A Comparison of Two Great Leaders

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Washington was definitely a participative leader being cited for not taking many breaks form the war and spending long period of time away from home, especially during the winter when war operations halted, Washington remained with his troops (Harvey, 2008). Similarly, General Mattis was no stranger to being on the front line with his Marines as a participative leader. Apart from his stating so in his now famous quotes, General Mattis was not afraid of a gun fight. For example, Ingersoll and Szoldra (2013) quote a prior Marine who served with General Mattis as saying, “Gen. Mattis didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk. He led from the front. Indeed, on at least one occasion that I know of, the General was bloodied from a firefight or improvised explosive device while out on patrol with junior, enlisted Marines one-third his age. That’s what makes Gen. Mattis such a great warrior: He truly respects and cares for his Marines.”

Military Strategies

Harvey (2008) framed Washington as a skilled strategist whose iron will was “…married to a brilliant military and political mind-he was imaginative, risk taking and unbound by convention… a master of military trickery…” Washington’s ability to maintain a clear head under fire and to take calculated risks while “on the ropes” was astounding. Washington demonstrated this during his planned attack on the German Hessars at Trenton on Christmas night 1776 when he led his troops across the Deleware Rover during a bitter cold evening to defeat the hessian force.

General Mattis, being a well read leader whom studied his profession with great self discipline and “a devotee of maneuver warfare and Sun Tzu” (Coerr. 2016), Mattis planned and executed, successfully, the “deepest amphibious assault ever executed by a Marine Task Force.” (n.a. 2013) during the initial military response to the 9/11 attacks on U.S. soil.

References:

Harvey, R., (2008). Maverick military leaders: The extraordinary battles of Washington, Nelson, Patton, Rommel, and others. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing.

Rosenbach, B., Rosenbach, E., & Taylor, R. (2008) Military Leadership: in pursuit of excellence. Retrieved on November 17, 2017, from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

(History Channel.com Staff). (2009) Washington leads his troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge. Retrieved on November 18, 2017, from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-leads-troops-into-winter-quarters-at-valley-forge

Coerr, S. (2016). I served with General Mattis. Here’s what I learned about him. Retrieved on November 19, 2017, from: http://thefederalist.com/2016/12/02/served-james-mattis-heres-learned/

Northouse, P.G., (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice, 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Ingersoll, G. & Szoldra, P. (2013). 19 Unforgettable Quotes from Retiring General Jams ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis. Retrieved on November 18, 2017, from: http://www.businessinsider.com/general-maddog-mattiss-best-quotes-2013-1?op=1/#u-cannot-allow-any-of-your-people-to-avoid-the-brutal-facts-if-they-start-living-in-a-dream-world-its-going-to-be-bad-1

(n.a.). (2013). War Stories: Lessons in leadership. Retrieved on November 20, 2017, from: https://generalleadership.com/war-story-lessons-leadership/