George Washington Leadership Style Analysis
A Comparison of the Leadership Traits of
George Washington and George Mason
Gabriel Eberhardt
&
Sasha Loftin
MET AD 715
Boston University
Great leaders throughout history are generally known for their greatness in a particular area. One might say they are the leaders within that field or discipline. George Patton was a great military leader. Steve Jobs was a great business leader, and Abraham Lincoln was a great political leader. George Washington was one of the few individuals in the history of the world, and certainly the history of this country who was able to use his leadership traits and abilities to span several different disciplines. While he may not have been the absolute best in each category, it is common knowledge that he was …show more content…
one of the best military leaders, political leaders and business leaders of his time.
Washington appears to have been one of those rare individuals in world history who fit the needs of his time. What made Washington a great leader was his understanding of what had to be done. As a general, he knew that winning the Battle of Saratoga was essential in creating an alliance to secure much needed aid from France. As a businessman, Washington continually worked his expansive estate to be not only self reliant, but also a micro economic revenue generating establishment. As a politician, his countless decisions all helped mold many aspects of a then new nation. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984) Washington’s interest in becoming a gentleman and a leader started at a around the age of sixteen when he copied out by hand, the now famous “110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” They are based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young Washington 's schoolmaster. The first English translation of the French rules appeared in 1640, and are ascribed to Francis Hawkins the twelve-year-old son of a doctor. As a young man, Washington, who admired the rules, wanted to be a gentleman. That is, he wanted to be a leader of men. So, he needed to know how a gentleman behaves, and then to play--to become-- the part. And so he strove to follow these Rules of Civility--there were 110 of them--and in this we see the earliest glimmer of the type of leader Washington was to become. (Smarties, 2011)
After a great deal is review and distillation, George Washington’s leadership style can be effectively separated into three component parts. First and foremost, Washington was diligent. He was very conscious of his own shortcomings. He acknowledged and maybe even was self-conscious of his lack of formal education, especially when compared to men like Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. He only read and spoke English. Yet for Washington this was a strength, because from it he learned the wisdom of delegating power. He was very willing to delegate power and to seek advice and opinions. However, in the end, he also had no qualms about making decisions and sticking with them, as he did when issuing his Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793 against much advice and against the will of Congress and the American people. This leads us to the second component of his leadership style.
George Washington was deliberating but decisive. Once he made a decision, he was single-minded. For example, in the Revolutionary War he never deviated from the simple strategy of keeping his army intact and alive until, with French help, he could deal a death blow to the British. While he lost more battles than he won, Washington kept the Continental Army alive long enough to win at Yorktown in 1781 with the help of France. When president, he would face a very different France but not a very different problem: how to keep the young country alive. Jefferson and Hamilton advised him very differently on this question, which brings up the third character trait.
Washington was an impartial mediator and referee. Washington desired to appear and actually be a statesman, standing above the fray of ideology and politics. He did this during the planning and construction of the Federal City, when he mediated disputes among the proprietors, surveyors, and architects. As most students of history know, he most famously played the referee between two great minds in his cabinet, Jefferson and Hamilton.
The fact that Washington became the first president of the United States does not automatically mean he was a great one. Compared to other political leaders of his time, such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Washington was far from outstanding. He had little formal education. He knew no foreign languages. He had never traveled to Europe. Personally aloof, even cold, he was not a great thinker, writer, or speaker. Despite these shortcomings, Washington still places near or at the top of the list of great presidents even today.
In many ways President George Washington must be put into a class by himself. Unlike the other founding fathers, Washington was a true non-partisan. He hated it when people divided into hostile groups, and he tried to avoid taking sides during political disputes. As president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he contributed almost nothing to the heated debates that took place. Instead, he used his considerable prestige to calm people down and get them back to their main job: creating a new form of government for the United States. When it came time during the Convention to design the executive branch of the federal government (Article II of the Constitution), virtually everyone assumed Washington would become the first president. Indeed, the writers of the Constitution created the office of president with Washington in mind.
For his part, Washington reluctantly accepted the presidency. Jefferson told him: "We cannot, Sir, do without you." None of the other founding fathers, despite all their brilliance, could command the respect and trust George Washington did. Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984). On April 22, 1793, Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality, declaring that the U.S. would support neither France nor England. Washington later explained that it was "the sincere wish of the United States to . . . live in peace and amity with all the inhabitants of the earth." With this decision, Washington established the first foreign policy of the United States.
