5 Practical Leadership Lessons Agency Owners Can Learn from General Eisenhower
General Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of the most respected military and political figures of the 21st century. In the face of overwhelming odds, he worked to bring together diverse groups to accomplish what most viewed as impossible.
In this episode, you can learn principles and practices that drove him and how you can leverage them to grow your leadership abilities!
Episode Notes:
Gray and I discussed what agency owners could learn from the leadership style of General Eisenhower. These thoughts come from rejecting Jean Edward Smith’s biography, Eisenhower: In War and Peace.
Have the Self-Confidence to Surround Yourself with Smart People
- As President, he built a cabinet of experts from both sides of the aisle. These were men that he could empower and trust to fulfill their roles.
- As supreme commander, he worked to balance egos, just a few examples being Churchill, Patton, and Montgomery, and maximized everyone’s strength to achieve the common objective.
Practice Solitude
- Before making the decision to launch the D-Day invasion, he spent over 10 minutes in silence. In this time he processed all the inputs he’d received leading up to this vital decision.
- As a business owner, don’t allow the chaos of a situation to get the best of you. Collect input and maintain perspective.
Protect Your Focus
- When he first became president, a member of the white house staff came up to him with an unopened envelope. To this he told the staff member that he didn’t open envelopes, that job was reserved for his staff. This practice protected his time and focus. It freed him to focus on only the most important tasks.
- Your focus determines your ability to lead the team. They’re livelihood depends on your ability to scale your business.
- Your inputs determine your outputs. Take command of how you’re spending your time.
- Put systems in place to protect your focus.
Lead Your Team by Assuming Command and Taking Ownership
- When the U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviets, he could have thrown several of his cabinet members under the bus, but he owned it. That decision had consequences, it derailed several high-stake meetings and agreements. But because of his decision, the country moved past the incident as quickly as possible.
If You’re Going to Commit Ground Forces, Do So With Overwhelming Force
- In Little Rock, in the face of intense protests and local government officials blocking a federal court order, he deployed the 101 airborne to enforce the desegregation policy.
- Think deeply before committing to something.
- If you do commit to it, go all in.
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