George C. Marshall Leadership Qualities

General George C. Marshall Jr. was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and was the youngest of three children. As a child, George was the sibling that always got in trouble, especially when it came to school. Eventually he metamorphosed into a distinguished military officer. Marshall contributed to both World Wars, served as Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, as well as took a leadership role in the American Red Cross Association. From assisting in the planning of the St. Mihiel and Meuse- Argonne offensive to establishing Operation Overload and having a main part in training and organizing the troops in World War II, George C. Marshall’s career reflects his execution of the officer attributes and competencies.

His

contributions to both World Wars, his service as Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, as well as his role in the American Red Cross demonstrate how well-rounded his character is, which is required of a great leader. Other very distinguished men, such as Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman only had magnificent things to say about Marshall. Truman explained, “The more I see and talk to him, the more certain I am he’s the great one of the age” (Uldrich). Winston Churchill once stated, “There are few men whose qualities of mind and character have impressed me so deeply as those of General Marshall… He is a great American, but he is far more than that… He has always fought victoriously against defeatism, discouragement and disillusion. Succeeding generations must not be allowed to forget his achievements and his example.” In this quote, one can see that Marshall never quit or accepted defeat. As soldiers, it is our duty to uphold the Warrior Ethos and this meaningful opinion from Churchill exemplifies that Marshall appreciated the Warrior Ethos. The Warriors Ethos is a code of conduct that embodies all the Army values into four statements. Marshall dedicated his life to the Army values and that included committing himself to the Warriors Ethos. By upholding the Army values and the Warrior Ethos, Marshall built a strong character and other individuals, such as Churchill, recognized it. Marshall diffused the values and the ethos into his own style of leadership.
Every person who met Marshall respected him and appreciated his work. The main reason for this was because Marshall genuinely cared about strengthening others and this demonstrates the “Develops” competency. Marshall said, “I don’t want you fellows sitting around asking me what to do. I want you to tell me what to do” (General George Marshall). This quote stuck with me because he is trying to get his subordinates to be leaders and to think and to learn. George C. Marshall had nine different principles of leadership that he followed: Action, Integrity, Selflessness, Candor, Preparation, Learning and Teaching, Fairness, Vision, and Caring. These principles are a main factor in his achievements. For instance, Marshall displayed the Principle of Candor when he was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff. He was in a meeting with President Roosevelt about Hitler and the plan to force Hitler to retreat and Marshall spoke his mind. He told Roosevelt, not what he wanted to hear, but what he needed to hear (Uldrich). He demonstrated the Principle of Integrity, which is also an Army value, particularly in preparation of World War II. He realized the intensiveness of the war in Europe and expressed his opinion that they needed to keep all the troops whose time in the Army was almost complete. The vote was in the hands of Congress and the members of the Congress wanted to cheat their way out of it and hand the decision over to the President. Well, General Marshall refused that option and influenced Congress to do the right thing (Uldrich). In the end, Congress, by one winning vote, decided to keep the troops and three months later the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor.
The next principle of leadership involved another Army value, the Principle of Selflessness. A great example of his selfless service includes his reaction to the choosing of the commander for Operation Overlord. Marshall was extremely important in the planning of this operation and desired to be commander of it. However, Roosevelt, knowing the wonderful politician Marshall was, decided to make Eisenhower commander and use Marshall to his advantage in Washington. All Marshall could respond was, “I will serve wherever you need me, Mr. President” (Uldrich). He put his country and the needs of the president above his wants and desires. He also lead by the Principle of Caring and realized that no matter how great leaders are, the troops are the ones doing a lot of the work. Marshall made sure they had everything they needed and that they were physically and emotionally ok. There are going to be those superiors that only care if the work gets done and are not necessarily concerned about the well-being of their soldiers, but the ones that genuinely care, such as Marshall, will have their subordinates’ complete trust and respect. Marshall fulfilled the competency “Leads” by building that trust with his subordinates and setting a positive example. Marshall dedicated a lot of his time to make a challenging lifestyle that much easier for his soldiers.
General Marshall frequently demonstrated the attribute intellect. Marshall was very tactically competent; he knew how to carry out missions on a full spectrum. A great example includes the Operation Overlord; with critical thinking and problem solving, he was able to develop a plan that helped win the war. He also achieved this competence through his Principle of Action. An example I came across was the production of Jeeps during World War II. He was given an idea that Jeeps would change the outcome of the war, so he approved the making of the Jeep. By the end of the war, there were over two million made, and the German officers even admitted that it gave them great maneuverability (Uldrich). This was a new technology that developed and he took initiative and had success with it. A leader cannot always be sheltered and stuck inside their comfort zone. They need to take risks, learn new skills, and be innovative in order to improve themselves and the organization; this is exactly what Marshall executed. He showed his sound judgment by using one of the 21st Century Soldier Competencies: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. He used this through his Principle of Preparation. He was involved in both World Wars and therefore, was able to take the mistakes from the first war and apply them to the second war. For example, when World War II began, he did not wait till we were attacked at Pearl Harbor to prepare our troops. Instead, he critically thought and rewrote the Army curriculum. They began training their troops and arranging the right leadership in order to be ready for an attack (Uldrich). Marshall exemplified mental agility through the competency Adaptability and Initiative. When we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, many leaders wanted to take action on the Japanese, but Marshall saw the larger picture and believed Germany was the one to go after first. He would look ahead to the future and see what was the highest priority, and then he would take initiative and seek ways to get his soldiers to adapt to make it their highest priority as well (Uldrich). Marshall was a lifelong learner dating back to his days at VMI. He took every opportunity there was to learn and better himself. He understood that leadership involves self-improvement and learning as much as you can. A leader who can disseminate knowledge to others is exponentially more valuable to an organization than someone who knows only so much. There is no doubt in my mind that General Marshall does not display character and presence. He was a man of integrity who always demonstrated moral courage and no matter what the situation, he would do the right thing. Marshall was ambitious and determined to improve conditions. Throughout his life, one could easily see that he embodied these officer attributes and competencies. He devoted himself to his country and his team and should be a role model for future leaders.
The main core of being a great leader is obtaining the Army values.

If an individual can live by these values and others are able to recognize them, then he/she is on the right track to being a remarkable leader and obtaining the officer attributes and competencies. General Marshall demonstrated every single one of these values. He was loyal, not only to his country, but his subordinates and loved ones. He never failed to accomplish his duty. In the many positions he had, he was successful in every one and could always be held accountable to get the work done. Marshall respected his subordinates and his superiors, and they definitely respected him. He consistently showed signs of selfless service and always put others before himself. Marshall lived through the Army values and honored them. He was a very honorable man and could be trusted. The president had him as his right hand man during the war, and that speaks for itself. He was not ashamed to do the right thing or afraid to speak his mind. Marshall held integrity at a high standard and expected everyone to be truthful and honest. Lastly, he embodied personal courage. General Marshall was not frightened to take risks and was not afraid of failing. He took those mistakes and learned from them and had the courage to take the fault for it as well. Overall, General George Catlett Marshall was an incredible U.S. leader who I now look up to. Those individuals who are aspiring to be leaders in both the military world and political world should learn and understand Marshall’s ways of being a

leader.