Successful Wartime Senior Leadership
Abstract
Leadership is a subject which has been studied, analyzed, and talked about on a continuous basis. Military professionals as well as professionals in the private sector have tackled the subject looking always for the significant ingredients, which when present, culminate in success for the organization. Although the private sector devotes a great deal of time in the study of leadership at the corporate level the military has just begun to formally direct its attention to this area. The first literature published by the Army on the subject of 'Executive Leadership' is dated June 1987 and attempts to define leadership at the three star and higher level to get at the critical competencies required for success at this level. However, the literature quickly gets bogged down in every minute aspect of what a senior leader ought to be. This study will examine three successful wartime leaders to see if a commonality of traits exist that were significant contributors to their success. The current literature is examined and reduced to four competencies which are then used during the analysis of each leader's decisions and the circumstances around those decisions. The three leaders chosen for examination are Grant, Pershing and Eisenhower. These three individuals represent leadership at the highest levels and bridge a major period of change with regard to how the United States goes to war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 02, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA222922
Entities
People
- John N. Paolucci
Organizations
- United States Army War College