The Mark of a Leader
The great difference between the real leader and the pretender is that the one sees into the future, while the other regards only the present; the one lives by the day, and acts upon expediency; the other acts on enduring principles and for the immortality.
—EDMUND BURKE
Leadership is influencing people—by providing purpose, direction, and motivation—while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.
—U.S. Army Handbook
The heart of Washington's leadership was pure character. It sustained the troops at Valley Forge. It made the ratification of the Constitution possible. His character was defined by maturity and a capacity for growth.
—DAVID ABSHIRE
Two important elements of effective leadership are confidence and trust.
Followers must have confidence in their leader's abilities, and they must have boundless trust in their leader's character and ethics.
Another factor, and one that is important when looking at George Washington as a leader, is self-confidence: the heartfelt faith that one's decisions are correct.
Leadership is a subtle power: hard to define, yet sometimes easy to recognize; a part of some people's nature, but also possible to nurture.
What makes a great leader?
What are the traits and characteristics of those history has defined as leaders?
Are people born with leadership skills? Not according to the great football coach Vince Lombardi, who said, "Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."
Leadership can be used for good (Washington, Nelson Mandela, et al.); it can be abused and used for nefarious purposes (Jim Jones, Osama bin Laden, et al.). The moral leader strives for great results. The amoral leader works for personal gain, regardless of the results.
Leadership is an ability, a skill. Sometimes people voluntarily agree to be led. They willingly follow the dictates of a charismatic leader. And sometimes people must obey a leader as a function of their position, their job, their place in a particular business or social dynamic. The point to keep in mind, however, is that the greatest leaders have the traits and skills to lead both of these groups, often simultaneously.
And many of these skills are definable, and can be cultivated by anyone aspiring to be an effective leader.
A sterling character is really the combination of many well-honed traits. Some are talents people are born with; others are developed only through the trials of life. In the pages that follow, we will examine the specific traits that, when melded together, formulated the character of Washington.
A successful leader …
Has a clear vision
Is honest
Is ambitious
Is courageous
Has self-control and discipline
Takes responsibility
Is determined
Has a strong work ethic
Uses good judgment
Learns from mistakes
Is humble
Does the research
Values presentation
Exceeds expectations
Has faith
A Leader Takes Personal Responsibility
The ability to accept responsibility is the measure of the man.
— ROY L. SMITH
The price of greatness is responsibility.
— WINSTON CHURCHILL
The great English playwright Tom Stoppard once said that "responsibilities gravitate to the person who can shoulder them."
It is difficult for modern Americans to fully understand the risks and sacrifices that Washington and the other Founders willingly accepted in order to mount a successful revolution. Today, a common perception of this epic struggle is that of a unified rebellion sweeping across 13 colonies with great spirit and boundless enthusiasm; a boisterous time of skirmishes, raids, and rallying cries during which most, if not all, of the period's stalwart citizenry were active participants in the noble cause.
Washington was a realist. He accepted the charge of commander in chief, fully aware of its responsibilities and with his eyes wide open. And once Washington accepted a task, there was no turning back. Washington did occasionally complain about his troubles to family and friends, but publicly he was willing to accept burden after burden with good grace and a noble stoicism. His long-term vision of a free nation always remained at the forefront of his mind.
His back was strong.
Shouldering the Blame
When the Virginia Assembly criticized the actions of Washington's regiment following the loss of Fort Necessity in 1754, he responded, "I find that my own character must of necessity be involved in the general censure, for which reason I cannot help observing that if the country think they have cause to condemn my conduct and have a person in view that will act, then he may do so."
Washington accepted personal responsibility for the failure and admitted that it was a weakness in his own character that allowed such a loss to take place. And he followed through on his full acknowledgment of personal responsibility by accepting condemnation from his country. Very little criticism materialized, partly because Washington was so self-effacing. He fell on his sword with dignity and finesse, and as a result, the people remembered his honesty and bravery more than his mistakes.
He Couldn't Say No
As he was about to take command of the Continental Army, Washington wrote to his beloved wife, "It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment, without exposing my character to such censures as would have reflected dishonor upon myself, and given pain to my friends." He plainly and unequivocally believed the acceptance of responsibility to be an essential aspect of character, and refusing responsibility to be an act of dishonor.
Honor and Humanity
As discussed in Leadership Lesson #2, "A Leader Is Honest," Washington was a stickler for acting with integrity—and insisting that those in his charge do likewise.
