George Washington As A Visionary Leader

"We cannot, Sir, do without you.” – Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s great respect for George Washington can be clearly seen from this quote. In fact the nation of America as a whole held a deep love for the “Father of the Country”. So what is it that raised such an admiration for this man? George Washington led his nation through the most vital sequence of events in her history. As the commander in chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the country, the great founder was clearly a remarkable leader, perfectly qualified for these two pivotal roles in the founding of America.
To carry the growing nation through these crucial times, America required a strong, visionary leader. Such a leader needs to have a clear, comprehensive vision for his task at hand. With that

vision, he takes action on achieving and progressing his goal no matter what stands against him. However, he never allows any of his means to contradict or discredit the values represented in his vision.
Another important ability of a visionary leader is to create an organizational culture to support and make possible his ideas. This culture will develop the leader’s beliefs and values in a populous, which will endure and be influential longer than the person himself. Also, others must be attracted to the leader and his values so that they themselves will strive to attain the same vision. Beyond this, the leader should inspire others to follow his values and beliefs and rise up after him to support the vision.
Although these qualities are of great importance, a truly outstanding leader must continually harmonize two different ideas or things. Focusing simultaneously on the big picture and little details is vital for the success of a leader. Planning and organization must be matched with decisive action and practicality. In short, a leader must not only be a visionary, but also maintain coherency between his vision and the decisions necessary day to day.
As the growing nation of America underwent the Revolutionary War and the beginning of a government, someone was needed who could lead the nation. Of all the men available, George Washington alone demonstrated that he could provide a vision, work towards it, and keep his day to day actions supporting his visions. Perfectly fitting the needs of the nation, George Washington was given leadership in the two monumental events of America’s early history.

On June 19, 1775, George Washington was declared to be General of the United Colonies. At this moment, the war against Britain was put into this Southerner’s hands. From the beginning, Washington established three goals for the Colonies during and after the war. His first goal was to win the war against England no matter how hard or tiresome it would become. He justified his first goal with his second, that their fight was for freedom and liberty from England. Going even further, Washington declared that freedom was necessary to bring forth the constitutional republic he envisioned was best for the budding America.
As a visionary leader, Washington organized an army to counter the power of the British. He spent most of his time administrating and organizing his military and keeping them together as a unified fighting force. The war, Washington knew, would be the first of many occurrences in the path to freedom and a republican, constitutional government. The armed forces of the colonies would have soon become disorganized and have fallen apart without the brilliant leadership of George Washington.
Facing the countless difficulties of a newly formed, unexperienced army, General Washington kept the hearts of the military and civilians throbbing for the cause of freedom. He gained the trust of enough people that the nation stayed with him in his quest for victory. However, the General did not simply speak big words; he took decisive actions to fulfill his vision and follow his beliefs. Washington committed to the idea that a true republican government puts power in the hands of the people, therefore he believed that civilians should hold ultimate authority over the military. Displayed through both his words and actions, President Washington upheld his belief that the military needs to back down to Congress. Washington not only brought out the nation victorious in the war, but also started it on its path to a republican, constitutional government in the process.
Soon after the war, George Washington was unanimously elected to be the first President of the United States of America. Washington was chosen not only on the basis of his character and leadership skills but also because the people knew and trusted his ideas and commitments. His visions were fully sought by the people of the nation, and the leader had proven himself worthy to carry them out through his remarkable role as General. As president, he was leading his own vision of a republican, constitutional government. Created now by him were visions for the maintenance of liberty, loyalty to the Constitution, and the establishment of a government that would serve and be trusted by the people.
To complete his goals, President Washington further defined the ideal role of the president and its relation with the rest of the governmental organization.

As a strict constitutionalist, Washington held that Congress was primarily responsible for the creation of domestic policies and laws, while the President was responsible for carrying out the policies and enforcing the laws. At the same time, Washington made clear that the development of foreign policy, was the responsibility of the President. Washington carefully observed the authority of Congress while he also protected the authority of the President.
As a visionary leader, President Washington continued to be a charismatic leader who held the loyalty and affection of the people. He stayed close to the public; however, he never gave into public opinion if it contradicted his morals and visions. Washington also was persistent in keeping the details of his administration, the big and little necessary current decisions, following his long term goals. He knew that for the nation to strengthen, it must be given time to grow, and should, therefore, not get involved in any unnecessary actions that would prevent this

growth.
In the end, George Washington was the perfect fit for America’s leader during its early history. He displayed all the qualities of a brilliant leader and built a solid foundation for the nation to grow off of. George Washington helped lay the framework for the nation of America that is now a source of freedom and Christianity for the whole world. Even now, the United States of America owes its ongoing legacy to the “Father of the Country.”