Book Summary: General Patton's Timeless Leadership Principles E - By Richard J Stillman PhD

Everything rises and falls on leadership. I have always been interested in George S. Patton. Some credit his work with winning World War II. Obviously, it was a great team effort that got it done but studying General Patton and his role as a leader is good for any inspiring leader.Why is this important to me?I always want to ask this question as if I am sitting in your shoes. I don't want to waste your time. Leadership is needed today more than ever. The generations after World War II have lived in good times. The coming storm of the debt crisis, terrorism and the world economy imploding can potentially result in some very hard times which will require resolve and leadership.The times hardened George Patton to become an excellent leader. He was born in 1885 and died in 1945. This means he lived through WWI, The Great Depression and WWII. Unfortunately today if the kids have to turn off Xbox then they pout because parents aren't fair. This is a real problem and why leadership
has to be studied.Timeless Leadership Principles is broken up into three separate sections. Section one outlines all of Patton's accomplishments during WWII. I highly recommend you study Patton's history but in a nutshell, he covered more ground with Third Army and was instrumental in winning the war. For the sake of time, I will cover 5 major points from section two of the book. Note: Richard Stillman observed Patton for over a year when Patton commanded Third Army so he had firsthand knowledge of Patton's Leadership style.1. Be Physically Fit; Be Mentally Positive; Be Financially Secure - Third Army consisted of 400,000+ soldiers. In order to lead an organization like that, your house needs to be in order. If you are unhealthy, in debt or have a bad attitude then nobody will follow you. In war, leaders know that their direction and decisions are life and death and they need to focus on the tasks and goals at hand. The last things they need to be consumed with are the three
basics of everyday worry regarding physical, mental and financial health. A quote from Patton sums this up - "High physical condition is vital to victory, Fatigue makes cowards of us all. Men in condition do not tire.2. Lead by Example; Go for the Jugular; Be Audacious - Patton delegated authority better than anyone. He understood in order to win the war he needed to be close to the troops and focus on the most important tasks at hand. This included being in the field and walking around with the men in combat zones. He was not an ivory tower manager but an effective leader. Going for the Jugular and never paying for the same real-estate twice won us the war. With Patton, there was no defense. He attacked all the time and never stopped. This is an excellent leadership quality because you are either growing or dying, there is no steady state. These three principles require discipline. According to Patton - "Discipline is based on pride in the profession of arms, on meticulous
attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle or the fear of death."3. Acquire Expertise in your Profession; Know Your Competition; Publicize your Accomplishments - Patton was an excellent military student of war. He studied history and understood why countries won and lost wars. He also was a student of his competition - German Commander Rommel. He read Rommel's writings and knew how he did things. One of the greatest feats of WWII was the decoy of the Normandy invasion. The Germans respected Patton and bet that any major offensive would be led by him. Eisenhower knew this and used Patton as a decoy while the Americans stormed Normandy beach. This is the benefits of publicizing your accomplishments. If you are a smart leader, you can use your accomplishments to your team's advantage.4. Patton's Fatal Flaw - Know Your Achilles Heel - Patton made some political mistakes th
roughout his career in WWII. He was the target of media scrutiny after he slapped a battle fatigued soldier in Italy. Patton was tough and did not want battle wounded men dishonored. After this incident he mistakenly insulted the Russians (not his intent) and it spread like wild fire costing him his command. According to Patton - "Stupid GD remark - I know better." Do you know your Achilles heel? If not then learn it and otherwise it will affect you as a leader.5. Be an effective writer and speaker - Most people do not know this but George S. Patton was dyslexic. Learning for him was a challenge but he did it anyway. To be an effective leader, you need to be a lifelong learner. Imagine controlling 400,000 lives in the biggest war that history has ever known. This requires dedication of self to the cause. This is much bigger and harder than simply running a business.General Patton's Timeless Leadership Principles is a good book and should be read by all aspiring leaders. Grea
t leaders don't get fired in today's world and if they do then it is by incompetent people. If you commit yourself to continuous improvement toward a leadership goal then you can secure your future. The world is in short supply of great leadership.I hope you have found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit. Habits form in as little as 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is discipline. Make discipline a daily objective around your true purpose in life. If you know what that purpose is then establish discipline and create the habits necessary to achieve your life's ambitions.

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