One factor that helped turn the tide toward the cause of the revolutionaries was the British soldiers' mistreatment of landowners and everyday citizens, particularly in the south. While the redcoats plundered nearby farms, Washington did a far better job of maintaining order and respect among his soldiers. In November 1778, he wrote to Major General Israel Putnam, "You are to take every measure to prevent and severely punish marauding or any insults to the persons or destruction of the property of the inhabitants by the Soldiery."
He demanded that the army take care of its own needs, so that neighbors would not become resentful. He extrapolated, on a grand scale, his own sense of personal responsibility, and demanded it of his men.
A month later, in General Orders issued on his behalf by William Alexander, Lord Stirling from headquarters, Washington felt compelled "… to urge officers of all ranks to search out and bring to severe and immediate punishment every soldier who shall presume to burn or otherwise destroy rails, or any part of the Farmers' enclosures. Honor and Humanity dictate that we should carefully preserve the property of our fellow Citizens."
Soldiers with Character
To support his vision of a free America, Washington also maintained a vision of a loyal, efficient, and strong army. And he felt that what the army lacked in training and experience would be offset by determination and character. Not everyone followed his lead, however. Fairly early in the Revolutionary War, one of Washington's military bodyguards was involved in a plot to kidnap or kill the commander in chief. His name was Thomas Hickey, and he was captured, court-martialed, and sentenced to death by hanging. On June 28, 1776, General Washington, as leader of the Continental Army, made an entry in his orderly book that spoke to his vision of an army manned by soldiers with character: "The unhappy Fate of Thomas Hickey, executed this day for Mutiny, Sedition, and Treachery, the General hopes will be a warning to every soldier, in the Army, to avoid those crimes and all others, so disgraceful to the character of a soldier and
pernicious to his country, whose pay he receives and bread he eats."[5] In essence, Washington is saying that it is not enough for just the army's leaders to have character—each and every soldier is expected to represent his nation in a respectable manner.
In a similar fashion, corporations that set high standards in terms of not just performance, but values, are creating a culture that brings out the best in people.
Admiral Garry R. White of the U.S. Navy practiced what he preached when he served as the commanding officer of the U.S.S. George Washington, which he described as "a completely self-contained city" with some 5,000 residents (sailors), who averaged a remarkably young 20 years old. When the ship was at sea, Captain White himself was the judge and jury for sailors who went astray. His approach was straightforward: We all make mistakes, but it's how we atone for
them that makes all the difference in the world. Sailors who admitted their wrongdoings and were genuinely remorseful for their crimes were generally given a second chance. Captain White was looking for integrity—not perfection. But those who made excuses or treated their mistakes in a casual fashion were given the harshest punishment. And unless this attitude changed quickly and dramatically, the sailor was usually discharged from the navy.
The sailors themselves adopted the official logo for the ship—"The Spirit of Freedom"—a phrase George Washington used in a letter to a fellow patriot.
General Washington and Captain White understood that a true spirit cannot exist unless every member of the team adopts a sense of personal responsibility for the character and reputation of the team as a whole.
All for the Cause
When Washington accepted the position of commander in chief of the Continental Army in the summer of 1775, very few others had made such a high level of personal commitment to the cause of liberty. In fact, the Declaration of Independence was not written until a year later, after Washington had achieved some encouraging success on the battlefield. The point is this: George Washington placed his life, his family, his land, and his considerable fortune on the line.
He backed up his beliefs by hazarding everything he had, and he did this for all the right reasons. He knew that victory would be a tremendous uphill climb, against all odds, yet what would be his spoils? Great honor perhaps, but little else. What he truly cared about most was participating in the birth of a new republic for and by the people.
Lonely at the Top
Although Washington's men thought the world of him, it would be a mistake to imagine the commander in chief as "one of the boys." By design, he maintained an appropriate distance between himself and the enlisted men, and he was by no means familiar with his officers. Washington did not want personal relationships to unduly influence the decision-making process, and he wanted to avoid the appearance of playing favorites.
Washington paid a high price to maintain his reputation for utmost fairness. In essence, he had a challenging time making close friends. Washington had untold admirers, of course, and through letters he kept in touch with a fairly wide circle of acquaintances, but he seemed to confide in no one except his wife. Thankfully, Washington's shoulders were broad enough to accept a long list of burdens, including a certain degree of loneliness at the top.
