George General S. Patton
Joshua Dray, Brody Evans
4/7/11
Leadership Capstone project Outline
Born: 11 November 1885
Birthplace: San Gabriel, California
Died: 21 December 1945 (automobile crash)
Best Known As: Commander of the U.S. Third Army in World War II
Military Family
VMI
West Point
Repeated Plebe Year
Cadet Adjutant
Commissioned as cavalry officer
1912 Summer Olympics
Placed 5th overall in modern pentathlon
Master of the Sword
Punitive Expedition of 1916
Battle of San Miguelito
WW1 (304th Tank Brigade)
Saint Mihiel Campaign
Meuse-Argonne Campaign
Interwar Years
2nd Armored Division
North Africa Campaign (II Corps)
Sicily (7th Army)
Normandy Campaign (3rd Army)
Lorraine Campaign (3rd Army)
Battle of the Bulge (3rd Army)
1. Perfection of detail
2. Personal supervision
3. Thorough and detailed knowledge of the business at hand
4. A strong physical leadership presence
5. The ability to set a personal example
6. The ability to communicate-explain-orders
7. The commitment to ensure that orders are correctly executed
Transformational Leadership
The soldier is the army. No army is better than its soldiers
When in doubt, attack!
Transactional Leadership
If you can't get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you
tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?
If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear,
I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the
more they are frightened.
Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who
follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.
A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end
"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a
bunch of bullshit.
"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the
top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently
noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their
subordinates.
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with
their ingenuity.
"A commander will command
I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when
he hits bottom.
Background and Education
Military Career
- Wars involved in
- Where He was stationed.
Trait Theory:
1. Perfection of detail
2. Personal supervision
3. Thorough and detailed knowledge of the business at hand
4. A strong physical leadership presence
5. The ability to set a personal example
6. The ability to communicate-explain-orders
7. The commitment to ensure that orders are correctly executed
Transformational vs. Transactional
Patton displayed transformational leadership through the speeches that he gave to
his troops. He would give speeches that would say things like The soldier is the
army. No army is better than its soldiers Patton would make the troops feel like
they were vital to operational mission success. Patton developed a winning attitude
in his troops. A phrase that he is famous for is When in doubt, attack! his
philosophy was to inspire his troops to continue moving on the offensive. Wars
are not won by defensive tactics. You keep moving and the enemy cannot hit you.
When you dig a foxhole, you dig your grave. Patton also displayed Transactional
leadership through leading his men. Some say that his intolerance for cowards, and
tendency to swear would get him in trouble now. He would distance himself
enough that when he told his men to do something they would do it. He displayed a
strong physical leadership presence that allowed him to command his men to do
something, and they would obey.
Situational Leadership: As a situational leader, he understood what was necessary
for men who were prepared and occasionally unwilling to go into battle. of Part his
strategy was to influence through fear, creating greater concern amongst his men
about hhis wrath than that of the enemy. He gave his men the ability to defeat the
enemy. Leadership like this is leadership like no other. He did what successful
people do, he modeled experts. His choice for this was Pershing yet while
modeling Pershings leadership style, he managed to sustain his individuality. This
led to a unique brand of leadership that he cultivated, practicing warlike faces in
order to prepare for war.
General Patton utilized the situational leadership style. He wrote several papers on war strategy
and tactics as guide for his army. As a famous situational leader, his philosophy to win the war
was focused on analyzing the situation. The result of the situational analysis became the
foundation in planning the course of action. He believed that it was necessary to change plans to
fit the unexpected situation.
Patton was an expert in the symbols of culture and understood the totem. His cigar
was a totemic ritual that displayed power when he was dialoguing with his people
(Levi-Strauss, 1992). He used images such as the grave yard. His desire was that
the soldiers who fought werent forgotten like the Carthaginians and the Romans
who fought on the same plains. He was eventually even buried with his men in
Europe, the only US General who is buried on foreign soil. His powerful use and
exploitation of totem continues posthumously.
Pattons contemporary leadership style was through showing courage. General
Patton called it brains, but what it truly was a Blood and guts with hot emotional
energy. He acts from coercive power asserting him and dominating others. He
stands in bravery in a way that creates myths of the hero leader.
General Patton's critics considered him arrogant and reckless, but his soldiers
admired him as great leader. He expressed the utmost in confidence in his people.
When one of his generals expressed reluctance to lead an attack, General Patton
told him he had complete confidence in him and was returning to headquarters to
stay out of his way. When the general succeeded, General Patton gave him all the
credit. If the general had failed, General Patton would have taken the blame.
General Patton did not micromanage; he surrounded himself with competent
people and allowed them to do their job. He only paid attention to details when
they were important to the overall mission.
General Patton constantly gave praise to others, ensuring that the lowest soldier
knew he or she was a vital part of every victory. He realized that a leader had to be
an actor that projects an image of greatness, and his or her followers must be able
to relate to that image. General Patton supported his subordinates, for he knew that
a leader who gives support to subordinates will receive support from them. Patton
learned all he could about his enemies, prepared alternative plans of action,
selected the best one, and then committed himself to it.
Points that can be learned from Pattons leadership style:
Always set the example. If you are a leader, you are setting the tone and
attitude of your unit.
"...[Y]our platoon is like a piece of spaghetti. You can't push it. You've got to
get out in front and pull it." Always lead from the front: Basically, never
order anyone to do anything you haven't already done, or wouldn't be willing
to do right beside your subordinates.
To have an effective team, they must be spirited. To have a spirited team,
create a sense of pride in your unit.
Be loyal and respectful of the people you lead and never abuse them or take
them for granted.
Admit and learn from your mistakes. Don't try to cover them up or dwell on
them.
Encourage people by having confidence in your abilities and also in them. If
you allow people to take the initiative you are helping them become a leader
as well.
"A commander will command." If you aren't giving orders or making
decisions, you aren't commanding.