Some historians hold that the Proclamation of Neutrality was Washington’s most important decision as president. American energies were needed for building, not warring. Washington understood this better than most of his fellow citizens. He gave his country the time it needed. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984)
When at Mt. Vernon, Washington was up before dawn, forever on horseback supervising the plantation. In addition to growing tobacco, he had to make the whole operation as far as possible self-sustaining. Pork had to be produced by the thousands of pounds (6,632 in 1762), Indian corn raised to feed the his continually growing slave population, fish extracted from the Potomac to be eaten fresh by all, salted down in barrels for the hands, and shipped for sale and bartar all over the European continent. Fruit trees were grafted, cider bottled. Liquor supplied slaves with some incentive; after buying as much as 56 gallons at a time, Washington established his own still, which could in a day change 144 gallons of cider into 30 of applejack.
In 1769 Washington’s wheat crop was six times that of 1764, and in 1770 even larger. In addition, his new method of farming took so much less of everyone’s time that he was able to diversify his economic base. By putting in the Potomac more seines and a schooner built by his own men, he enlarged his fisheries, selling shad and herring by the hundred thousands. He increased his number of weaverstriple between 1764 and 1770. Beside his old mill, which he kept in operation, he erected a commercial mill that began grinding in 1770, giving him another service to sell to the neighborhood. (American Heritage, 1965)
Until his death, Washington continued his practices as a savvy entrepreneurial businessman, always examining the possibilities of higher efficiency, sustainability and profit. Although it is really not a leadership quality that garners that same level of examination as Washington’s other leadership examples of his lifetime, it is one that makes an argument that Washington took his leadership traits and applied them to every dynamic of his livelihood.
George Washington is viewed in modern society as possessing, among many others, the true qualities of servant leadership: the leader takes care of the needs of his followers first before they take care of their own. Instead of acting like a king to their subordinates, leaders act as servants. The leader feels that they need to serve their followers rather than force upon them what they want. Perhaps there could not have been a better more adaptive quality for a leader to have that the servant leadership model for a gentleman turned leader who would in fact shape a new nation in such a manner as George Washington did (Bright Hub, 2011).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Charisma Magazine (2011, Feb.
18). 10 Leadership Lessons From George Washington. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2013, from http://www.charismamag.com/life/men/16834-10-leadership-lessons-from-george-washington
Jimmy Larche. (2011, Feb. 7) Thoughts on leadership, vision, and life: George Washington Leadership Moment: Dare to believe, Deize the day, Disk boldly. Retrieved Mar. 22, 2013, from www.jimmylarche.com/2011/02/george-washington-leadership-lessons-take-risks/
Murray, Robert K. and Blessing, Tim H. (1983, Dec.). The Presidential Performance Study: A Progress Report. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2013, from http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-1-1-a-what-made-george-washington-a-great-leader.html#.UXy8M0aU-6U
Kristina Dems. (2011, Jan. 20). Famous Examples of Different Leadership Styles. Retrieved Mar. 18, 2013 from http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/76450.aspx
The Underground Democratic. (2011, May 23) Comparing George Washington. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2013, from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=241x1088
The Sydny Daily Herald. (2009, Oct. 19). All the president 's pennies: Washington, the meticulous businessman. Retrieved Mar. 19, 2013,
from http://www.smh.com.au/world/all-the-presidents-pennies-washington-the-meticulous-businessman-20091016-h15h.html#ixzz2RksBwjOT Flexer, James, Thomas. (1965, Oct 18). American Heritage. George Washington, Businessman. Retrieved Feb. 12, 2013 from http://www.americanheritage.com/content/george-washington-businessman?page=5
Proffessor Pinheiro. 2011, Dec. 27). George Washington 's Leadership Style, Briefly Considered. Retrieved Mar. 12, 2013 from http://www.historyforsmarties.net/2011/08/george-washingtons-leadership-style.html
1. He believed in his men. Belief is a choice before it is an emotion. Believe in your children. Believe in your wife. Believe in your family.