A Leader Uses Good Judgment
One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to be supplied is light, not heat.—WOODROW WILSON
Perhaps the strongest feature in [Washington's] character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed;
refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed.—THOMAS JEFFERSON
What is good judgment? It is, in its purest and most potent form, the ability to make smart decisions. Those possessing this talent—like George Washington—
are capable of processing a myriad of information pertaining to a particular situation and quickly determining the best course of action.
Washington was the ultimate decision maker, and, as president, he was well aware that a great burden rested on his shoulders. The buck really did stop on George Washington's desk, again and again. The people of America trusted George Washington more than any other Founding Father—trust and confidence, remember?—largely because he made the correct decisions, and usually for all the right reasons.
It is important to note, too, that Washington did not take opinion polls and make decisions based on what would be the most popular course of action—which, as we know, is an all-too-common political practice today. He sometimes went against the advice of his colleagues, and he occasionally took a stand that was far from popular. Yet his judgment was keen, and once he had made his decision, his commitment to a course of action was steadfast.
The General's Good Judgment
On July 31, 1777, the Second Continental Congress appointed the 19-year-old French Marquis de Lafayette a major general in the Continental Army.Washington's officers were less than pleased about this development; in fact, many were outraged that a very young French nobleman (the word "teenager" had not yet been coined) would have the audacity to expect an appointment as a full-fledged general.But Washington knew that his fledgling nation would not achieve victory over the British without support from the French. Plus, Washington liked what he saw in Lafayette, who, albeit young, was closely connected to the right people in France. He also brought with him tremendous energy and enthusiasm—he truly believed in the American cause.
Washington and Lafayette, men representing very different backgrounds, ultimately became the best of friends. They developed a warm father-son type of relationship, and together spearheaded a partnership between two nations that did indeed result in the defeat of the British. This could happen only because George Washington kept an open mind. He must have been skeptical that a 19-year-old foreigner would be an effective leader in an American war, but he gave the kid a chance—just as Washington himself had been given a breakthrough opportunity 20 years earlier in the French and Indian War.
For more Information:
Leadership Skills for Managers, Power, Influence, and Persuasion, The Bible on Leadership, Great Leadership Secrets
The great difference between the real leader and the pretender is that the one sees into the future, while the other regards only the present; the one lives by the day, and acts upon expediency; the other acts on enduring principles and for the immortality.
—EDMUND BURKE
Leadership is influencing people—by providing purpose, direction, and motivation—while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.
—U.S. Army Handbook
The heart of Washington's leadership was pure character. It sustained the troops at Valley Forge. It made the ratification of the Constitution possible. His character was defined by maturity and a capacity for growth.
—DAVID ABSHIRE
Two important elements of effective leadership are confidence and trust.
Followers must have confidence in their leader's abilities, and they must have boundless trust in their leader's character and ethics.
Another factor, and one that is important when looking at George Washington as a leader, is self-confidence: the heartfelt faith that one's decisions are correct.
Leadership is a subtle power: hard to define, yet sometimes easy to recognize; a part of some people's nature, but also possible to nurture.
What makes a great leader?
What are the traits and characteristics of those history has defined as leaders?
Are people born with leadership skills? Not according to the great football coach Vince Lombardi, who said, "Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."
Leadership can be used for good (Washington, Nelson Mandela, et al.); it can be abused and used for nefarious purposes (Jim Jones, Osama bin Laden, et al.). The moral leader strives for great results. The amoral leader works for personal gain, regardless of the results.
Leadership is an ability, a skill. Sometimes people voluntarily agree to be led. They willingly follow the dictates of a charismatic leader. And sometimes people must obey a leader as a function of their position, their job, their place in a particular business or social dynamic. The point to keep in mind, however, is that the greatest leaders have the traits and skills to lead both of these groups, often simultaneously.
And many of these skills are definable, and can be cultivated by anyone aspiring to be an effective leader.
A sterling character is really the combination of many well-honed traits. Some are talents people are born with; others are developed only through the trials of life. In the pages that follow, we will examine the specific traits that, when melded together, formulated the character of Washington.
A successful leader …
Has a clear vision
Is honest
Is ambitious
Is courageous
Has self-control and discipline
Takes responsibility
Is determined
Has a strong work ethic
Uses good judgment
Learns from mistakes
Is humble
Does the research
Values presentation
Exceeds expectations
Has faith
A Leader Takes Personal Responsibility
The ability to accept responsibility is the measure of the man.
