Leadership In A Time Of Crisis

During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln worked directly with the military on a daily basis.  He quickly found that generals who were good in peacetime were not always the ones who brought victory on the battlefield.  Striving to find those that could lead, Lincoln searched for a general who could promote positive leadership as well as one whom he could work with.  Eventually, he found that man in General Ulysses S. Grant.  Grant had won the war in the Western front and now was asked to take command of the whole army in the East where the heaviest battles were taking place.  He instilled in his men the belief that they could win, and Grant quickly removed those that proved to be ineffective and replaced them with men who could show the attributes that Grant was looking for.  Eventually the war was won by these same men.  

During World War II men who could get the job done were promoted very quickly.  Dwight D. Eisenhower who just a few years earlier was the adjutant to General Douglas McArthur.  As Eisenhower worked with and for General McArther, Eisenhower watched and learned from him.  Eisenhower took  from McArthur the ideas that worked for him personally as a leader, and put those aspects that Eisenhower saw as less than stellar about General McArthur off to the side.  Eisenhower became his own man and he himself chose men that possessed the same attributes as himself.  Eisenhower did not object to removing men from leadership as did Lincoln and Grant before him.  The situation demanded it and he could not cotyle, politicize, or sympathize with poor leadership.  One situation that Eisenhower was tasked with was to remove a general who waited too long for what (this general deemed as necessary for victory) re-enforcements to arrive when invading central Italy by the sea. By waiting, this general waited too long and the German divisions were allowed to escape to the North, forcing the American and British to fight them again, and this time on the German’s terms.  This was a costly mistake that costs many hundreds of lives and extended the Italian campaign by many days and weeks.  His delayed actions proved fatal for many G.I.s.

Today we are facing a crisis much like our great leaders have had in the past.  Rather than being fearful, our leadership must be decisive, and individuals must act promptly.  Mistakes are bound to be made, but by wavering in decision making, many, many lives will be lost due to ineffective leadership.  Decisiveness is crucial, but also good decision making is important.  Truly good leaders do not surround themselves with "yes" men, but those men and women who are allowed to disagree, those that have ideas that might be contrary to their leader.  Without the ability to do this, subordinates cannot share perspectives that might be better than their respective leader.  One leader once said, “I surround myself with a leadership team who challenge me to think outside the box of my conventional ways!”  Good leaders must also show to their constituents that they are confident in getting the job done, and they in turn must instill that confidence in those they lead.  Whether they are in education, business, law enforcement, or the military, these same skills still apply.  

During the Great Depression, American citizens were hungry for more than just food, they wanted hope as well.  During this time, President Roosevelt began his “Fireside Chats” over the radio.  Weekly, President Roosevelt would update American citizens on the programs that he newly initiated that would help them with their jobs, food, and communities.  This one event told the American people that their leader cared about them, and was not somewhere in an ivory tower unaffected by their collective hardships.  This too is another trait of great leadership.  

Just before the invasion of Europe, General Eisenhower knew that he would be sending many thousands of lives into harms way and many would not make it back home to their loved ones.  Eisenhower decided to walk among his men listening to their individual stories, all the while encouraging them and thanking these individuals for their willing sacrifices in the challenges that they would soon face in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. These men needed to know that their sacrifices were not in vain and that those who led these men cared about them and believed in them.  Eisenhower’s visit to these men strengthened their weary hearts, gave them hope, and instilled in them that their efforts were not in vain. 

Now is the time for our nation and the world to pray for great leaders. We need those who understand the people they lead. Leaders who care about their challenges and who are willing to sacrifice for them.  When Israel was wanting a leader, God allowed the Israelites to choose the leader that they thought would lead them like the rest of the world leaders.  They chose Saul who was tall, strong and handsome.  In the end, he turned out to be selfish, arrogant, a coward, and a defeatist.  When God could stand his failing leadership no more, he appointed his prophet Samuel to choose another.  Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to make God’s leadership selection.  Samuel looking at the 7 oldest brothers who were tall and handsome thought God would definitely choose one of them.  He was incorrect in his thinking.  Exasperated, Samuel then asked their father, "Jesse, do you have any other sons?” Jesse said that there one other son, “My youngest who is out taking care of the sheep.”  Samuel eventually stood before David looking down on his short stature and youthful smile and asked God, “Is this the one you have chosen?”  God said, “Yes! Man looks at the outside while I look at the heart!”  David turned out to be the greatest leader that Israel had ever had.  We likewise need to give this prayer to God, “Please Lord, give us the leaders that 'you' have chosen.”