Eisenhower on Leadership

Whether you're in the upper echelons of management, or working on the front lines, Eisenhower's advice rings true: people are more likely to follow and accept ideas they can believe in. If every staff meeting is starting to feel like a battlefield, it may be time to change tactics. Sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective: how can you create opportunities for opposing parties to work together, for goals they can both accept?

As Eisenhower put it, leadership is an art. It's also a high calling—to inspire, and to serve. As Peter taught us: "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).

Transcript

In World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded the Allied Forces. He oversaw D-Day. Later, he was President of the United States.

Eisenhower knew something about being a leader. And he could be blunt in his definitions. He said: "You do not lead by hitting people over the head—that's assault, not leadership."

Eisenhower sent hundreds of thousands of troops into battle. He said, "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done—because he wants to do it."

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Think about the people who have most influenced your life. Did they bully you? Or were their ideas and actions worth following? It's the high calling of our daily work.