Posted on 06/06/2003 8:06:53 AM PDT by af_vet_rr
Arnold Garcia Jr.
They don't make leaders like Ike these days
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, June 6, 2003
Somewhere in the middle of the trainer's remarks about leadership, it occurred to me that the ultimate test of management skill is getting people to walk into bullets. And that made me think of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Behind that farm boy smile was a determined, fiery-tempered leader who didn't hesitate to break eggs to make omelettes. Plucked from military obscurity, Eisenhower rode a rocket toward the top of the chain of command during World War II, and afterward, he just kept going. Historians can debate the merits of Eisenhower's presidency, but if you think about the general as a top manager and D-Day as his assignment, he easily makes the top 10 of anyone's leadership list.
Some of you recall firsthand that in the early days of the war, Allied victory was far from certain. The Germans occupied Europe and their Japanese allies ruled the Pacific. In the early stages of the war, the U.S. military was growing fast but struggling to find its footing. Although the North African campaign had started off with a disastrous defeat at Kasserine Pass, Eisenhower's leadership and a pinched German supply line turned the tables.
That he was chosen to lead the Allies was a combination of luck and political skill. Before World War II, Eisenhower's career path had been uneven. He was later to say that he had spent years in the Pacific learning dramatics from Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur returned the compliment by remarking that Eisenhower had been the best clerk who had ever served under him.
Eisenhower found a champion in George Marshall, the Army chief of staff, and after a series of intramural Allied political brawls, Eisenhower became Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. His assignment was to plan and execute the invasion of the European mainland.
A successful ground invasion depended on air superiority. While Allied air crews wrested that superiority from a skilled, experienced and determined foe, D-Day planners began working on invasion scenarios. The object was to move troops, equipment and supplies across the channel, attack and destroy a fierce enemy dug in behind an impressive array of well-planned defenses and push inland. By the way, it had to be a surprise.
The movement had to be accomplished in the middle of night, and all that intricate choreography was at the mercy of the fickle European spring weather. Moreover, the beaches had to be taken and the move inland had to proceed by the end of the day. The fabled Erwin Rommel, commanding the German defenders, believed that it was imperative to repel the invasion in the first 24 hours, and this he was determined to do.
We remember today that the invasion was successful, but in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the outcome was far from certain. Realizing the millions of risks each individual detail and soldier presented, Eisenhower wrote a statement for release in the event the invasion failed.
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."
Fortunately for us all, Eisenhower never had to issue that statement, but it lingers in the wings of the history of this historic day. That terse, undelivered communiqué should be more than one of those historic "might have beens" or "what-ifs." It is a lesson in leadership that anyone responsible for more than his or her person should learn.
Eisenhower had a staff with the best of everything available to it, yet the decision to go was his. If the mission were a success, there would be plenty of accolades to go around. Failure would have been a different story.
Eisenhower was leader enough to be willing shoulder the blame alone. I thought about that lesson forged 59 years ago today as I sift through the news of corporate, political and personal failures and scandals.
You don't see many people caught up in those events stepping forward and facing the consequences squarely, even as you hear a lot about "accountability" and "accepting responsibility." Those words, though popular, are rendered hollow by "everybody does it" and "wasn't my fault" responses to adversity and setback.
For his skill, the late president and general again deserves our salute. For the willingness to accept responsibility, he deserves our respect.
agarcia@statesman.com
General Eisenhower was willing to take responsibility if the invasions had failed. The scope of that and what failure would have meant is almost too hard to grasp, yet today, it's hard for somebody to take responsibility for losing millions or for cheating on their wives, or for covering up something like a bad journalist or a bad hiring or promotion policy.
Agreed. His route on the way to the position was certainly an interesting one and he passed up many others who felt they should have had a shot, but once in the position he proved without a doubt that he was the man for the job. Perhaps it took the best clerk to have ever served under General MacArthur to fill the position ;-) There are some who want to bash him for being a bit to cautious, but they seem to forget just what the landings entailed and that he was facing Erwin Rommel.
BUMP to that. Ijust came across this thread, and the first thing that came to mind was "Operation Keehaul". Read the book years ago. Mind blowing stuff!
The Politician by R. Welch
Belmont Publishing Company
FMCDH
I'm not really knocking Ike the general - just pointing out his limits.
His abilities - to work with allies and contentious generals, to make hard strategic decisions, to marshal logistics - were formidable.
contentious generals - I think that's a bit of an understatement.
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