Eisenhower Leadership Qualities

Many people often remember the years Eisenhower served our country as the “happy days.” Dwight. D Eisenhower continually proved his loyalty to the United States throughout the time of his life, whether serving his country in the army or as the President of the nation. Serving from 1953 to 1961, the 1950’s and 60’s are commonly remembered as a carefree time period where society did not need to worry about the ongoing stress of depression and war. Eisenhower served the U.S. through all of the peaks and downfalls and gained the experience to prove his effective leadership in all aspects. Leaders around the world often contain a myriad of characteristics, ranging from modesty to forceful, despite their successes as a leader. Indecisive or decisive,

all leaders contain critical skills, including one who is, “driven by an inspiring vision of success, has excelled at communication, and has the capabilities to exercise superior judgement” (Ryan).

One with strong determination and a vision of success can guarantee a beneficial change. Leadership encompasses characteristics that include requirements of maintaining strong relationships with diverse populations, taking risky beneficial tactics in order to accomplish success, and having a good judgement for the benefit of an army. Despite the ongoing controversy of Eisenhower and his effectiveness as a leader and president overall, it is proven that Eisenhower served as an effective leader due to his responsibility in the U2 incident, his effectiveness as an army commander through the World Wars and foreign affairs, and his myriad of leadership qualities that ensured safety for the United States as a nation in domestic affairs.

Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe through the World War II time period. In addition, Eisenhower played the role of supreme commander in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1950-1952. Eisenhower’s strategy on how to attack forces and create escape plans for the Allied forces demonstrated his extensive ability of how to

effectively controll a large group of men. Eisenhower was continually upgraded throughout the war to higher positions, such as a the brigadier general, where he became the assistant chief of staff to George C. Marshall after the Pearl Harbor attack on the Allied forces. Eisenhower’s trustworthy attitude allowed men to consistently rely on him to make major and successful decisions for the U.S. Army. Eisenhower served as the commander for the Allied Expeditionary Forces throughout all of World War II, where he directed all invasions in a “calm leadership, which proved to be ideally suited for welding the disparate forces into an efficient military machine” (O’Brien); specifically when accomplishing larger invasions such as the attack on Normandy beach, which consequently lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany. An effective leader is one who can control and relate to a mass group of people in order to accomplish a success for the better of an entire nation, and one can assume Eisenhower’s successful 20 year role as a leader accomplished just that. In addition, Eisenhower demonstrated his honest attitude by promising the nation that he will enter and conquer Korea. Eisenhower was faced with the advancements and competition throughout the Cold War, but was able “in 1953, to sign a truce which brought an armed peace along the border of South Korea” (“Dwight D. Eisenhower”). He dealt with the improving use of nuclear weapons as well as the Communist growth throughout Asia. Though at times Eisenhower’s tactics seemed radical and dangerous, his common goal was always for the safety of our nation, and his tactics were always well thought out, planned prior, and synonymous with all his troops.
Eisenhower campaigned on the the “promise of cutting back on the size of the budget, on taxes, and on regulation of the nation’s business” (O’Brien).

As a practical and innovative man, Eisenhower focused on domestic affairs and expanded Social Security benefits as well as many other New Deal programs. As a country rises out of a war, Eisenhower recognized the common setbacks a country will face and the myriad of struggles they will endure. His presidency was a time where society could experience and immerse themselves in a booming economy that once seemed so foreign to them. Alhough society experienced the fun filled aspects of the booming economy, Eisenhower had to learn how to manage the building of infrastructure as the country rose to its height. Eisenhower focused on the plan of Modern Republicanism “which preserved individual freedom and the market economy yet insured that government would provide necessary assistance to workers who had lost their jobs or to the ill or aged, who could not provide for themselves” (Pach). Eisenhower focused on the future success of society so he implemented the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and “his most ambitious domestic project, the Interstate Highway program, established in 1956, created a 41,000-mile road system” (Pach). These highway programs were extensive to all aspects of society, but utilized for the benefits of transporting armies and their materials. All of Eisenhower’s substantial and costly projects

were extremely vital for society long term. Eisenhower’s ability to view change and its benefits in the long term resulted in his own stronger judgement, which then society took advantage of. Ultimately, Eisenhower handled economics in an extremely mature and fast forward manner. During his presidency, the GDP declined from “20.4 to 18.4 percent; during no presidency since Eisenhower has there been a decrease of any size in federal spending as a percentage of GDP” (Pach). Eisenhower believed in solving problems through the local government rather than a larger legislative initiative. Eisenhower’s determination to bring about a successful economy was evident throughout his presidency in correlation with the successes of society, proving his effective leadership as a whole.
Specifically, when faced with a direct attack on the United States Army, Eisenhower rose above the embarrassment and took the responsibility of his actions. On May 1, 1960, a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet soil. This plane was only knowledgeable towards few men which ended up causing controversy and dishonesty towards Eisenhower’s commitment to his people. The U-2 plane was assumed to “fly higher than any other airplane and would be out of range of Soviet rockets or fighter planes” (Ambrose, Immerman). The pilot of this Central Intelligence Association spy plane was Francis Gary Powers who then was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Due to the intimidation ensued on Powers, he explained the processes behind the ongoing secret flights and the information gathered from the periodic flights. This beneficial information helped aid Eisenhower in making profound military decisions. Despite the unethical decisions behind trespassing a foreign nation, Eisenhower had to use his judgement to the benefit of his own country. Initially, the United States covered up the intent of this plane’s mission, but Eisenhower stood before his country and proclaimed his faults, after a demanded apology from Khrushchev. His judgement was evident once more when he took the blame for Dulles that was forced upon him. Despite the plane taking off, Eisenhower was uneasy about sending the U-2 plane off because of the ongoing disassociation with the Soviet Union and the treacherous act of regression towards them. Eisenhower was aware of the criticisms he would face due to the informality of maintaining his troops, but he handled it maturely and made certain that in the near future he will be on safer terms with the nation. Eisenhower’s authority demonstrated the characteristics of an effective leader, one who can own up to their mistakes and thus, turn those mistakes into a beneficial change.
Regardless of these actions taken by Eisenhower, many argue Eisenhower was more effective as a lazy and self-centered President than a forceful one. Society often saw Eisenhower “playing golf, bumbling through press conferences, and never seeming to be in charge at all.” In other aspects, many view Eisenhower’s efforts to improve relations between the United States and the Soviet Union as unsuccessful, due to the spread of Communism that was evident in two of the three power countries. In addition, his wrongful judgement in the U-2 incident is commonly conversed about due to his inability to apologize for his actions, despite his recognition and responsibility of the mistake. Eisenhower was offered the ability to apologize and be released for his wrongful actions, but Eisenhower stood by his responsibilities and admitted he would not change a thing. Everyone makes mistakes, especially an all powerful leader. The best leader is one that emerges from these mistakes and leads their country on a better path due to the occurrences. Eisenhower was admired by everyone, as evident in his landslide victories in both elections, and the notion that “he has the power of drawing the hearts of men towards him as magnets… he merely has to smile at you and you trust him at once” (O’Brien). The nickname given, Ike, demonstrated the comfortability with one another, leading Americans to view him as an “architect of a peaceful world order and the personification of tradition American goodness” (O’Brien). Eisenhower was a leader with an amiable personality that everyone gravitated towards due to his successful past experiences as a leader on the battlefield and utilizing the constant action of putting those before him, thus, proving Eisenhower’s Presidency was extremely forward, giving Eisenhower the deserved title of a likable President.