2. He was a man of exemplary character. Fact – it’s a lot easier to take direction from a general, a coach, a CEO, or a dad who also leads from the front in terms of moral character. We can all be that man.
3. He treated others with the utmost respect. Washington treated the lowliest private with the dignity and respect he afforded a visiting dignitary from Philadelphia. How we treat service personnel, subordinates at work, people on the telephone, the guy at the garage, our family members, all impacts the effectiveness of our role as a leader.
4. He held his men accountable. Along with respect came expectation. I believe in you … therefore I expect you to come through. It’s the same thing at home. We demonstrate to our children that we believe in them, and that we respect them—but if there is no consistent response in terms of guidance and discipline, we will eventually lose our edge as leaders.
5. He loved his men. If you care, it shows. If you don’t, then that shows too. People will do a lot for you if they love you. If you love them, then the sky is the limit. How secure is your family in the knowledge of your love for them?
6. He placed the welfare of his men ahead of his own. It’s not just that Washington was willing to take a bullet—there’s no glory in vain bravado. No, what Washington demonstrated is why he was willing, and it wasn’t for his own glory, it was for the cause and for the welfare of those who looked up to him and trusted him.
7. He was personally invested in the cause. The great general put his money where his mouth was. He personally invested in the cause, not only blood, sweat and tears but cold hard cash too. Those who look to us for leadership are always conscious of the priorities that guide us.
8. He did not waver from his guiding principles. He was against tyranny, so he was not a tyrant. He valued freedom, so he extended it to others. He believed in the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and he lived as if they were worth his own life to secure. Does our family know how deeply we hold our faith and our values?
9. He was a man of deep faith who demonstrated that via his actions. Washington advanced his belief in God by living a godly life. He was not the kind of leader who gave fine speeches and then returned to the comforts of his own tent. Washington was respected as a man of faith more for what he did than what he said.
10. He took his responsibilities seriously. Washington did not want to come out of retirement and the life he enjoyed at his estate and then lead a new nation. What he wanted was peace and quiet. But, he also knew that the mark of a leader is to use the gifts you have and to use them for the betterment of the world. He did not shirk from that, even though he was tempted.
George Washington and George Mason
Gabriel Eberhardt
&
Sasha Loftin
MET AD 715
Boston University
Great leaders throughout history are generally known for their greatness in a particular area. One might say they are the leaders within that field or discipline. George Patton was a great military leader. Steve Jobs was a great business leader, and Abraham Lincoln was a great political leader. George Washington was one of the few individuals in the history of the world, and certainly the history of this country who was able to use his leadership traits and abilities to span several different disciplines. While he may not have been the absolute best in each category, it is common knowledge that he was …show more content…
one of the best military leaders, political leaders and business leaders of his time.
Washington appears to have been one of those rare individuals in world history who fit the needs of his time. What made Washington a great leader was his understanding of what had to be done. As a general, he knew that winning the Battle of Saratoga was essential in creating an alliance to secure much needed aid from France. As a businessman, Washington continually worked his expansive estate to be not only self reliant, but also a micro economic revenue generating establishment. As a politician, his countless decisions all helped mold many aspects of a then new nation. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984) Washington’s interest in becoming a gentleman and a leader started at a around the age of sixteen when he copied out by hand, the now famous “110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” They are based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young Washington 's schoolmaster. The first English translation of the French rules appeared in 1640, and are ascribed to Francis Hawkins the twelve-year-old son of a doctor. As a young man, Washington, who admired the rules, wanted to be a gentleman. That is, he wanted to be a leader of men. So, he needed to know how a gentleman behaves, and then to play--to become-- the part. And so he strove to follow these Rules of Civility--there were 110 of them--and in this we see the earliest glimmer of the type of leader Washington was to become. (Smarties, 2011)
After a great deal is review and distillation, George Washington’s leadership style can be effectively separated into three component parts. First and foremost, Washington was diligent. He was very conscious of his own shortcomings. He acknowledged and maybe even was self-conscious of his lack of formal education, especially when compared to men like Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. He only read and spoke English. Yet for Washington this was a strength, because from it he learned the wisdom of delegating power. He was very willing to delegate power and to seek advice and opinions. However, in the end, he also had no qualms about making decisions and sticking with them, as he did when issuing his Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793 against much advice and against the will of Congress and the American people. This leads us to the second component of his leadership style.
