In my post, last week I mentioned I was reading Stephen Ambrose’s D Day. Ambrose took a chapter to compare and contrast Dwight Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel. Although Rommel was a genius of great resolve, Eisenhower proved superior because of two skills. The first skill was his ability to lead himself and therefore lead his men emotionally. He remained positive in front of his men. His positive nature flowed down to his men. To read more about Eisenhower’s optimism read my blog from March 6.
Eisenhower was also superior to Rommel because he understood the value of delegation and team work. He pulled together the British and American forces. He was excellent at delegating and managing large egos like Patton and Montgomery. Rommel was more of a “genius with a thousand helpers” while Eisenhower knew how to bring smart and capable people around him. It was his ability to build a team that won him the position to be the supreme commander of the Allied Forces. Stephen Ambrose writes, “his never flagging instance on working together was the single most important reason for his selection.”
In looking at these two characteristics of Eisenhower, they seem very compatible. Leaders who value team and the people around them are going to pay attention to how their mood is affecting the morale of the people around them. Both of Eisenhower’s strengths show that to become a better leader, we must forget about ourselves and humbly put others first.
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