If It Worked for Ike, It Can Work for You
Richard Pierce Thomas
Leadership and Small Business Consultant
I recently finished Steven Ambrose’s The Victors: Eisenhower and His Boys: The Men of WWII as part of my summer reading course.
Prone to leaving books half-finished on my nightstand, I hit the back cover on this one and it left me wanting for more. I am always compelled by good history told from the human perspective, and in The Victors, Ambrose delivers. Further, there is an important aspect of the stories that has relevance to how we run our businesses today—the lessons of leadership forged on the front lines of battle.
As is well known by now, the D-Day invasion did not go as planned. The weather was not in the allies’ favor, the naval bombardment failed to dislodge much of the fortifications in Normandy, the 82nd Airborne paratroopers largely missed their drop zones, and when the infantry was finally able to punch through to the hedgerows, they were wholly unprepared for these centuries old natural barriers that even the Sherman tanks could not penetrate. All this against a Nazi Wehrmacht that was highly disciplined, with superior weaponry and fortifications. And yet the allies persisted and ultimately claimed victory.
While there are as many opinions as there are days in the year why this was the case, Ambrose draws one distinction that stands out from the rest. It was simply the mindset of the leadership on the ground, the citizen soldier, leading the fight. They were average Joes from small town America. And they had something that the Nazi’s had no answer for—the ability to think independently and opportunistically in dealing with the conditions they were dealt.
Overcoming the challenge of the hedgerows, for example, provides an excellent illustration of American ingenuity in action. The Sherman tanks could not penetrate the tangled high growth. The can-do attitude forged in the fields of Iowa, forests of the Pacific Northwest, and the industrial centers of Detroit and other big cities, however, kicked in and began improvising with various “snouts” on the front of the tanks to pierce the hedgerows, ultimately landing on a design famously coined the Rhino. Just one example, among many, where American inventiveness shined.
In contrast, Hitler’s demand for absolute control down the chain of command came with a heavy price. As the allies pushed past the fortifications along the Atlantic seawall, in many places the German artillery divisions armed with the famously devastating 88’s, were in position to repel the attacks, but in many positions never did because they were waiting for orders from Berlin for approval. Their reliance on hierarchy and rigid control in executing ground tactics proved to be significant in their downfall.
I am fascinated by this distinction in leadership style, as it is as relevant today in business as ever. Businesses that are successful over the long haul have learned that concentrating authority and tactical decision-making at the top is a recipe for failure, hence they have learned to distribute authority and responsibility. Employees are allowed to act opportunistically and think on their feet, learning from their mistakes along the way.
Conversely, there are still those businesses that operate by command and control and they suffer for it, repeatedly, by micro-managing the multitude of decisions in the daily firefight of business. In doing so, they have created a culture of dependence on the centralized decision-making, creating a highly vulnerable organization. It is no longer a matter of if an entrepreneurial competitor will overtake the company, but when.
For a fresh perspective on leadership within your business, and enjoy a good history account to boot, read The Victors and give some thought to how it applies to your business. You just might find that what worked for Ike can work for your business as well.
The other significant accomplishment this summer I will mention as a post-script, is that I am writing this article as a new partner and director of Human Capital at Pilot Wealth Management, subsequent to their acquisition of Activate Leadership on August 1st. It has been my joy to serve business owners and leadership over the last seven years as Activate Leadership, and I am looking forward to continuing to do so under the banner of Pilot Wealth Management.
Rick Thomas is a Principal and Director of Human Capital at Pilot Wealth Management, a registered investment advisor in Oregon state. Leading their focus on the human component of building wealth, he consults and speaks to organizations across the country, focusing on individual and organizational achievement.