George Washington was deliberating but decisive. Once he made a decision, he was single-minded. For example, in the Revolutionary War he never deviated from the simple strategy of keeping his army intact and alive until, with French help, he could deal a death blow to the British. While he lost more battles than he won, Washington kept the Continental Army alive long enough to win at Yorktown in 1781 with the help of France. When president, he would face a very different France but not a very different problem: how to keep the young country alive. Jefferson and Hamilton advised him very differently on this question, which brings up the third character trait.
Washington was an impartial mediator and referee. Washington desired to appear and actually be a statesman, standing above the fray of ideology and politics. He did this during the planning and construction of the Federal City, when he mediated disputes among the proprietors, surveyors, and architects. As most students of history know, he most famously played the referee between two great minds in his cabinet, Jefferson and Hamilton.
The fact that Washington became the first president of the United States does not automatically mean he was a great one. Compared to other political leaders of his time, such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Washington was far from outstanding. He had little formal education. He knew no foreign languages. He had never traveled to Europe. Personally aloof, even cold, he was not a great thinker, writer, or speaker. Despite these shortcomings, Washington still places near or at the top of the list of great presidents even today.
In many ways President George Washington must be put into a class by himself. Unlike the other founding fathers, Washington was a true non-partisan. He hated it when people divided into hostile groups, and he tried to avoid taking sides during political disputes. As president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he contributed almost nothing to the heated debates that took place. Instead, he used his considerable prestige to calm people down and get them back to their main job: creating a new form of government for the United States. When it came time during the Convention to design the executive branch of the federal government (Article II of the Constitution), virtually everyone assumed Washington would become the first president. Indeed, the writers of the Constitution created the office of president with Washington in mind.
For his part, Washington reluctantly accepted the presidency. Jefferson told him: "We cannot, Sir, do without you." None of the other founding fathers, despite all their brilliance, could command the respect and trust George Washington did. Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984). On April 22, 1793, Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality, declaring that the U.S. would support neither France nor England. Washington later explained that it was "the sincere wish of the United States to . . . live in peace and amity with all the inhabitants of the earth." With this decision, Washington established the first foreign policy of the United States.
Some historians hold that the Proclamation of Neutrality was Washington’s most important decision as president. American energies were needed for building, not warring. Washington understood this better than most of his fellow citizens. He gave his country the time it needed. (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984)
When at Mt. Vernon, Washington was up before dawn, forever on horseback supervising the plantation. In addition to growing tobacco, he had to make the whole operation as far as possible self-sustaining. Pork had to be produced by the thousands of pounds (6,632 in 1762), Indian corn raised to feed the his continually growing slave population, fish extracted from the Potomac to be eaten fresh by all, salted down in barrels for the hands, and shipped for sale and bartar all over the European continent. Fruit trees were grafted, cider bottled. Liquor supplied slaves with some incentive; after buying as much as 56 gallons at a time, Washington established his own still, which could in a day change 144 gallons of cider into 30 of applejack.
In 1769 Washington’s wheat crop was six times that of 1764, and in 1770 even larger. In addition, his new method of farming took so much less of everyone’s time that he was able to diversify his economic base. By putting in the Potomac more seines and a schooner built by his own men, he enlarged his fisheries, selling shad and herring by the hundred thousands. He increased his number of weaverstriple between 1764 and 1770. Beside his old mill, which he kept in operation, he erected a commercial mill that began grinding in 1770, giving him another service to sell to the neighborhood. (American Heritage, 1965)
Until his death, Washington continued his practices as a savvy entrepreneurial businessman, always examining the possibilities of higher efficiency, sustainability and profit. Although it is really not a leadership quality that garners that same level of examination as Washington’s other leadership examples of his lifetime, it is one that makes an argument that Washington took his leadership traits and applied them to every dynamic of his livelihood.
George Washington is viewed in modern society as possessing, among many others, the true qualities of servant leadership: the leader takes care of the needs of his followers first before they take care of their own. Instead of acting like a king to their subordinates, leaders act as servants. The leader feels that they need to serve their followers rather than force upon them what they want. Perhaps there could not have been a better more adaptive quality for a leader to have that the servant leadership model for a gentleman turned leader who would in fact shape a new nation in such a manner as George Washington did (Bright Hub, 2011).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Charisma Magazine (2011, Feb.