— ROY L. SMITH
The price of greatness is responsibility.
— WINSTON CHURCHILL
The great English playwright Tom Stoppard once said that "responsibilities gravitate to the person who can shoulder them."
It is difficult for modern Americans to fully understand the risks and sacrifices that Washington and the other Founders willingly accepted in order to mount a successful revolution. Today, a common perception of this epic struggle is that of a unified rebellion sweeping across 13 colonies with great spirit and boundless enthusiasm; a boisterous time of skirmishes, raids, and rallying cries during which most, if not all, of the period's stalwart citizenry were active participants in the noble cause.
Washington was a realist. He accepted the charge of commander in chief, fully aware of its responsibilities and with his eyes wide open. And once Washington accepted a task, there was no turning back. Washington did occasionally complain about his troubles to family and friends, but publicly he was willing to accept burden after burden with good grace and a noble stoicism. His long-term vision of a free nation always remained at the forefront of his mind.
His back was strong.
Shouldering the Blame
When the Virginia Assembly criticized the actions of Washington's regiment following the loss of Fort Necessity in 1754, he responded, "I find that my own character must of necessity be involved in the general censure, for which reason I cannot help observing that if the country think they have cause to condemn my conduct and have a person in view that will act, then he may do so."
Washington accepted personal responsibility for the failure and admitted that it was a weakness in his own character that allowed such a loss to take place. And he followed through on his full acknowledgment of personal responsibility by accepting condemnation from his country. Very little criticism materialized, partly because Washington was so self-effacing. He fell on his sword with dignity and finesse, and as a result, the people remembered his honesty and bravery more than his mistakes.
He Couldn't Say No
As he was about to take command of the Continental Army, Washington wrote to his beloved wife, "It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment, without exposing my character to such censures as would have reflected dishonor upon myself, and given pain to my friends." He plainly and unequivocally believed the acceptance of responsibility to be an essential aspect of character, and refusing responsibility to be an act of dishonor.
Honor and Humanity
As discussed in Leadership Lesson #2, "A Leader Is Honest," Washington was a stickler for acting with integrity—and insisting that those in his charge do likewise.
One factor that helped turn the tide toward the cause of the revolutionaries was the British soldiers' mistreatment of landowners and everyday citizens, particularly in the south. While the redcoats plundered nearby farms, Washington did a far better job of maintaining order and respect among his soldiers. In November 1778, he wrote to Major General Israel Putnam, "You are to take every measure to prevent and severely punish marauding or any insults to the persons or destruction of the property of the inhabitants by the Soldiery."
He demanded that the army take care of its own needs, so that neighbors would not become resentful. He extrapolated, on a grand scale, his own sense of personal responsibility, and demanded it of his men.
A month later, in General Orders issued on his behalf by William Alexander, Lord Stirling from headquarters, Washington felt compelled "… to urge officers of all ranks to search out and bring to severe and immediate punishment every soldier who shall presume to burn or otherwise destroy rails, or any part of the Farmers' enclosures. Honor and Humanity dictate that we should carefully preserve the property of our fellow Citizens."
Soldiers with Character
To support his vision of a free America, Washington also maintained a vision of a loyal, efficient, and strong army. And he felt that what the army lacked in training and experience would be offset by determination and character. Not everyone followed his lead, however. Fairly early in the Revolutionary War, one of Washington's military bodyguards was involved in a plot to kidnap or kill the commander in chief. His name was Thomas Hickey, and he was captured, court-martialed, and sentenced to death by hanging. On June 28, 1776, General Washington, as leader of the Continental Army, made an entry in his orderly book that spoke to his vision of an army manned by soldiers with character: "The unhappy Fate of Thomas Hickey, executed this day for Mutiny, Sedition, and Treachery, the General hopes will be a warning to every soldier, in the Army, to avoid those crimes and all others, so disgraceful to the character of a soldier and
pernicious to his country, whose pay he receives and bread he eats."[5] In essence, Washington is saying that it is not enough for just the army's leaders to have character—each and every soldier is expected to represent his nation in a respectable manner.
In a similar fashion, corporations that set high standards in terms of not just performance, but values, are creating a culture that brings out the best in people.
