a great person himself. He was in the Olympic games in Stockholm and served in West Point military school. During the first World War he served in the 304th tank brigade and lead his platoon to many quality wins in Europe. In World War II, he was leader of the 504th platoon in Morocco and then moved over to the European front and lead his troops to victory and one of the biggest battles at the Battle of the Bulge.
Sanderson, Jefferey. "GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.” Last modified may 22, 1997. Accessed January 4, 2014. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf&ei=tYbHUtv3HcGs2gX2u4HAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFU5EzdWjKlt81w8gh_Bj2UEttaZw&sig2=aAz3jIZg7U6peDzL_i8w9w.
... military allowed him to take calculated risks that won him the Battle of Quebec. By distracting the larger portion of the French forces, Wolfe was able to get a fair fight upon numbers, but not at all in the sense of military ability. He was not mad, he was a student of war and he was able to excel when it counted the most. When it was told to King George II that Wolfe was mad the king replied with, “Mad is he? Then I hope he will bite some of my other generals!” (May, 25). Not only did Wolfe have the respect of his soldiers, but even that of the king of his country. Patton was considered a madman as well, but at the end of the day results are what count. He died heroically on the battle field, victorious, and will forever be one of the most infamous characters of modern American history.
The question of “What makes a leader great?” is without one solitary answer. Effective leaders in the corporate and political arenas are deserving of praise, but because of the nature of their work, military leaders are arguably more complex and intriguing.
General George B. McClellan was born to a prestigious upper class family in Pennsylvania. He attended the Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class in 1846. He served during the war with Mexico and earned three brevets for gallantry and sound professional service. He resigned his commission but returned early during the Civil War and immediately given a high rank. He led a successful campaign in West Virginia. These events fueled General McClellan’s egotistical and elitist attitudes.
...hermore, going to war was an act of cowardice. He had to put aside his morals and principles and fight a war he did not believe in.
...e leadership characteristic that popped out at me was how Cap. John Goodwin was his resilience to overcome all the horrific parts of this deployment and still stayed with it and worked his hardest with no breaks until he was forced to go on that leave to rest and then as soon as he heard something bad had happened, he stopped everything he was doing and got back to his men as quickly as he could it showed how much he cared, he also listened to his men and what they needed and tried helping them all the time. One thing he did not do a good job of was letting Kunk get to him and knock his confidence down and taking care of his own health so he could be awake and alert as company commander each and every day. His soldiers mentioned how weak, and tired and malnourished he looked from being next to the radio 24/7 which should never happen when you are calling the shots.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” (BAM, 2010, p.20) These words were first written down over 2,400 years ago by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu in his famous military strategy treatise known today as The Art of War. These words, in fact the entire book, are just as valid today as they were during Sun Tzu’s lifetime. He was one of the first truly visionary and ethical military leaders in the world. Despite the fact that there is not much known about Sun Tzu today other than his writings, in this essay, I intend to extract his essence from his treatise to prove he was a visionary leader. I will then continue to prove he was also an ethical leader. Finally, I will finish by detailing how his seminal work has inspired me to self-reflect on how I can be a better visionary and ethical leader in the 21st Century Air Force. So, what exactly is a ‘visionary’ leader?
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, was close to not achieving commander status. If this had happened, a different person would have taken control over Operations Torch, Avalanche, and Overlord. Eisenhower, in fact, was the key component in the victory for the Allies. Had he not been assigned by George Marshall to a planning officer in Washington D.C., President Harry Truman might not have saw Eisenhower’s potential. Eisenhower’s past 30 years of military experience, his strong mental and social stature, and his ideas and tactics were all key factors for his triumphant victory in World War II.
... middle of paper ... ... He was hard on his men, but they respected him. He had issues keeping his mouth closed at times about his opinions, which cost him additional opportunities in his military career.
All soldiers, especially leaders, are highly recommended to keep a certain set of values that radiate throughout the entire U.S. Army. They are challenged to keep them near and dear to their hearts and to define and live them every day. A leader is one who takes these challenges serious and abides by
Standing in a crowd of hundreds, anxious about what is to come—combat; waiting for a man whose reputation greatly precedes him…the man who will lead you into battle—into a nightmare. As he took the microphone and declared, “you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.” These words are those of General George Patton…and he has your attention. Inspirational and blunt are just a couple of the many terms used to describe General Patton. General Patton was also a visionary in employment of combat forces; in fact, he was an expert on the subject. The manner in which he led his troops was in itself visionary. Despite his military prowess and formidable leadership, General Patton was humble in leadership and intellect. These three attributes will demonstrate that he was above all, a visionary and ethical leader.
A soldier is an enlist individual, man or woman that fight in the military for his or her country. There are numerous reason has to what it means to be a good soldier. Being a good soldier varies depending on the individual. A good solider lives up to the army values, which are duty which is to fulfill your obligations by being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team, loyalty n being able to bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other soldiers, honor, being able to give up to Army values, integrity, do what’s right, legally and morally, personal courage, face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral, selfless service, being able to put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own and respect, being able to treat people as they should be treated