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General William (Billy) Mitchell
Mitchell was one of the most controversial combat leaders in aviation
history. He is most
renowned for his vision. He was
bold, outspoken and had an extremely rebellious personality that
had a way of rubbing his superiors the wrong way. However, his genius was
evident by his ideas and accomplishments. He thrived on the excitement
of conflict. General Mitchell's forte as a combat commander became evident
during the First World War. There the colorful Mitchell would cut red
tape and get things done no matter what was in the way. Mitchell had
vision, singleness of purpose, and the flair for the dramatic. He
never kept quiet. His vision was of no value unless others heard what he had
to say. "Mitchell had four key leadership traits which particularly stand
out. They were discipline, technical expertise, loyalty to his men,
and bravery." Summarizing: Billy Mitchell was bold and
rebellious, yet had the vision and drive that made what he
had to say in his outspoken manner worth listening to. Additionally, when
the time or circumstances required it, he could be ruthless in getting
the job done. His flamboyant personality thrived on excitement
and the dramatic. Although not known as an academician, he knew the value
of professional education and technical expertise. He was a leader, not
a manager. He left the managing to others, like he did in WWI when he let
General Foulois handle the logistics. His candid and lucid foresight were
often ignored by his superiors because he was not the "organizational man."
In the end, his visions were proven out by events.
General John J. Pershing
John J. "Black Jack" Pershing believed that command in wartime and
popularity do not go hand-in-hand. To insure strict obedience to orders,
he trained hard, believed that the battlefield was no place for
weak leaders, and led by the example of his own high standards.
In this, he was successful, as demonstrated by his combat victories in WWI.
However, he was found lacking in one trait usually displayed by good
leaders: if he ever attempted to understand people, little of it has been
documented. He was completely oriented to the achievement of the objective
at hand, and used any means to complete the mission.
General Douglas MacArthur
was a brilliant student who never quit striving for knowledge. He
seemed so trained and organized in his mental processes that, in approaching
a problem, he could leap across space and arrive at a conclusion that was
often uncanny in its accuracy. His swift and lightning decisions were
apparently the result of a logical mind, an unusual sense of
psychological awareness and a tremendously strong code of moral
values. He had an excellent understanding of his position in relation to
others and an understanding of human nature. One of his greatest
concerns was the welfare of his men. His eloquence in writing and
speaking are among his most famous traits. But down deep, his desire
was to lead men and to attain great heights and glory in the
General George S. Patton
Patton was the most experienced soldier to ever lead America into combat.
Both of his grandfathers were combat veterans, and he considered the
profession of arms his life. He was not a very strong student, and
because of his difficulty with mathematics, spent a fifth year in West
Point. Later, he led the first American tank unit into battle during WWI.
Between the wars he developed his knowledge of armor and tactics. He was
well known for his propensity for saying exactly what was on his mind.
This was a trait that led to his constantly being in trouble with superiors.
He, like General Billy Mitchell, was noted for his vision. He
predicted, long before it came to pass, that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor
and that we would also enter a war with Nazi Germany.
During the Second World War his successes were
brilliant during the invasion of North Africa and Sicily. However, he was
suspended from command for slapping a private who was a patient in a
hospital. After WWII, Patton was so convinced of the Soviet threat that he
started a major controversy over his view. He felt that the US must be
prepared for this threat by universal military training. Once again, his
willingness to take a controversial stand, and use an untactful
approach to subjects he had strong feelings about, resulted in his
removal from command in October 1945. Some say that his lack of
self-discipline was a weakness of integrity or character. He demanded
loyalty but would, on the other hand, violently disagree with his superiors.
He spoke his mind—no matter the consequences.
General Patton's will to win was paramount, no
matter the cost. He honed his wartime skills by constantly practicing in
peacetime. Patton led his men by several means. He talked to them and
gave inspiring speeches. He led by example. He was always at
the front line in the heat of battle. He believed in discipline,
and used his personal leadership techniques and showmanship to inspire
his troops. He always took the initiative and was a "hands on"
leader. He had no patience for those who failed to follow orders
and detested leaders who didn't take care of their troops. He
rewarded outstanding performance. Although he was an impatient
planner, he never walked the fence of indecision. Many pictured
him as overbearing and demanding.
Despite the constant
turmoil surrounding General Patton, he was one of the most successful combat
leaders of modern warfare. Could it be that many of his idiosyncrasies were
the manifestations of genius?
General Curtis E. LeMay
LeMay, a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) student at Ohio State, was
another great leader that somehow didn't quite fit into the academic
community. After the end of four years of school, he lacked fifteen hours to
graduate. He had failed an engineering course two years in a row because it
was a morning class that he slept through. He was working six days a week on
the swing shift in a steel foundry. He later made a name for himself in the
tactical and technical development of long range aviation and strategic
bombardment. He was not a fabulous student and couldn't be considered an
academic genius. He wasn't known as a great orator, yet he could get the
point across and had tremendous drive to succeed. He had a great
deal of physical stamina and intellectual curiosity. He is
known for his genius as a military tactician, strategist, and
- - - -
Some of the traits that these and many other great
leaders hold in common are these:
Great leaders seek out and meet challenges
They don't wait for a problem to jump up and bite them in
the bottom before they act on it. Instead, they anticipate problems,
search for the cause, and work to resolve the matter before it ever
They thrive on added responsibility.
A common trait is that they are not
known for their academic achievements, but do know the value of a good
education and the importance of a continuing quest for knowledge.
Because of this they usually surround themselves with people who
are smarter than they are.
Hard work is well known to great leaders. They
worked hard in their youth and maintained good physical conditioning
throughout their lives to complement the mental process.
They all know how to lead men to attain
The ability to think, plan, and foresee, as
well as communicate their ideas and plans, is a mark of their genius.
They were fighters that
cared for their people, and yet were at the same time calculated
Amongst them, they share these qualities: a sense of
genius, charisma, self-confidence, a thirst for information,
intellectual curiosity, they are detail oriented, possess a genius of
intuition, have moral courage, are aggressive fighters, tenacious, bold,
outspoken, they lead by example, are hands-on leaders, lead from the
front, are excellent tacticians, display moral probity, are truthful,
honest, display a visible core of integrity, are excellent
administrators, and even better leaders.
Oh, and if you think some of this applies to you, it's probably because
it does. U.S. Army Signal Corps Officers hold
these traits too. Most hold them dearly, living them in their daily lives.
Now, if we could only get a selection of politicians to
vote for—men and women who display these traits—then everything would be
Reference Materials Used In This Article Came
From The Following Source:
Biographies of the Generals listed were taken from the
publication Combat Leadership, A Historical Analysis of Traits Definition
and How It Differs From Peacetime Leadership; by Lt. Col. Robert P.
Hansen, 1989. The document is a publication of the U.S. military, and is
available in the public domain.