18). 10 Leadership Lessons From George Washington. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2013, from http://www.charismamag.com/life/men/16834-10-leadership-lessons-from-george-washington
Jimmy Larche. (2011, Feb. 7) Thoughts on leadership, vision, and life: George Washington Leadership Moment: Dare to believe, Deize the day, Disk boldly. Retrieved Mar. 22, 2013, from www.jimmylarche.com/2011/02/george-washington-leadership-lessons-take-risks/
Murray, Robert K. and Blessing, Tim H. (1983, Dec.). The Presidential Performance Study: A Progress Report. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2013, from http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-1-1-a-what-made-george-washington-a-great-leader.html#.UXy8M0aU-6U
Kristina Dems. (2011, Jan. 20). Famous Examples of Different Leadership Styles. Retrieved Mar. 18, 2013 from http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/76450.aspx
The Underground Democratic. (2011, May 23) Comparing George Washington. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2013, from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=241x1088
The Sydny Daily Herald. (2009, Oct. 19). All the president 's pennies: Washington, the meticulous businessman. Retrieved Mar. 19, 2013,
from http://www.smh.com.au/world/all-the-presidents-pennies-washington-the-meticulous-businessman-20091016-h15h.html#ixzz2RksBwjOT Flexer, James, Thomas. (1965, Oct 18). American Heritage. George Washington, Businessman. Retrieved Feb. 12, 2013 from http://www.americanheritage.com/content/george-washington-businessman?page=5
Proffessor Pinheiro. 2011, Dec. 27). George Washington 's Leadership Style, Briefly Considered. Retrieved Mar. 12, 2013 from http://www.historyforsmarties.net/2011/08/george-washingtons-leadership-style.html
1. He believed in his men. Belief is a choice before it is an emotion. Believe in your children. Believe in your wife. Believe in your family.
2. He was a man of exemplary character. Fact – it’s a lot easier to take direction from a general, a coach, a CEO, or a dad who also leads from the front in terms of moral character. We can all be that man.
3. He treated others with the utmost respect. Washington treated the lowliest private with the dignity and respect he afforded a visiting dignitary from Philadelphia. How we treat service personnel, subordinates at work, people on the telephone, the guy at the garage, our family members, all impacts the effectiveness of our role as a leader.
4. He held his men accountable. Along with respect came expectation. I believe in you … therefore I expect you to come through. It’s the same thing at home. We demonstrate to our children that we believe in them, and that we respect them—but if there is no consistent response in terms of guidance and discipline, we will eventually lose our edge as leaders.
5. He loved his men. If you care, it shows. If you don’t, then that shows too. People will do a lot for you if they love you. If you love them, then the sky is the limit. How secure is your family in the knowledge of your love for them?
6. He placed the welfare of his men ahead of his own. It’s not just that Washington was willing to take a bullet—there’s no glory in vain bravado. No, what Washington demonstrated is why he was willing, and it wasn’t for his own glory, it was for the cause and for the welfare of those who looked up to him and trusted him.
7. He was personally invested in the cause. The great general put his money where his mouth was. He personally invested in the cause, not only blood, sweat and tears but cold hard cash too. Those who look to us for leadership are always conscious of the priorities that guide us.
8. He did not waver from his guiding principles. He was against tyranny, so he was not a tyrant. He valued freedom, so he extended it to others. He believed in the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and he lived as if they were worth his own life to secure. Does our family know how deeply we hold our faith and our values?
9. He was a man of deep faith who demonstrated that via his actions. Washington advanced his belief in God by living a godly life. He was not the kind of leader who gave fine speeches and then returned to the comforts of his own tent. Washington was respected as a man of faith more for what he did than what he said.
10. He took his responsibilities seriously. Washington did not want to come out of retirement and the life he enjoyed at his estate and then lead a new nation. What he wanted was peace and quiet. But, he also knew that the mark of a leader is to use the gifts you have and to use them for the betterment of the world. He did not shirk from that, even though he was tempted.