Leadership Style Investigation
John Gorkisch
General Patton used inspiration for his leadership style. He was inspirational to his followers by his example of, “Get up front!”. His style is easy to identify by studying the facts of history. The reason General Patton was effective as a leader was because he had a special way of imprinting his ways of leading on others. What the general did very well was to use empowerment and coaching to let his men know they served with him, not under him. He displayed versatility and flexibility by meeting and beating all the known and unknown variables of war. General Patton also displayed self-awareness by having as a principle for health, that an active mind cannot exist in an inactive body. Patton displayed a very abrupt and straight forward communication style. He may have been able to improve this style by using a little more tact. (Power, 2014)
For my next leader I chose to research Pope Francis. His leadership style is one of humility. This is shown in the principles that come from it. They include: don't stand over your employees-sit down with them; avoid insularity; don't judge-assess; take care of people-not lobbies; go where you are needed; temper ideology with pragmatism; and don't change-reinvent. These principles have been carried out well and effectively as can be seen by the Pope's high approval rating. (Zetlin, 2014) Pope Francis uses a communication style that is simple, clear, and from the heart. I do not believe it is a style that can be improved upon. (Schilder, 2014)
I chose Ronald Reagan for my third leader to investigate. His leadership style was one of self-sacrifice. What Reagan did well and effectively was to put the interests of those he served ahead of his own interests. In early 1981 he said, “....there is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit.” Ronald Reagan practiced leadership. Leadership can be defined as the skill...