Eisenhower on Leadership
Source: Michigan State University Eisenhower portal
I was reading through a long series of quotations on military leadership collected in a pamphlet (pdf) published by the US Army in 1985 and was struck by how the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower stood out in the midst of a lot of unexceptionable bromides:
"I would say that most leaders are made. A fellow that comes from a long line of ancestors with determination and courage has no doubt inherited some leadership qualities. I have seen many times in combat where somebody who is small and meek was given the opportunity and had leadership you never before realized he had, and he becomes a Medal of Honor winner. There are some qualities you inherit that make you a good leader; but many who have not these qualities develop them, or just seem to come up with them when opportunity knocks."
Eisenhower was not dogmatic on the made vs. born issue:
"I think that there is something to the expression 'born to lead'. But there are many people who have the potential for leadership, just as there are probably many people born with the potential to be great artists that never have the opportunity or the training for the full development of their talents. I think leadership is a product of native ability plus environment. By environment, I mean trainng and the opportunity to exercise leadership."
And, finally:
I would rather persuade a man to go along because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone."
The fact that Eisenhower stands out in a compilation of remarks on leadership reminds me of how David Gergen cites him as exemplary in an essay on "How Presidents Persuade" (see this earlier post).
Labels: Leadership, Military training, Persuasion
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:35 PM
<< Home