Why was patton a good leader

Now try to use it. His favored approach was the oblique one: Hold them by the nose and kick them in the rear, which in more polite textbook terms translates into pinning the enemy while the tanks attack his flanks.

Patton saw tanks as upgraded cavalry, infinitely more powerful, whose deep penetrations could collapse enemy lines. If generals knew less tactics, they would interfere less. The advantage of this way of operating is that it makes for speed, initiative, and flexibility, allowing the officer on the spot to adjust to the rapidly changing situation of the battlefield and to exploit sudden opportunities. This he did by sending out his staff officers to the front line units.

Often he would go and have a look-see himself. Through the Eyes of his Enemies sets out to do. On the benefits of this method, Yeide quotes British military historian Basil H. For instead of being minimized, the picture is magnified, with startling vividness.

Thus when Patton was under a cloud for having slapped two shell-shocked soldiers in Sicily, the army sent him on the a well-publicized tour around the Mediterranean to Corsica, Malta, and Cairo: The idea was to mask the fact that the Seventh Army was being transferred from Sicily to England, but there are no indications that German intelligence attached any great significance to these visits.

To the Germans, he says, Patton was just one of many threats. Yeide does not rule out his inclusion from a later version now missing, but anyway, such papers were standard products with the all services, from which nothing much can be inferred.

What is significant, however, he notes, is that the German High Command did not identify Patton as the commander of this fake U. They never raised his name in the context of worthy strategists.

He quotes General Gunther Blumentritt:. We regarded general Patton extremely highly as the most aggressive panzer-general of the Allies. His operations impressed us enormously, probably because he came closest to our own concept of the classical military commander.

From the standpoint of a tank specialist, I must congratulate him on his victory since he acted as I would have done had I been in his place. Neither had George Patton. Coinciding with the Battle of Kursk was the Allied invasion of Sicily. In Normandy, the Germans were again defending.

On August 1 , Patton, finally back in good graces after the slapping incidents, had been given command of the Third Army, and played the starring role in the American breakout at Avranches.

People hate to be micromanaged. A good leader, as Patton knew, tells his or her subordinates what is expected, or what the overall goal is. Patton may have been a brilliant tactician on the battlefield, but he was also human. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. He wanted his men to think about what more they could do for the greater good of the unit, instead of only thinking about themselves.

This quote can certainly apply to organizations outside of the military. Good leaders encourage their subordinates to always act with integrity. Moral courage is all about doing the right thing, even if that decision may result in adverse consequences. Having served the U. Army for 36 years, Patton was a career soldier who served as an example for his troops. He believed in his country, his mission, and winning the battles he was tasked with. He also knew very well how to motivate his troops to fight with him:.

For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Take World War II. General George Patton , for example. He had to inspire an army to perform the scary business of war. His inspirational style came through personal example: "Get up front," he would order his officers.

Patton's outright intimidation of subordinates and lexicon of aphorisms are immortalized in a book by one of his staff officers, Porter B. Not every manager can command the fear and instant obedience of a U. Army general, so Patton had a huge advantage. All he had to do to inspire his staff's support was give an order, which would be obeyed without question.

Nevertheless, George Patton's leadership principles have substance and are as meaningful today as they were in the life-and-death struggle of war more than 70 years ago. Some examples:.

Even though Patton was a volatile and scary leader, he had a special knack of imprinting his leadership aura on others. According to Williamson:. Patton Jr.

No man served under Gen. Patton; he was always serving with us. In truth, I still serve with Gen.