This is more like your great grandfather’s leadership talk. A couple years ago, I stumbled upon what I believe to be the best, most relevant leadership talk….given in 1917 to Army officer candidates about to deploy to Europe during World War I. I found it in Napoleon Hill’s 1925 manuscript The Law of Success.
This is THE talk that we need to be instilling into our kids about what “leadership” means. We have all seen, or been subjected to, a person thrown into a position of formal authority because he or she was really good at the technical aspects of a previous role. This is THE talk that person needs to hear. This is THE talk that the person who promoted or hired the new leader probably should have heard, as well.
This talk was the farewell address given to the graduating officers of the Second Training Camp at Fort Sheridan, Wyoming, in 1917. These men were to be deployed to Europe to lead the American troops in The Great War. There was no good news coming out of Europe, so put yourself into the minds of those young soldiers. Imagine the sheer terror of constant bombardment, trench warfare, the disease, the wet, the cold.
Major Christian Albert Bach gave an address to these officers on what leadership is all about. In his words, “Leadership is a composite of a number of qualities. Among the most important I would list self-confidence, moral ascendency, self-sacrifice, paternalism, fairness, initiative, decision, dignity, courage.” With apologies to Bach, here they are in bullet point form.
Self-Confidence – Or poise results from knowledge of how to accomplish a task, the ability to teach that knowledge to others and the self-satisfaction that naturally follows.
Moral Ascendency – Now this is loaded with some strong language, so the author unpacks it. “You must have self-control, physical vitality and endurance and moral force.” More unpacking: “To exert moral force you must live clean, you must have sufficient brain power to see the right and the will to do right. Be an example to your men. An officer can be a power for good or a power for evil. Don’t preach to them—that will be worse than useless. Live the kind of life you would have them lead, and you will be surprised to see the number that will imitate you.”
Self-Sacrifice – “You will give, give all the time. You will give yourself physically, for the longest hours, the hardest work and the greatest responsibility is the lot of the captain. He is the first man up in the morning and the last man in at night. He works while others sleep.“
Paternalism – You must have a “watchful care for the comfort and welfare of those in your charge.”
Fairness – Not just in doling out punishments, but in spreading credit. “When one of your men has accomplished an especially creditable piece of work see that he gets the proper reward. Turn heaven and earth upside down to get it for him.”
Decision – “The man who was ready is the man who has prepared himself. He has studied beforehand the possible situation that might arise, he has made tentative plans covering such situations. When he is confronted by the emergency he is ready to meet it.” Further, “occasionally you will be called upon to meet a situation which no reasonable human being could anticipate. If you have prepared yourself to meet other emergencies which you could anticipate, the mental training you have thereby gained will enable you to act promptly and with calmness.”
Dignity – “Don’t cheapen yourself by courting their friendship or currying their favor. They will despise you for it. If you are worthy of their loyalty and respect and devotion they will surely give all these without asking. If you are not, nothing that you can do will win them.”
Courage – “Moral courage you need as well as physical courage—that kind of moral courage which enables you to adhere without faltering to a determined course of action which your judgment has indicated as the one best suited to secure the desired results.”
These are the qualities that we yearn for today in the people who serve as our managers. The assembly line workers, service technicians, the people charged with actually doing the work and adding the value want and deserve to be led by people who embody these qualities. When the budding leader has mastered these qualities, then he or she may begin to exert his or her “vision” on others.
I hope I’ve teased you into googling, downloading, and absorbing this wonderful talk on leadership given in 1917, or pick up a copy of Napoleon Hill’s The Law of Success. It’ll be worth your time.
Check out this related, FREE downloadable E-Book, Leadership In The Trenches