Leaders Inspire Soldiers Over the Essay

Moreover, he had personally experienced the results of incompetent leadership and the decisions that were made by them in numerous battles with no strategic value. This forced him to focus on using tactics that protected the lives of his soldiers and directly engaged the enemy. (Hughes, 2002) (Tucker, 2010, pp. 1081 -- 1082)

As a result, he would take the basic principles that Rommel was using with the blitzkrieg and applied them to the battlefield. In this case, he had special operations forces and the air force soften targets well in advance of regular ground units. This was designed to take out: enemy command / control and the ability to counterattack. The impact is the Iraqi army was easily defeated (with the total number of American casualties coming in at less than 100). (Hughes, 2002) (Tucker, 2010, pp. 1081 -- 1082)

This is illustrating how Schwarzkopf's dedication to: his men, seizing upon opportunities, courage under fire, determination and the ability to think calmly are what made him so successful. The reasons why is from using these attributes to evaluate the situation differently in comparison to: other commanders and strategists. Once this occurred, is the point that it was more difficult for them to decide where and when Schwarzkopf would attack. At the same time, this helped to inspire those who were under his command and the entire nation. (Hughes, 2002) (Tucker, 2010, pp. 1081 -- 1082)

Conclusion

Clearly, all leaders possess specific attributes that will motivate their soldiers.Irwin Rommel and Norman Schwarzkopf are two examples of how these principles allowed them to be successful (despite obvious risks and concerns about their activities). This is because they were able to take several different leadership attributes and use them to motivate everyone around them. The most notable include: a strong devotion to their own soldiers, vision during times of challenge, the ability to think clearly on the battlefield and determination. What made them so successful is utilizing these tools to create a sense of clarity. This helped them to inspire everyone about: the soundness of their plan and the ability to achieve their larger operational objectives. Once this takes place, is when they were able to encourage them to think defiantly. This is the point that their ideas had a dramatic impact on the battlefield.

The results are that both men redefined the way wars are fought and the kinds of attributes that are used to motivate soldiers. This changed the mindset of military planners, who are now concentrating on using these characteristics to deal with a host of challenges. In the future, these ideas will continue to be embraced by leaders around the world in: transforming their units and achieving the larger operational objectives. This is how all successful military commanders are inspiring those around them to do more and have a common sense of purpose.

References

Harvey, R. (2008). Maverick Military Leaders. New York, NY:.....