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Leadership Lessons From General Eisenhower
Leadership Lessons From General Eisenhower
By Leonard Kloeber
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in 1890 into a poor family in Denison, Texas. Two years later his father moved them to Abilene, Kansas where Dwight grew up. After graduation from high school, "Ike" as he was called went to work in a local creamery as a night foreman for two years; then Ike applied for and was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Although he was an average student, he excelled in sports, particularly football. It was at West Point where he learned the fundamentals of leadership and graduated with the Class of 1915. This was known as the class that the "stars" fell upon since 59 of its members including Ike would become generals. Eisenhower would later rise to the rank of five-star general and lead the Allies to victory in Europe. After World War II, he served as Chief of Staff of the US Army, the first commander of NATO, president of Columbia University, and later was elected as the 34th President of the United States. Here are just a few lessons that we can learn from his life of leadership: Study your craft: Eisenhower was an early student of the craft of leadership which began even before he went to West Point, but it was there that he really learned the fundamentals. Like every other cadet at the time, he endured his first year while being "hazed" as was the tradition. As he began his second year, he realized that he did not want to harass the new cadets since this was not the way to lead young men; instead, he devoted his time to football and was a star player on the varsity team until he was injured. After graduation, Eisenhower began his career that took him through a series of assignments where he could study and learn the craft of leadership. These assignments included training troops for World War I; working for General Fox Conner, a respected senior leader who became a mentor to Eisenhower, and attending the army's Command and General Staff Officer School at Ft. Leavenworth where he graduated first in his class. Later assignments included working for General MacArthur both in Washington when MacArthur was the Chief of Staff and in the Philippines where MacArthur was training the Philippine Army to prepare for war. Finally, at the beginning of World War II, when Eisenhower was still only a colonel, he was recognized and promoted by General Marshall to staff assignments at the War Department and later to command Allied forces in Europe as the Supreme Commander. In each of these assignments he gained valuable insights as a leader and as a professional soldier - a lifetime of studying the art of leadership. Pick your team wisely: Like other leaders, Eisenhower carefully chose his key subordinates when given the opportunity. He learned this important skill of leadership from General Marshall who famously kept a little book of names of promising officers whom he had worked with over the years. Although leaders rarely get to choose all their subordinates, Eisenhower built a team of trusted staff officers and commanders when he was made Allied commander in Europe. These included people whom he had known for many years like Bradley and Patton, and also some British officers whom he only recently became acquainted with once he was put in command. As the war progressed, he made sure to pick those officers whom he trusted and who were the best professionals available for important assignments. Be steadfast in your vision: Eisenhower was a superb conceptual thinker. Shortly after his arrival at the War Department at the beginning of World War II, General Marshall asked him what should be done in the Pacific since Eisenhower had recently served there with General MacArthur. Eisenhower wrote a short memo outlining the steps that should be taken, and remarkably this was the outline for the plan that Marshall followed. Later when Eisenhower was Supreme Commander in Europe, he had a vision for the invasion in Normandy along a "broad front" of fifty miles instead of a concentrated attack along a more narrow portion of the coast; and once the Normandy Campaign was successfully won, he again insisted on a "broad front" strategy stretching from the North Sea to the Alps in Switzerland. In both cases, he was challenged, particularly by Field Marshall Montgomery, but Eisenhower stood his ground and preserved in executing his vision. In the end, it was Eisenhower's plans that worked, and his steadfast commitment to his vision that made him successful. Don't tolerate incompetence: Eisenhower was a fair man, but would not tolerate incompetence. When necessary, he relieved senior commanders who either did not do their job effectively, or worse, were just plain incompetent. Early in his command tenure in Europe, he relieved the commander of the US Second Corps after the only defeat of American forces in Europe at Kasserine Pass in North Africa; he relieved his friend and best combat commander, General Patton for abusing his power by slapping some soldiers in hospitals and for inappropriate remarks made to the press; and he relieved one of his West Point classmates who was a general officer after he drank too much one evening before the Normandy invasion and carelessly let some vital information be overheard by others at a restaurant. Each of these were hard decisions because Eisenhower knew that they would impact people's careers; nevertheless, he made them as a leader for the larger good of the organization that he was leading. Cooperate and graduate: "Cooperate and graduate" is lesson that is hammered into the first year cadets at West Point to emphasize the importance of teamwork, and one that Eisenhower learned well. Later when he was the Supreme Allied Commander, Eisenhower was a fierce proponent of teamwork among the Allies in the wartime coalition. This was a difficult task made harder by people with huge egos like Patton, Montgomery, Churchill and DeGaulle. Eisenhower was sometimes criticized by them, particularly Americans who thought he had become too "British;" however, without cooperation among them, the Allies would not have had an effective team. Eisenhower knew this, and as the leader, he was the chief evangelist for teamwork. Manage up and down: All leaders have to deal with stakeholders. Whether you are a general, a CEO, or a president, you must manage relationships with superiors as well as subordinates. In General Eisenhower's case, he carefully "managed up" the relationships with his military superior, General Marshall as well as the political leaders like Winston Churchill. Meanwhile he also had to "manage down" subordinates like Bradley, Patton, and Montgomery among others who were quite demanding of his time and resources. Some leaders forget that they need to manage relationships in both directions, but Eisenhower was not one of them. He was a superb relationship manager with superiors, subordinates, and peers. In fact, this may have been his genius as a leader. Take care of the troops: Eisenhower never forgot the lessons he learned in his early days at West Point to take care of the troops and to treat them with the utmost respect. He always made sure that they had the best available training, commanders, and supplies that he could give them. He personally visited many of the units in his command just to interact with troops. One of the most famous photographs of World War II shows General Eisenhower visiting the 101st Airborne Division, just before the Normandy invasion. He visited them because he knew that many of them would not be coming back, but also knew that they had a critical mission to accomplish. All he could do had been done, except for the visit which he made to their departure airfield the evening before the invasion. This visit by the Supreme Commander to be with ordinary soldiers on the eve of battle was emblematic of his sincere desire to take care of his troops whenever he could. General Eisenhower was a great leader who faced unbelievable challenges during World War II while leading a combined Allied force of over two million. He met and overcame every challenge and every crisis that he encountered. Even Winston Churchill who himself was one of the great leaders of all time, admired Eisenhower's skills and ability as a leader. In a life of leadership, there are many lessons to be learned. These seven lessons are standouts among many that General Eisenhower could offer, and they are important lessons that can inspire leaders today. Leonard Kloeber is an author and leadership consultant. A West Point graduate and retired colonel, he has extensive leadership experience as business executive and as a military officer. He has been a hands-on leader in a variety of organizations large and small. Most recently he was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company. His book - Victory Principles, Leadership Lessons from D-Day - illustrates seven bedrock leadership principles that all successful leaders use. Download a free summary of the Victory Principles at: http://www.victoryprinciples.com and find other bonus materials for leaders. See how to obtain an original color print of General Eisenhower visiting the 101st Airborne Division on the eve of the Normandy invasion to support "America's Vets," a nonprofit organization that funds various veterans memorials and organizations. Contact him at staffride@gmail.com.
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