Admiral Garry R. White of the U.S. Navy practiced what he preached when he served as the commanding officer of the U.S.S. George Washington, which he described as "a completely self-contained city" with some 5,000 residents (sailors), who averaged a remarkably young 20 years old. When the ship was at sea, Captain White himself was the judge and jury for sailors who went astray. His approach was straightforward: We all make mistakes, but it's how we atone for
them that makes all the difference in the world. Sailors who admitted their wrongdoings and were genuinely remorseful for their crimes were generally given a second chance. Captain White was looking for integrity—not perfection. But those who made excuses or treated their mistakes in a casual fashion were given the harshest punishment. And unless this attitude changed quickly and dramatically, the sailor was usually discharged from the navy.
The sailors themselves adopted the official logo for the ship—"The Spirit of Freedom"—a phrase George Washington used in a letter to a fellow patriot.
General Washington and Captain White understood that a true spirit cannot exist unless every member of the team adopts a sense of personal responsibility for the character and reputation of the team as a whole.
All for the Cause
When Washington accepted the position of commander in chief of the Continental Army in the summer of 1775, very few others had made such a high level of personal commitment to the cause of liberty. In fact, the Declaration of Independence was not written until a year later, after Washington had achieved some encouraging success on the battlefield. The point is this: George Washington placed his life, his family, his land, and his considerable fortune on the line.
He backed up his beliefs by hazarding everything he had, and he did this for all the right reasons. He knew that victory would be a tremendous uphill climb, against all odds, yet what would be his spoils? Great honor perhaps, but little else. What he truly cared about most was participating in the birth of a new republic for and by the people.
Lonely at the Top
Although Washington's men thought the world of him, it would be a mistake to imagine the commander in chief as "one of the boys." By design, he maintained an appropriate distance between himself and the enlisted men, and he was by no means familiar with his officers. Washington did not want personal relationships to unduly influence the decision-making process, and he wanted to avoid the appearance of playing favorites.
Washington paid a high price to maintain his reputation for utmost fairness. In essence, he had a challenging time making close friends. Washington had untold admirers, of course, and through letters he kept in touch with a fairly wide circle of acquaintances, but he seemed to confide in no one except his wife. Thankfully, Washington's shoulders were broad enough to accept a long list of burdens, including a certain degree of loneliness at the top.
A Leader Uses Good Judgment
One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to be supplied is light, not heat.—WOODROW WILSON
Perhaps the strongest feature in [Washington's] character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed;
refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed.—THOMAS JEFFERSON
What is good judgment? It is, in its purest and most potent form, the ability to make smart decisions. Those possessing this talent—like George Washington—
are capable of processing a myriad of information pertaining to a particular situation and quickly determining the best course of action.
Washington was the ultimate decision maker, and, as president, he was well aware that a great burden rested on his shoulders. The buck really did stop on George Washington's desk, again and again. The people of America trusted George Washington more than any other Founding Father—trust and confidence, remember?—largely because he made the correct decisions, and usually for all the right reasons.
It is important to note, too, that Washington did not take opinion polls and make decisions based on what would be the most popular course of action—which, as we know, is an all-too-common political practice today. He sometimes went against the advice of his colleagues, and he occasionally took a stand that was far from popular. Yet his judgment was keen, and once he had made his decision, his commitment to a course of action was steadfast.
The General's Good Judgment
On July 31, 1777, the Second Continental Congress appointed the 19-year-old French Marquis de Lafayette a major general in the Continental Army.Washington's officers were less than pleased about this development; in fact, many were outraged that a very young French nobleman (the word "teenager" had not yet been coined) would have the audacity to expect an appointment as a full-fledged general.But Washington knew that his fledgling nation would not achieve victory over the British without support from the French. Plus, Washington liked what he saw in Lafayette, who, albeit young, was closely connected to the right people in France. He also brought with him tremendous energy and enthusiasm—he truly believed in the American cause.
Washington and Lafayette, men representing very different backgrounds, ultimately became the best of friends. They developed a warm father-son type of relationship, and together spearheaded a partnership between two nations that did indeed result in the defeat of the British. This could happen only because George Washington kept an open mind. He must have been skeptical that a 19-year-old foreigner would be an effective leader in an American war, but he gave the kid a chance—just as Washington himself had been given a breakthrough opportunity 20 years earlier in the French and Indian War.
For more Information:
Leadership Skills for Managers, Power, Influence, and Persuasion, The Bible on Leadership, Great Leadership Secrets
Leadership skills are very important in every individual.Nice and interesting post.
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